Fans of the British comedy classic "The Ladykillers" (1955) will be thrilled to see the sweet old lady from that Ealing film, Lucy Johnson, playing the sweet naive wife of Edmund Gwenn, a rather passive middle class man. He's secretly sick of hanger on in-laws, Ethel Coleridge and Cedric Hardwicke (completely unrecognizable outside of elements of his voice), and tells them that he's mixed up in a forgery racket in an effort to get them to run away, but unfortunately his newly engaged daughter Victoria Hopper overhears, causing more confusion in the lie. The presence of inspector David Hawthorne adds to their fears, but that makes the audience wonder just what is true, and what is false.
Good performances all around (directed by the legendary Carol Reed), with Gwenn quite a rascal and Coleridge the epitome of a stone faced harridan. Cleverly adapted by a famous 30's British play, this is very sophisticated and subtly witty, a fast talking and unique comedy. Little details of Gwenn's performance are so clever to pick out, like he added amusing little aspects of his personality to make the audience unsure of his guilt or innocence. His conversation with Hawthorne over a real crime of forgery is genuine cat and mouse. Definitely one of the top notch British comedies of the 30's, filled with lots of genuinely brilliant details that are mesmerizing to explore.
Good performances all around (directed by the legendary Carol Reed), with Gwenn quite a rascal and Coleridge the epitome of a stone faced harridan. Cleverly adapted by a famous 30's British play, this is very sophisticated and subtly witty, a fast talking and unique comedy. Little details of Gwenn's performance are so clever to pick out, like he added amusing little aspects of his personality to make the audience unsure of his guilt or innocence. His conversation with Hawthorne over a real crime of forgery is genuine cat and mouse. Definitely one of the top notch British comedies of the 30's, filled with lots of genuinely brilliant details that are mesmerizing to explore.