Kind Hearts and Coronets Reviews

As much as I loved The Ladykillers, Kind Hearts and Coronets is my personal favourite of the Ealing comedies. One might argue that the narration is overused, I would say the narration added to the darkness, wit and charm of this superb film. The cinematography is crisp and smooth, and the score is great. Then we are treated to a deliciously witty script, that is funny, dark and has bite. The story slips smoothly between dastardly deaths in the guise of a self-satisfied memoir, and is gripping while moving along at a good pace, and the direction is secure. But it is the quality of the acting that elevates Kind Hearts and Coronets. Dennis Price is brilliant as the inventive killer, and Joan Greenwood is delicious as Sibella the vamp. Also convincing as Edith is Valerie Hobson, but the scene stealer in no less than eight roles is Alec Guinness in a real tour de force. While some of his roles are small, they perfectly show off his versatility. Overall, superb and deliciously dark Ealing comedy. 10/10 Bethany Cox

The Brits are already known for their stiff-lipped humor, and Kind Hearts and Coronets adds to that by giving the entire proceedings a moribund flavor. It isn’t just that the film is politely sarcastic, even by the already rigid standards of the Brits, but it is decidedly dark and twisted in its worldview and demolishment of the British class structure. The basic structure is that of a long-lost relative (Dennis Price) slowly murdering the various members of the D’Ascoyne family, eight of them to be exact, in order to get his hands on the family fortune and title.

 

The nature of privilege and what an outsider will do to obtain it is ripe material for comedic exploration, but Ealing Studios’ blackest of black comedies exists in a realm of almost anti-humor. I don’t know if much of the film really made me laugh, but I did find it enjoyable and think TIME’s description of it as “fun noir” is more apt. If Kind Hearts won’t produce much guffaws, it will produce a pleasing sense of entertainment from its dry wit, tightrope tonal changes, and series of incandescent performances, including Price’s frustrated outrage, Joan Greenwood’s purring seductress, and Alec Guinness in a tour de force of eight distinct personalities.

 

It is when Robert Hamer’s camera provides Guinness the chance to do character work that Kind Hearts works best. Using only a little makeup and a lot of Brechtian technique, Guinness demonstrates the breadth of his range by playing various ages, genders, and personality types. How was he not nominated for an Oscar for this? This might be the finest work of his estimable career. When these two zero in on the gallows humor and idiosyncrasies of the D’Ascoyne family, they manage to remind you of the power of Oscar Wilde’s prose. Sometimes a witty, subversive satire is just what the soul needs.  

Since I kept hearing some really good things about this flick, I was really eager to check it out. Unfortunately, even though I did like it, I'm afraid I didn't really connect with the whole thing. I don't know, maybe I wasn't in the right mood or maybe it has to do with the fact that I saw it on the BBC without subtitles so I missed a bit of the dialogs. Still, like I said before, I still liked it and it is a very nice dark satire which must have been quite shocking when it was released. The thing I enjoyed the most was how sophisticated and articulate all the characters were. It was just a delight, especially compared to the abysmal figures we get nowadays. Of course, the other attraction was to see the great Sir Alec Guinness shining in no less than 8 different parts, including one woman. Man, the man was gifted, that's for sure. Still, I smiled a couple of times but I never find it really funny and it never really gripped me like I was hoping for. Maybe I should give it another shot in the future as it certainly deserves it. Still, it remains a really solid comedy, a classic, and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.