Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)

Directed by: Robert Hamer | 106 minutes | drama, comedy, crime | Actors: Dennis Price, Alec Guinness, Joan Greenwood, Valerie Hobson, Audrey Fildes, Miles Malleson, Clive Morton, John Penrose, Cecil Ramage, Hugh Griffith, John Salew, Eric Messiter, Lyn Evans, Barbara Leake, Peggy Ann Clifford

London once had the pretense of becoming Hollywood’s British counterpart. The Ealing Studios in particular was an excellent location for filming. The studio, which was founded in 1902 and is probably the oldest film studio in the world, flourished in the late 1940s with a series of quintessentially British comedies, often starring Alec Guinness. ‘The Ladykillers’ (1955), ‘The Man in the White Suit’ (1951) and ‘The Lavender Hill Mob’ (1951) are all smooth, distinguished comedies that are still easy to digest decades after their premiere. After some last successful convulsions – successful series like ‘Monty Python’, ‘Dr. Who’ and ‘Colditz’ were recorded there – things went bad for the Ealing Studios for a long time. In 2000 the studio was bought by new owners who radically renovated the place. Full of good courage, the British are once again fully committed to letting talented British actors such as Kate Winslet and Ewan McGregor make films in their own country.

One of the greatest successes from the heyday of the Ealing Studios is the pitch-black comedy ‘Kind Hearts and Coronets’ from 1949. In this film Dennis Price plays Louis Mazzini, who writes his memoir on death row. The story can then be told as a long flashback, in which it becomes clear how he got there. Mazzini’s mother (Audrey Fildes) came from an aristocratic family, but after she married an Italian singer of humble origins, she was disinherited. She had to raise her child in poverty and when she died she was not even given a place in the family grave. The adult Louis is intent on revenge and sets his sights on what he thinks he has been entitled to all along; the noble title Duke D’Ascoyne. In order to achieve this, he must first deal with the eight family members who still precede him in the line of succession. Because they don’t all just drop dead, Louis has no choice but to kill them. And so one after the other D’Ascoyne (all played by Alec Guinness) mysteriously dies. However, just when Louis is about to take over the nobility, something he hadn’t anticipated happens; his old flame Sibella (Joan Greenwood) throws a spanner in the works!

Kind Hearts and Coronets has built up an impressive reputation over the years and is regarded as one of the best British black comedies of all time. This film by director Robert Hamer (‘Father Brown’, 1954) based on a novel by Robert Horniman is certainly a special piece of work. Especially the cold and cold-blooded way in which Louis Mazzini commits the murders are rarely equaled. Mazzini remains a gentleman in all and all cases, which makes the macabre atmosphere that hangs over the film like an all-encompassing blanket even stronger. And then there is the morbid humor with which Mazzini carries out the murders. Always in a different, even more creative way. The film is also a sight to see, thanks to the beautiful black-and-white cinematography and the excellent costumes and make-up. And make-up was certainly necessary to transform Sir Alec Guinness into eight (!) different characters. Old and young, man and woman. They have all become successful creations, each with their own mannerisms, accents and idiosyncrasies. The versatile Guinness was rightly praised for his role.

But the other actors are also very enjoyable. Dennis Price plays the best part of his career as the distinguished but extremely cold-blooded Louis Mazzini. Price would not be able to match the success of this film, struggled for years with his homosexuality and alcohol and would take his own life in the early 1970s at a much too young age. The chemistry he has with Joan Greenwood – despite the fact that his character is extremely correct – is special. Especially when you consider that this movie was made in 1949. The romantic scenes between these two actors were considered quite offensive at the time. Valerie Hobson – who plays Edith D’Ascoyne, the widow of one of Louis’s victims whom he decides to marry – is also convincing in her role. But of course nothing beats the eightfold role of Alec Guinness. Although he is only on screen for about ten minutes in total, his contribution to this film is absolutely legendary.

It’s not easy to name negatives of ‘Kind Hearts and Coronets’. Angry tongues argue that the film can’t compete with its sky-high reputation. The fact is, however, that ‘Kind Hearts and Coronets’ is satisfactory on all fronts. Especially for those who like dark humor. The film has a well-constructed story that takes an interesting twist at the end, the actors are all convincing and the pace is good. Fans of Sir Alec Guinness should definitely have this masterpiece in their collection, but also others who love that wonderfully British sophisticated humor – as black as possible – will not regret checking ‘Kind Hearts and Coronets’ !