Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)

Arguably the finest Ealing comedy, this superb comédie noire has a deliciously witty script and is elevated to greatness by its acting. Alec Guinness’s eight virtuoso performances as the doomed D’Ascoynes are outstanding, alongside strong work from Dennis Price, Joan Greenwood and Valerie Hobson.

In 1949 Ealing Studios released this, easily the best and most demented of its iconic output. Alec Guinness’s vocal variation and commitment in playing nine family members remain wildly impressive, alongside beautiful writing and flawlessly silly filmmaking.

The film is Ealing’s tartest and most sophisticated achievement, a witty comedy of manners, grotesque serial-killer caper and acerbic class satire. Dennis Price’s ruthless yet charming Louis holds the piece together, with elegant direction and a lean, sprightly screenplay.

The critic describes it as one of the driest black comedies, with a commoner murdering his way to the dukedom in a gentlemanly fashion full of sharp ironies and cold-blooded matter-of-factness. It highlights the voiceover narration, Dennis Price's performance, and Alec Guinness playing all eight victims as standing out from typical Ealing comedies.

The critic calls it one of the most extraordinary black comedies the cinema has known and Robert Hamer's best epitaph. It praises the subversive humour, Guinness's tour de force playing multiple roles, and Hamer's intelligence in defying Ealing conventions.

The Ealing genre reached utter perfection with this superb black comedy of manners. It is history’s greatest serial-killer movie, with Dennis Price excelling as the vengeful heir and Alec Guinness delivering a miraculously subtle multi-performance as the noble clan members.

The critic hails the film as Ealing's blackest farce, a tale of multiple murder that remains shocking and corrupting 45 years on. It singles out the film's willingness to make the audience identify with and applaud the murderer while subverting the British class system.

The critic describes it as a blackly comic gem and a jewel in the crown of British comedy, crediting Hamer's sure touch with the morbid material and Guinness's versatile performances. It singles out the delicate balance of bad taste and entertainment as its great achievement.

The review positions the film as the darkest Ealing comedy, noting its reserve and dry humor that may not register as funny but excels in character observation and social insight, especially regarding privilege, exclusion, and female roles. It praises Hamer's direction and the film's subtle framing and tone.

The film is a dry, droll, literate and cynical Ealing comedy whose detached narration makes the murders agreeably entertaining. It showcases Alec Guinness's remarkable range in eight roles through subtle makeup, posture and behavior rather than special effects.

The return of the 1949 film is always welcome as it remains unflinchingly funny despite the cynicism of its hero. No movie is more suavely literate or more insanely quotable, with lively, crisp and surprisingly sensual action.

Guinness dominates with devastating wit and variety as he plays eight Edwardian fuddy-duds. The picture itself is a sparkling and sometimes devilishly cutting jest on Edwardian manners and morals.

This tour-de-force of black comedy from Ealing Studios remains one of the truly undimmed classics of British post-war cinema. It is the most unfailingly genteel serial-killer picture, at turns unsentimental, amoral, callous and erotic but unquestionably funny.

The critic calls it a beautifully pitched comedy of terrors about revenge and inheritance, praising the confident storytelling, Dennis Price's lead performance, and Alec Guinness's tour-de-force octet of roles. The script and restoration are lauded as richly rewarding.

The film stands out among Ealing comedies for its pitch-black humour and sharp satire on class. It is praised for Dennis Price's poised lead performance and Alec Guinness's multiple roles in absurd murder set pieces.

The critic praises the film as a comic masterpiece with a razor-sharp script full of double meanings and sly observations. Alec Guinness's multiple roles and the elegant central performance are highlighted as tremendous fun in this vicious yet delightful black comedy.