Kind Hearts and Coronets (Criterion Collection)

 

 

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No need to add much to the comments above and below about this excellent post-war (1949) British black comedy, so I'll restrict myself to the DVD.

This is a good transfer of a film which is now well over 50 years old. Criterion might have got more out of it, but this release wouldn't do that company any shame.

Damage is virtually non-existent, contrast is excellent and the image very sharp. There is an occasional hint of grain, but this is a much better DVD transfer than I was expecting on such an inexpensive disc. Just check out the trailer which is almost indiscernible image-wise to show what a good job they have done.

The sound is mono and sounds a little thin at first but Dennis Price's beautiful narration is clear and the ear soon adjusts.

All in all, a very good DVD release.

"Kind hearts are more than coronets/And simple faith than Norman blood. - Lord Tennyson."

Tennyson could have been writing about the movie "Kind Hearts and Coronets," a wonderfully twisted movie all about killing one's relatives to get ahead in the world. This classic black comedy is blessed with excellent acting by Dennis Price and Alec Guinness, as well as some very inventive murders and wry dialogue.

A young lady of the D'Ascoyne family was ostracized when she married an Italian singer (he dropped dead when their son was born). Louis (Price) was raised hearing all about his noble relatives, but ignored by them -- and when his mother is refused burial at the family plot, and his devious girlfriend Sibella (Joan Greenwood) spurns him for a rich, dull man, he decides to become the next Duke.

To do that, he has to kill off several relatives, which he does in various ingenious ways. He's also wooing the widow of one such murdered relative, the kindly Edith (Valerie Hobson), while still frisking with Sibella. But you can't commit six murders -- no matter how clever -- without raising some suspicions, and soon Louis finds himself a Duke on death row... but is there a way out?

The whole story is told in flashback, as Louis writes his memoirs in his cell, and there's only a little bit after the memoirs' completion that explains what happened next. But from the first moments onward (the executioner getting excited about the "privilege" of hanging a duke), it's pretty obvious that "Kind Hearts and Coronets" has a rare, wicked sense of humor.

Much of that is through the irony (Louis is morally opposed to hunting, but not murder) and brilliantly dark dialogue ("I shot an arrow in the air; she fell to earth in Berkeley Square"). One of the best things is Louis' narration -- we learn that he's intelligent, droll, and as much of a snob as his richer relatives.

But there's also the great ways in which the D'Ascoynes expire -- exploding labs, drifting boats, shooting down a hot air balloon with an arrow, and a battleship that goes the wrong way and crashes into ANOTHER battleship. A string of murders might normally be dull, but Robert Hamer keeps the wry humor in everything Louis does.

Price does a simply brilliant job as Louis, a poor relation who uses charm, intelligence, pleasant lies, kindness and some disguises to murder his relatives (many of whom are much kindlier than he). Only crackly-voiced Greenwood is as wonderfully amoral as he. And Guinness showed his versatility by playing all the D'Ascoyne relatives -- the dotty vicar, a rather ugly suffragette, a pigheaded admiral, and others.

"Kind Hearts and Coronets" is a brilliantly dark comedy, with some great acting from Guinness and Price, a twisted sense of humor, and a great finale. Definitely a must-see for fans of murder and wit.

Here is Alec Guinness, and Alec Guinness, and Alec Guinness, and...

Louis D'Ascoyne (Dennis Price) would be next in line except for one thing; his mother ran off with an Italian singer. Now he is disinherited by his immediate and extended family. His mother dies rejected and it is pure murder trying to get back into the good graces of his family.

ALIC Guinness plays the different characters that are relatives including The Duke/The Banker/The Parson/The General/The Admiral/Young Ascoyne/Young Henry/Lady Agatha.

Based on a novel by Roy Horniman It is a story of revenge and reluctance to give people their due.

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5.0 out of 5 stars The best black comedy ever filmed
It`s useless to state we are in the presence of the biggest black comedy in all the cinema's story. Every detail is perfect, from the direction, passing through the superb cast,... Read more

Published on April 30 2004 by Hiram Gomez Pardo

5.0 out of 5 stars The best comedy ever made
This film is outstanding. Exhilarating, superb with an overpowered cast. Dennis Price in the best role of his life and Sir Alec Guiness showing once more why he is in the top list... Read more

Published on April 30 2004 by Hiram Gomez Pardo

5.0 out of 5 stars Murder Has Never Been So Hilarious.
Louis D'Ascoyne Mazzini (Dennis Price) is the forgotten heir of the aristocratic D'Ascoyne family, who ostracized his mother when she married well below her station. Read more

Published on Feb 12 2004 by mirasreviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A sublime masterpiece.
This film is perfect. The humor, dry, understated but unwavering; the acting, positively first-rate by all parties. Dennis Price & Joan Greenwood have never been better. Read more

Published on May 29 2003 by inframan

5.0 out of 5 stars A droll and hilarious case study in the gentle art of murder
Alec Guiness is justly celebrated for playing eight roles in the classic 1950 Ealing Comedy "Kind Hearts and Coronets," but you do have to remind yourself when you are enjoying... Read more

Published on May 5 2003 by Lawrance M. Bernabo

5.0 out of 5 stars Great movie...a classic
This is one of the funniest, most amazing movies ever made. Its subtle humor has you laughing at the weirdest times. A dark humor classic!

Published on Dec 27 2002

4.0 out of 5 stars Dry, Witty, and Dark
Louis Mazzini (Dennis Price) is sitting on death row in 19th century England waiting on his execution the following morning. Read more

Published on Oct 13 2002 by Kim Anehall

4.0 out of 5 stars Witty Serial Killers Autobiography!
Louis Mazzini (Dennis Price) is sitting on death row in 19th century England waiting on his execution the following morning. Read more

Published on Oct 10 2002 by Kim Anehall

5.0 out of 5 stars THE comic masterpiece.
This film belongs in my top ten list, and is my favourite comedy. Dennis Price is very much the center of this film as an angry and avenging "gentleman" with aspirations to kill... Read more

Published on Oct 1 2002

5.0 out of 5 stars Sometimes Imitated--Never Duplicated.
I will not repeat the excellent plot synopsis of Mr.Stubbs, and I agree completely with the highly positive reviews found in this site by people who appreciate this truly classic... Read more

Published on Sep 30 2002 by peterfromkanata

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