What's not to love about the Lavender Hill Mob?
I'll tell you what, nothing.
Alec Guinness as meek and mild mannered Henry Holland, the bank clerk who reads too many pulp crime fiction books and begins to live the dream.
Stanley Holloway as Alfred Pendlebury (or Pendlebuwy as Holland calls him)an artist who's income comes not from art but from his foundry that produces tourist nik naks (Ann Hathaways cottage for keeping string in).
Together with, likeably inept professional criminals, Lackery Wood (Sid James) and Shorty Fisher (Alfie Bass) they become the Lavender Hill Mob, adopt tough guy names, Dutch and Al and commit the perfect crime. Well sort of.
I won't spoil it if you haven't seen it but see it you must. It's probably the finest of the great Ealing comedies and with a supporting cast of the calibre of John Gregson, Sydney Tafler, Gibb McLaughlin, Richard Wattis and of course a young Audrey Hepburn in a tiny part right at the start what more could you want?
The atmosphere is warm and cosy with just a hint of satire and a slight spoofing of more slick American tough guy movies and the performances as always are spot on all round. T.E.B. Clarke's screenplay is fantastic and the admirable (Charles) Crichton holds it all together perfectly.
5 star.
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Am I imagining it or have there been some changes round here lately?
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ReplyDeleteI'm afraid I have a very poor reputation when it comes to name/titles. Lon Chaney may have been the man of a thousand faces but I'm the man of a thousand names.
ReplyDeleteJust found your blog by typing "Pendlebuwy" "Alec Guinness" into Google. :D
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