Pretty Good

People are voting emotionally.

It’s an especially fun movie from a director and cast who are clearly having a good time allowing themselves to let loose.

The first must-see film of the year.

Droll British humor rises to the level of art form in this understated comedy. I first heard of "Kind Hearts and Coronets" in relation to Sir Alec Guinness's multiple roles in the story, and the film has been on my watch list ever since. All of the characters he portrays wind up dead, which is probably an all time record in movies for one actor. Usually someone of his caliber would have reservations about dying just once in a picture, so you have to give the man some credit. The film's pace probably wouldn't be for everyone, but if you go for the dry wit and sarcasm, there's a lot to wrap your head around here. The dialog, particularly that of Louis Mazzini (Dennis Price) talking to himself and the viewer, is quintessentially suited for his murderous heart, as he plots the death of all the potential Dukes (and one Duchess) of Chalfont. This is just the type of stuff the Monty Python folks might have come up with if that whole gang of idiots had been subject to a regimen of sedatives.

I love this movie. Very dry wit. Very classically British. If you are looking for a film that can stand on its script instead of special effects, give this one a try. Guinness does a wonderful job of playing all the protagonists in this film. Plot, of course, has a very interesting twist at the end. I recommend you see this!

In the hours before his execution for murder, Louis, the 10th Duke of Chalfont, writes his memoirs. In them he details how, though descended from nobility, he grew up poor and had to pull himself up by his bootstraps, career-wise. Then, discovering that only eight members of the D'Ascoyne family stood between him and the dukedom, he systematically started killing them, making the murders look like accidents.Interesting, intriguing crime drama, with a dry, dark humour about it. The whole sequence of events leading up to and including Louis knocking off the claimants to the dukedom makes for compelling viewing. Quirkily funny at times too.More than just a crime drama, the movie also pokes fun at England's class and peerage system. You can well imagine that someone would go to such lengths for a title and the wealth and other benefits it bestows.Solid work by Dennis Price as Louis. Standout performance(s), however, goes to Alec Guiness who plays all eight members of the D'Ascoyne family! Good support from Valerie Hobson and Joan Greenwood.

Alec Guinness gets to die eight times, playing a line of successors to a dukedom, in the Ealing black comedy Kind Hearts and Coronets. Louis Mazzini (Dennis Price) is ninth in line to inherit the dukedom from the aristocratic D'Ascoyne family. Louis vows to kill all eight people who stand between him and the duke's title. Aside from two cases of natural causes, Louis works through the list, eliminating rivals (all played by Guinness). Along the way he romances Sibella (Joan Greenwood), a childhood friend who ends up marrying a dullard, and Edith (Valerie Hobson), the beautiful widow of one of his victims with whom he plans to share his title. But just when Louis is ready to assume the D'Ascoyne mantle, a bizarre irony strikes. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi