Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)

Director:

Robert Hamer

Writers:

Roy Horniman (novel)
Robert Hamer (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

14 June 1950 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Drama

Tagline:

He chopped down the family tree...

Plot:

A distant poor relative of the Duke of D'Ascoyne plots to inherit the title by murdering the eight other heirs who stand ahead of him in the line of succession.

Plot Keywords:

Duke | Widow | Aristocracy | Actor Playing Multiple Roles | Executioner

Awards:

Nominated for BAFTA Film Award. Another 1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Dennis Price	...	Louis
Valerie Hobson	...	Edith
Joan Greenwood	...	Sibella
Alec Guinness	...	The Duke / The Banker / The Parson / The General / The Admiral / Young Ascoyne / Young Henry / Lady Agatha
Audrey Fildes	...	Mama
Miles Malleson	...	The Hangman
Clive Morton	...	The Prison Governor
John Penrose	...	Lionel
Cecil Ramage	...	Crown Counsel
Hugh Griffith	...	Lord High Steward
John Salew	...	Mr. Perkins
Eric Messiter	...	Burgoyne
Lyn Evans	...	The Farmer
Barbara Leake	...	The Schoolmistress
Peggy Ann Clifford	...	Maud

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Iceland:L | USA:Approved (PCA #13442) | Finland:K-16 | UK:U (video rating) | UK:A (original rating) (cut)

Filming Locations:

Ealing Studios, Ealing, London, England, UK

Company:

Ealing Studios

Trivia:

An alternate ending was required for the US, where distributors balked at the film's ambiguous ending (The US Production Code at the time stipulated that crime could not be seen to pay). These extra ten seconds were not kept by Ealing but were unearthed at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, where they had been quietly filed away in a film storage facility.

Goofs:

Continuity: When "The Hangman" (Miles Malleson) opens the peep-hole to the prisoner's cell, he moves the covering to the right, with a finger. After we are allowed to gaze at the back of the prisoner's neck for a few seconds, the shot reverts to the outside of the cell door; The Hangman releases the cover which closes from left to right, not right to left, as it should have done.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Warder in Jail: Good evening, Mr. Elliot.
The Hangman: Good evening.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Cutting Edge: Crooked Tarts and Coronets" (2003)

Soundtrack:

Don Giovanni: Il mio tesoro intanto

First class British film-making.

As is the case with most great things, the basic premise of this film is simple. There is, however, an essential darkness at the heart of the movie: the cold blooded and calculating murder of all those who stand between Dennis Price and his possible succession to a title. That this is treated in so light and civilised a way is the triumph of the film. The screenplay and performances complement each other perfectly and are a credit to all those involved. I cannot think of a weak link in the film. The casting was beautifully judged down to the most minor character. The leads are, though, just about perfect. For my money, it is the best of Dennis Price's film work (though his Jeeves on television in the 60's was good, too). Guinness was splendid and well supported by Valerie Hobson and Joan Greenwood. I have probably seen the film more than a dozen times in the past thirty years. Each time it offers something fresh and new. Quite simply one of the best.