071 - Kind Hearts and Coronets

Synopsis: Disinherited son murders his way to a Dukedom

Director: Robert Hamer

Actors: Alec Guinness, Dennis Price, Joan Greenwood, Valerie Hobson
Date: 1949

How viewed: Lovefilm rental

Rating: 3/5

David Meyer says:
Am adult exercise in irony, crafted to perfection, presented in a flowing, unhurried rhythm. An unmistakeable product of its age: the ultimate - and funniest - British black comedy.

I say:

I'm afraid that once again I find myself out on a limb and not agreeing with the general opinion that this is one of the greatest British films of all time, sorry! I felt it was a rather boring, macabre little tale, with, sadly, few laughs. It recounts how a disinherited member of the aristocracy (Dennis Price) gains his revenge by killing off all those ahead of him in line to become the next Duke of Chalfont. It's all done in a very flat, matter of fact, tone, poking fun at the aristocracy and indeed seeming to approve of their demise! In it's favour, the circular format of the story (the revenger is eventually trapped by revenge) is neat, but mainly it's a vehicle for Alec Guinness to have fun playing all 8 of the members of the family who get bumped off (though they are all rather similar characters, and some are only on screen for a few seconds!). Nice to see the great Arthur Lowe pop up as a reporter in the last scene - though blink and you'll miss him! Overall though, not a bundle of laughs. PS The film's title comes from a line in a Tennyson poem: "Kind hearts are more than coronets, and simple faith than Norman blood' - though not sure how that really fits the film!