Takethispunch
In Edwardian England, Louis D'Ascoyne Mazzini, 10th Duke of Chalfont awaits his hanging the following morning. As he writes his memoirs, the events of his life are shown in flashback.His mother, the youngest daughter of the 7th Duke of Chalfont, eloped with an Italian opera singer named Mazzini and was disowned by her family for marrying beneath her station. Even so, the Mazzinis were poor, but happy, until Mazzini died upon seeing Louis, his newborn son, for the first time.In the aftermath, Louis' widowed mother raises him on the history of her family and told him how, unlike other aristocratic titles, the dukedom of Chalfont, can descend through female heirs. Louis' only childhood friends are Sibella and her brother, a local doctor's children.
ElMaruecan82
Years and years before Tarantino was a gleam in his father's eye, a sumptuous and delightfully dark British comedy demonstrated that revenge, indeed, was a dish best served cold. And speaking of dish, I savored like a gourmet every bit of "Kind Hearts and Coronets". Movies like this are the kind of experiences that can be equaled to a diner in a fancy restaurant where every sip of wine, every bite of meal, from the appetizers to the dessert, plays like a carnival of sensations in your taste buds. I can't exactly pinpoint in which department Robert Hamer's movie most succeeded, but it is a combination of many factors that movies seldom achieve. It starts with the story, the title derives from an excerpt from Alfred Tennyson's poem: "Kind hearts are more than coronets, and simple faith than Norman blood." The story features the spectacular ascension of Louis D'Ascoyne Mazzini, a young man of common birth but not so common lineage. His mother is a Noble but due to her marriage with an opera singer and her self-inflicted exile from the Family, she made herself a Persona-Non-Grata. Louis grew fatherless and all her mother's efforts to reconnect with her family or get a job for Louis met with rejection. She doesn't even get the privilege to be interred in the family vault. Meanwhile Louis proposes Sibella, a childhood friend, for marriage but only gets cruel mockeries about his rank and then-job as a draper's assistant.For newly orphaned and love-stricken Louis, these are two rejections too many and the starting point of one of the most elaborate and perfectly oiled schemes ever concocted in a film, all in pure British refinery. Holding the D'Ascoyne family as primarily responsible for all the troubles that affected his life, he decides to take his revenge and kill each member of the family to get his way to the Dukedom: eight D'Ascoyne and so many different ways to kill that you'd come to regret the Edwardian era and the bursts of stylish creativity it could inspire even in the deadliest actions. Poisoning, explosions, arrows and even plain bullets are so many weapons used by a cold and meticulous mastermind. There is something in Louis that evokes the patient efficiency of the Jackal.And more than the story, there's the storytelling. When the film opens, we actually see Louis in the night preceding his execution. He's referred to as the Duke and the executioner seems rather impressed and nervous. At first, we take it for granted that Louis was a Duke from the start, even his manners and the way he addresses a snoring cop shows that this is man cautious about his social status. But then the flashback, as narrated by his memoirs, reveals his past, and we understand that what we saw first is only the proof of his success. And this is how the narration works, it either precedes our comprehension or completes it, sometimes, what we hear and what we see effectively overlap, sometimes, narration adds to the visual enjoyment, sometimes, visuals have a literate level of appreciation. And some other times, it is just funny as hell.There's a moment in the film where Louis has just prepared an explosion to one of his targets and while he's talking about his victim's future to his soon-to-be-widowed wife, in the midst of the discussion, there's a sort of 'poof' sound. He probably heard it but he continues talking and so does the wife while you can seem a thick cloud of smoke in the background. This is pure gold of hilarity, something of comic books and cartoon levels, and yet it fits in this refined social study on the Edwardian mentalities. And of course, the comedic masterstroke remains the little gimmick the film is celebrated for: the casting of Alec Guinness in the roles of each D'Ascoyne member. Not only that, but the director even found a way to compile six different characters in the same frame, and it's refreshing to have a director try such stunts in the 40's. And I thought that Sellers was a genius and Guinness was unrecognizable in "Ladykillers", this is nothing compared to what Guinness achieved, especially since he's convincing in every role.Naturally, it would be unfair to associate the film's success with Guinness' talent only, there's no actor who proved unworthy, and certainly not Dennis Price, a face I found myself surprised not to know. It is sad that the actor's fate didn't match the prestige of such a debut, but he couldn't have a better lifetime role. This is one of the greatest British antiheroes that the story tactfully manages to prove sympathetic through some pivotal scenes, ethical moves and ironic twist of fates. Yet, as perfectionist as he is, the man has a weakness… "cherchez la femme!" Joanne Greenwood as the luscious mousy Sibella and Valerie Hobson as the dignified Edith are two pawns in the same game and provides clever complications, proving that the film didn't just take its "serial killing" plot for granted. The women also contribute to the ambiguity of the ending, one I dare not to spoil, except to say that it was the perfect note to conclude such a masterpiece.And masterpiece is the word for I've rarely encountered films where the story, the writing, the acting, the storytelling, the directing created such a delightful combination. The film is in the Top 10 Greatest British Movies of All-Time and for reasons, and after discovering "Ladykillers", another gem of Ealing Studios, I'm looking forward to discovering all these titles I've heard about such as "The Man in the White Suit" and "The Lavender Hill Mob". There's something so irresistible about these films, but I doubt they will ever equal the experience of "Kind Hearts and Coronets". I hope I'm wrong.
elvircorhodzic
KIND HEARTS AND CORONETS is very tasty and satirical film. I will not be so much heed to the black humor, which is certainly present. I will describe as mentioned skilled British satire. Well, the film's main protagonist is a murderer. The secondary protagonist is each of the eight victims.Alec Guinness as eight members of the D'Ascoyne family: Ethelred "the Duke", Lord Ascoyne "the Banker", Reverend Lord Henry "the Parson", General Lord Rufus "the General", Admiral Lord Horatio "the Admiral", Young Ascoyne, Young Henry and Lady Agatha D'Ascoyne. He also plays the seventh duke in brief flashback sequences to Mama's youth. I do not want all the credit rewrite to him. Performance is unusual. Some roles are short, but they are quite impressive.The dialogues are perfect, in every moment you expect a gruesome joke. Impoverished and humiliated young man kills all your relatives (almost all), so that inherited wealth and the ducal title. There is a reason. However, the killings are so clumsy and humorous, and therefore the reason it sounds frivolous. This film for general wonder lack inspiration. I'll explain. I do not think anything bad. This movie can serve as an inspiration with with anything. After the film, remains a void in which extinguishes a slight smile. The narrative is a constant, monotonous and reminiscent of the confession.It is interesting how everything works with elegantly and flawlessly. Often you can fall into the trap and think that all of this is true.Dennis Price as Louis Mazzini is a young man, who made a entertains scheme of his own kills. Dennis Price in this role seems quite skillfully. His play with women is much more interesting. After all, can continue indefinitely.The story can be seen as a kind of contempt for the society in which they are pranks, lies and kills some kind of justification. However, great humor and satirical performances give the film a completely different picture.
