The Lavender Hill Mob
1951
Comedy about a meek bank clerk who plans a theft from his own bank. Read more
| Starring | Alec Guinness, Stanley Holloway, Sid James, Alfie Bass |
|---|---|
| Director | Charles Crichton |
| Genres | Comedy |
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The Lavender Hill Mob
Comedy about a meek bank clerk who plans a theft from his own bank.
| Starring | Alec Guinness, Stanley Holloway, Sid James, Alfie Bass, Marjorie Fielding, Edie Martin |
|---|---|
| Director | Charles Crichton |
| Studio | optimum |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 17 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Comedy |
| Language | English |
| Released | DVD: 02 Sep 2002 Production year: 1951 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (2)
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Ealing Studios had quite a year in 1951. Not only did the company produce the witty satire The Man in the White Suit, it also released this superb and subtle crime-film spoof. The inimitable Alec Guinness stars as the mild-mannered bank agent who discovers he has a devious criminal mind, and decides to steal £1-million-worth of gold bullion. Guinness is well supported by the impressive Stanley Holloway, Alfie Bass and Sid James as members of the gang he recruits. Watch out too for a couple of blink-and-miss-them walk-ons from James (billed as William) Fox and Audrey Hepburn. Director Charles Crichton tips his hat at such genre staples as the studio's own The Blue Lamp and the more hard-boiled gangster movies produced by Hollywood in the film noir era, and TEB Clarke deservedly won an Oscar for his beautifully constructed story and screenplay. Guinness lost out to Gary Cooper in High Noon in the best actor category.
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Superbly characterized and inventively detailed comedy, one of the best ever made at Ealing or in Britain.
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Most helpful member's review
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5 out of 5 people found this review helpful
Gentle comedy
Opinions differ on this film. Some viewers love its gentle optimism and its suggestion that dreams may come true at least for a while. Others consider it too quaint and unchallenging compared with sharp black comedies such as 'The Ladykillers' or 'Kind Hearts and Coronets'. The film follows a mild-mannered bank clerk (played by Alec Guinness) who spends his spare time reading exciting crime thrillers and dreams of committing a great crime himself. He enlists a small businessman (Stanley Holloway) who also dreams of excitement in his drab, workaday life, and two small-time crooks (Sid James and Alfie Bass) to help him in his long-planned bullion robbery. The robbery is successful and the police are off the scent, but problems arise when the gang set about smuggling the gold out of Britain. There are some nice twists in the plot, but personally I find this comedy too gentle in comparison to the others mentioned.
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Most recent members' review
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1 out of 1 person found this review helpful
Classic Britsh Comedy at its very best
What can I say. British film doesn't come much better than this. The old lady plays the part so well that you feel yourself being sucked into the whole episode. watch this before you see the remake, even by the coen brothers I doubt it will come close. There are some films that should be left alone and I fear this may be the ultimate case for this comment! GREAT FABULOUS FANTASTIQUE! 5 stars is simply not enough!
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Comedy about a meek bank clerk who plans a theft from his own bank.... -