Lavender Hill Mob [Blu-ray]

Classic British Caper Film.
This will be a short review, since I concur with the other positive comments on this classic Ealing comedy, as well as the extensive plot summary ( actually a little too extensive for people who have not seen the film ). I gave it four stars only because I consider "The Ladykillers" to be superior.

As always, Sir Alec shines in the lead role, with fine support from Stanley Holloway and Sidney James, years before his "Carry On" fame. The humour here is dark and subtle, and of course there is a delightful "twist" at the end, an Ealing trade mark.

I found the quality of this DVD to be more than acceptable for a 50 plus year-old film. Some of the location scenes in London are interesting, with areas damaged by the "blitz" in World War II still very evident.

So--if you like comedy with genuine wit and style ( very rare today, in the era of teen-oriented gross-out movies ), you will enjoy this one. Recommended.

Black and white heist flick bathed in purple and gold
I'm usually not a fan of movies featuring bumbling innocents trying to do right, brought down by an endless series of accidents and mistakes. The futility of the whole exercise frustrates me, and I can't find any room for humour in the whole endeavor. "The Lavender Hill Mob" nearly falls into this trap, but thankfully doesn't. The reason it doesn't -- and it's a reason I can't go into without ruining the wonderful surprise ending -- preserves the comedy of this delightful little heist movie.

It's a very subdued comedy. The word on the street led me to believe that wacky hijinks and silly shenanigans would be the order of the day. Not true. Actually, there's a lot of quiet dignity here. Which makes the moments of action that much funnier. Alec Guinness as the mob's "boss" Henry Holland, a 20-year vet of the straight and narrow, is a desperate man, but he always does his best to maintain control in stressful situations. He screws up his face, peers (with...

Hilarious, sophisticated Ealing comedy
This is a typically wonderful Ealing comedy starring Alec Guinness as a lowly bank official in charge of transporting gold bullion for the Bank of England. For years he schemes how to steal some of it and finally figures a way: he enlists souvenir trinket caster Stanley Holloway and together they decide to cast their stolen gold into replicas of the Eiffel Tower and ship them to France where they will collect them.

A madcap chase follows involving innocent English schoolgirls on holiday who buy some of the Towers and a stolen police car; the final scene with Guinness in handcuffs is a real beauty. The humor is marvelously droll and sophisticated. This movie represents the famous Ealing Studios at their creative best. The DVD transfer is excellent and an interesting bio of Guinness is included. Definitely worth a watch.

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