Re-released into the nation’s cinemas last Friday Kind Hearts and Coronets is perhaps the most famous of Ealing’s celebrated comedies, detailing the retribution and enforced inheritance of a Dukedom via the macabre fate of the various ill-natured and intemperate members of the D’Ascoyne family.
It’s a beautifully pitched comedy of terrors, leading us through an increasingly dark labyrinth of revenge, double crossing love matches and murder in the most polite fashion.
Dennis Price leads us as the outcast Louis Mazzini, who seeks to avenge his Mother’s rebuff from her rich family but pruning the family tree to allow for his succession to the position of Duke of Chalfont. Stir into the mix a childhood sweetheart spurning the poor Louis’ proposal in favour of a ridiculous, but rich, man and the universe conspires for the diabolical plan to unfold.
Every time I watch this film I’m impressed with the pace and confidence of the storytelling. Director Robert Hamer had the benefit of two films at Ealing under his belt as well as the prodigious talents of the cast and crew but his reworking (with John Dighton) of Roy Horniman’s novel Israel Rank elevates the delightfully pompous narrator (Louis, writing his memoirs) to a textured and engaging character and we are drawn into his scheme; complicit with him and this is the film’s great achievement.
The many performances of Alec Guinness in Kind Hearts and Coronets has been lauded over the years and rightfully so. Able to swap genders and span decades Guinness becomes so enveloped in each characters that, though there’s a necessary and playful sense of grandstanding, every character is true and it remains a stunning turn.
The final scenes, when the fates of those left standing is teased, is masterfully played and directed; you are able to see the moral clockwork tick tock as fateful decisions are made. I knew how this one plays out and there’s an excellent chance you will to, but like Les Diaboliques (another well known film recently given the Blu-ray shine) this is a film that works its magic every single time. Included on the disc is the American ending which, in order to satisfy the Hays Code removes all ambiguity from the ending in a graceless manner but it a nice oddity to accompany the film.
The restoration is spot on, with only a few scenes suffering from a slight blurring but this is a momentary occurrence. The sharpness and rich quality of the picture and the tones are among the best I’ve seen. Like many of these re-issued films this is a release which has been treated with care and to have the film playing in the cinemas again is a rare treat.
It is irreverent, dark and very funny with Dennis Price perhaps playing second fiddle to Alec Guinness’s famous octet but thanks to a joyful and technically expert script every character is solid and the resultant jigsaw puzzle of aristocratic snakes and ladders (if I may mix my board game metaphors for a moment) is richly rewarding on every viewing. This is one to catch at the cinema and one to own.
The restored version is out in cinemas now – check here (http://www.findanyfilm.com/Kind-Hearts-and-Coronets-film_options~9536) to find the nearest screening to you, and the Blu-ray is out on the 5th of September .
Film: [Rating:4/5]
To give you an idea of the difference between the original and restored versions here’s a handy video comparison clip,
Here is the entire list of extras
• Audio Commentary with Peter Bradshaw, Terence Davies & Matthew Guinness
• John Landis Introduction
• Dennis Price: Those British Faces
• BBC Radio 3 The Essay – British Cinema of the 1940s: Kind Hearts and Coronets Audio Featurette
• Alternative American Ending
• Restoration Comparison
• Behind the Scenes Stills Gallery
• Excerpt from BECTU History Project interview with Douglas Slocombe
• Trailer
Disc: [Rating:3.5/5]
