The Ladykillers (1955)
Directed by Alexander Mackendrick

Film Review

The Ladykillers (the film which did for Boccherini's String Quintet in E what Brief Encounter had done for Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2) is the last great comedy to come out of Ealing Studios before it closed for business in 1955.  The film, which was a huge success in both Britain and America, has acquired the status of a classic and is widely regarded as one of the best British film comedies.  The film won two BAFTAs - one for lead actress Katie Johnson and the other for screenwriter William Rose.  2004 saw the release of an inferior re-make of the film, directed by the Coen brothers and starring Tom Hanks in the Alec Guiness role.

This was director Alexander Mackendrick's fifth film for Ealing Studios - he had previously scored some notable successes with such films as Whisky Galore! (1949) and The Man in the White Suit (1951).  After The Ladykillers, Mackendrick moved to Hollywood, where he had a hit with Sweet Smell of Success (1957).

More than anything, what makes the original Ladykillers such a great classic, and lends it its deliciously dark subversive tone, is its magnificent ensemble cast.  A heavily made up (and virtually unrecognisable) Alec Guinness is both sinister and hilarious as the seemingly imperturbable Professor Marcus, looking like something that has just limped off the set of a 1930s horror film. Apparently, he based this persona on the actor Alastair Sim, who was originally considered for the part. Marcus's gangster friends are equally funny, a well-delineated bunch which includes Cecil Parker's cowardly Major and Herbert Lom's Mafia-style hoodlum.  Peter Sellers is also there, in his first major film role; he would later win fame for his multi-character appearance in Kubrik's Dr. Strangelove (1964) and, of course, for his legendary Inspector Clouseau in the Pink Panther films.

There's no doubt that the real star of The Ladykillers is 77-year old Katie Johnson, who, as the loveably dotty Mrs Wilberforce, is a pure delight.  Not only does Johnson brilliantly evoke, with her mild indignation, the noble moral standards of the past, but she is also the perfect foil for the conniving villains who surround her.   It is Mrs Wilberforce's air of sublime ignorance of the world around her that gives the dear old lady her mantle of invulnerability, and also what makes her such a formidable adversary for the monsters who want to do away with her.   The most enduring memory of The Ladykillers (after Alec Guinness's terrifying dentistry) is Katie Johnson calmly sitting at the centre of the violent storm that rages around her, happily minding her own business as the decadent modern world smashes itself to pieces.

Film Synopsis

Old Mrs Wilberforce is delighted when she finds a respectable-looking gentleman to rent one of the rooms in her dilapidated London guesthouse.  Unfortunately, Mr Marcus is not the harmless music professor he claims to be but the head of a gang of notorious criminals.  Whilst pretending to rehearse for a music concert, Marcus and his gang plan a robbery, in which Mrs Wilberforce is to play a crucial role.  Unwittingly, she helps to deliver a trunk containing stolen banknotes through a police cordon.  But before the crooks can make a safe getaway, she uncovers their crime and tells them she intends to inform the police.  The crooks have no choice but to kill the little old lady - but getting rid of her proves to be much harder than they think...