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From Amazon.co.uk
Although you never really fear for Mrs "lop-sided" Wilberforce or General Gordon (her parrot) in The Ladykillers, the criminal gang who come to stay are clearly dangerous. Alec Guinness is extraordinary as the buck-toothed mastermind, and once the hijacked lolly is stowed in their digs it's a joy to watch him scheme to eliminate the other crooks and abscond with it all. Herbert Lom's thuggishness, Peter Seller's nervy twitching, and Danny Green's lumbering cloddishness are a treat, but are wickedly done away with one by one under cover of locomotive smoke plumes. So many set-pieces make this a classic: sending the landlady to collect the stolen money at the station, Frankie Howerd's boisterous fruit seller cameo, and keeping alive the idea that the gang's a musical troupe with a penchant for Boccherini and Haydn. Some inspired set design and camera work even add an expressionistic quality. --Paul Tonks
Product Description
Classic Ealing comedy in which a group of bank robbers struggle to silence the eccentric old lady who discovers their crime. Mrs Wilberforce (Katie Johnson) lives alone in King's Cross with her parrots. She has been led to believe that the group of men renting rooms from her, Professor Marcus (Alec Guinness), the Major (Cecil Parker), Louis (Herbert Lom), Harry (Peter Sellers) and One-Round (Danny Green), are classical musicians. However, when one of the group's cases gets caught in the door and opens to reveal, not a musical instrument, but a plethora of banknotes, the virtuous Mrs Wilberforce vows to go to the police with the identities of the men. The criminals agree that the old lady has to be killed to silence her, but will this be as straightforward as it sounds?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By Paul Scott
Format:Blu-ray|Amazon Verified Purchase
Great film,nice transfer to Blu-ray,though on this edition you only
get the Feature film,NO EXTRAS.
This is for the Standard Blu-ray case edition.
For extras you have to buy the previous release
get the Feature film,NO EXTRAS.
This is for the Standard Blu-ray case edition.
For extras you have to buy the previous release
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
this film will be on my dvd player forever, i watch it every month or so, best ever british movie, sellers, guinness, lom, parker and mr. danny green, little miss lop sidey, katie johnson, are the best laugh you will ever have, plus old london scenes, buy this and keep a spare copy in the cupboard, best of british here....ever,
22 of 24 people found the following review helpful
By L. Davidson
VINE™ VOICE
Format:DVD
"The Ladykillers" has stood up well to the ravages of time and although I have not seen the recent Hollywood remake , I am sure this original is much better. The film is sinister, atmospheric yet humourous; the criminal gang never really appear menacing despite their malevolent intentions towards their elderly landlady ,Mrs Wilberforce, with Alec Guinness playing the leading role as a criminal mastermind who,as part of his cunning plan,deliberately makes the old lady an unwitting accessory to a large robbery. I liked the film primarily because of it's unusual plot, rich characterisation and excellent acting. However the atmospheric locations also help to make "The Ladykillers" a memorable film ,especially Mrs Wilberforce's wonderful subsiding house perched high above a busy railway line. The presence of steam trains in the film is not only central to the plot ,but also helps to create a sense of motion, danger and uncertainty and adds significantly to the charm and attractiveness of this entertaining black comedy.
53 of 59 people found the following review helpful
Format:Blu-ray
When I first saw "The Ladykillers" in its supposed 'restored' state a few years back on DVD, I was a little under whelmed. It still seemed very washed out to me. But I'm thrilled to report that this February 2010 Studio Canal Collection BLU RAY completely changes that.
Given what they had to work with (a very corroded print covered in stuck-on hairs, fingerprints, scratch lines, blemishes in the negative, double-imaging of colour) - the result is little short of miraculous. It isn't picture-perfect for sure and some scenes still have corrosion and blocking in them, but mostly it's a massive improvement. Finally the BLU RAY format has brought out all that detailed restoration work - and it's the very best I've ever seen this beloved British classic look. The extras are superlative too - generous and hugely informative.
Details first...
Country choices in set-up are: Australia, Denmark, Germany, Spain, France, Netherlands, Norway, Finland, Sweden, UK, USA and Japan
Overdubbed Languages are: French, German and Castellano (no subtitles available)
The Extras are:
1. Introduction by Terry Gilliam (a short & affectionate appraisal)
2. Commentary by Philip Kemp (a feature-length commentary by this noted expert that is full of superb detail and anecdotes - by far the best extra on here)
3. "Forever Ealing" Documentary (2002, voiced by Daniel Day-Lewis, features contributions from Colin Firth, John Mills, Richard Attenborough, Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola and many others)
4. Interview With Allan Scott (Screenwriter/Producer, superb comments on MacKendrick's directing techniques, plot structures, uses of colour etc)
5. Cleaning Up "The Ladykillers" (original versus restored split screen shots - no dialogue)
6.... Read more ›
Given what they had to work with (a very corroded print covered in stuck-on hairs, fingerprints, scratch lines, blemishes in the negative, double-imaging of colour) - the result is little short of miraculous. It isn't picture-perfect for sure and some scenes still have corrosion and blocking in them, but mostly it's a massive improvement. Finally the BLU RAY format has brought out all that detailed restoration work - and it's the very best I've ever seen this beloved British classic look. The extras are superlative too - generous and hugely informative.
Details first...
Country choices in set-up are: Australia, Denmark, Germany, Spain, France, Netherlands, Norway, Finland, Sweden, UK, USA and Japan
Overdubbed Languages are: French, German and Castellano (no subtitles available)
The Extras are:
1. Introduction by Terry Gilliam (a short & affectionate appraisal)
2. Commentary by Philip Kemp (a feature-length commentary by this noted expert that is full of superb detail and anecdotes - by far the best extra on here)
3. "Forever Ealing" Documentary (2002, voiced by Daniel Day-Lewis, features contributions from Colin Firth, John Mills, Richard Attenborough, Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola and many others)
4. Interview With Allan Scott (Screenwriter/Producer, superb comments on MacKendrick's directing techniques, plot structures, uses of colour etc)
5. Cleaning Up "The Ladykillers" (original versus restored split screen shots - no dialogue)
6.... Read more ›
17 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
"Kind Hearts and Coronets," "The Ladykillers," "Monsieur Verdoux," and "Unfaithfully Yours" form the dark crown of black comedy on film. Only the last is American. Grim hilarity seems to be a particularly British specialty.
Reading through a lengthy series (49 as I write this) of Amazon US reviews is often rewarding. In this case the great majority of those who write of this film lavish praise on the cast and plot. A substantial sub-class of reviewers felt it necessary to denounce the recent remake with Tom Hanks. (And quite right they were, too!) One reviewer praised the film and then gave a miserly single star in what must have been sheer error.
A single reviewer despised the film for its slow pace. In a brisk 91 minutes "The Ladykillers" offers the planning of a heist, its execution and the crumbling of all criminal expectations, along with the increasingly ironic deaths of five crooks. As Basil Fawlty might ask, what more does the reviewer want--herds of wildebeest rushing across the plains while Krakatoa explodes in the background?
A few reviewers noted that Alec Guinness was doing a masterly imitation of the great Alistair Sim. On that point, I have always wondered why Ealing didn't just cast Sim in the role in the first place. Sim starred in a deliciously black little comedy called "The Green Man" in which he played a master assassin foiled by a witless door-to-door vacuum cleaner salesman. "The Green Man" misses the exalted status of the films listed at the beginning of this piece by the narrowest of margins. Sim was also in "The School for Scoundrels," of course, but that small gem is just a little too cheery for true black comedy.
There are excellent summaries of the plot and insightful commentaries on the actors.... Read more ›
Reading through a lengthy series (49 as I write this) of Amazon US reviews is often rewarding. In this case the great majority of those who write of this film lavish praise on the cast and plot. A substantial sub-class of reviewers felt it necessary to denounce the recent remake with Tom Hanks. (And quite right they were, too!) One reviewer praised the film and then gave a miserly single star in what must have been sheer error.
A single reviewer despised the film for its slow pace. In a brisk 91 minutes "The Ladykillers" offers the planning of a heist, its execution and the crumbling of all criminal expectations, along with the increasingly ironic deaths of five crooks. As Basil Fawlty might ask, what more does the reviewer want--herds of wildebeest rushing across the plains while Krakatoa explodes in the background?
A few reviewers noted that Alec Guinness was doing a masterly imitation of the great Alistair Sim. On that point, I have always wondered why Ealing didn't just cast Sim in the role in the first place. Sim starred in a deliciously black little comedy called "The Green Man" in which he played a master assassin foiled by a witless door-to-door vacuum cleaner salesman. "The Green Man" misses the exalted status of the films listed at the beginning of this piece by the narrowest of margins. Sim was also in "The School for Scoundrels," of course, but that small gem is just a little too cheery for true black comedy.
There are excellent summaries of the plot and insightful commentaries on the actors.... Read more ›
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4.7 out of 5 stars
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Ladykillers
too funny for words. all the actors are excellent in their role and the music fits the plot like a glove
Published 10 days ago by Mrs P Langlois
4.0 out of 5 stars
very enjoyable
I saw this film many years ago at the cinema and went back and saw it again. Here I am buying it and enjoying it once more. Good value and prompt delivery by supplier.
Published 16 days ago by GSG
5.0 out of 5 stars
The king of comedy
How could you possibly go wrong buying this sort of humor to give to a friend as a birthday gift.
Published 19 days ago by V. E. Livingston
5.0 out of 5 stars
buy it watch it and watch it again
you know this is an all time classic, it's funny it's easy watching and the old lady who is an unknown is just fantastic, dont' want to tell you the plot and spoil it but I can... Read more
Published 2 months ago by VMH
5.0 out of 5 stars
Glad to see this old film again after more than 50 years.
I saw The Lady Killers on the stage last month. It was interesting to compare the two forms of presentation. Both film and play were absorbing.
Published 2 months ago by Geoff. Loach
5.0 out of 5 stars
a classic film
The lady killers is a british black comedy i have always love. I can watch this film over and over again.
Published 2 months ago by smart
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Film
One of those old time classics which is funny and enthrilling with different twists to keep your attention Highly recommended
Published 3 months ago by derek
2.0 out of 5 stars
excellent film
Really good film but the subtitles were frustrating!!!!no mention of subtitles on descripton.arrived in good time.would prefer it without subtitles!
Published 3 months ago by anon
4.0 out of 5 stars
THE LADYKILLERS
SHOWN REPEATED ON TV, I JUST HAD TO HAVE THIS CLASSIC WITHOUT ADs. ITS BRILLIANT IN EVERY RESPECT, AND I LIKE IT EVEN MORE BECAUSE I LIVED NEAR KING'S CROSS STATION, SCENE OF THE... Read more
Published 4 months ago by STEVIE
5.0 out of 5 stars
A classic!
This has to be one of the all-time best classic British films. I never tire of watching it and it always makes me chuckle in parts. Read more
Published 4 months ago by elyssa
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