chaswe-28402 For some inexplicable reason several reviewers of the Ealing masterpieces keep repeatedly referring to them as "little", or "small budget". Since when was size a factor of the slightest importance in the quality of art ? What films are "big" or "great" for instance ? Cleopatra ? Titanic ? Infinitely preferable are these Ealing films of civilisation, with their humour, humanity, wit and charm; greater by far than dumb transatlantic notions of being brutally "great" again. But quantity before quality is the watchword. Perhaps studio bosses impress each other by the magnificent scale of their losses.Everything worth saying here has already been said, and the only point worth mentioning in this review is the objection about crime not being allowed to pay in these tales from a former age. The ending makes it clear that his six gold Eiffel towers paid Dutch Holland for a very enjoyable year in Rio, before his courteous arrest, so the "crime does not pay" lesson was not exactly drastic. Worth it, just to get a kiss from Audrey. Presumably the rest of the desperate gangster mobsters were picked up earlier, but then they were not the mastermind, or godfather of the caper. Ah well, retribution eventually comes to us all for our sins.

jimbo-53-186511 Holland (Alec Guinness)is employed as a bank clerk and is responsible for the shipment of gold bullion oversees, but has dreamed of living the high life for a long time. Pendlebury, an aspiring artist and maker of souvenirs also has the same dream in life as Holland. When the two men meet and discover they share this common ground, they hatch a plan to get rich quicker with the help of two ex-cons by smuggling the gold into France by smelting it down and marketing it is Eiffel Tower souvenirs. But have they bitten off more than they can chew? Comedy films which focus their main plot as being about greed and dishonesty can be risky projects (after all, who is going to care for mean-spirited characters in a film with a mean-spirited plot line). The Lavender Hill Mob turns the mean-spiritedness slightly on its head by at least affording our protagonists some depth - they don't want to hurt anyone or cause any suffering to anyone, they just want to be rich. Of course I'm not condoning their actions (stealing is wrong), but with the characters set-up in this manner it does allow us to understand our characters motivations even though we all agree that what they're doing is wrong.Holland and Pendlebury are responsible for the 'technical' aspects of the smuggling, but they are assisted by two ex-cons Lackery (Sid James) and Shorty (Alfie Bass). Straight away these guys do not seem to be your average ex-cons and don't possess a ruthless streak that we would expect to see from such people. I remember one part where Lackery says that he can't go to Paris with the others and when one of the mob asked him why he replied 'The missus won't let me'. I thought that was a stroke of genius and it just shows that some jokes never get old.The plot is a relatively good one and when watching it I can see that The Lavender Hill Mob may have influenced other films (the likes of Oceans 11 and The Italian Job probably owe a bit to this film). It is a funny film, but it's one that I found amusing for the most part rather than hilarious. There are some parts that didn't work so well for me (the bit where Holland and Pendlebury are running down the stairs at the Eiffel Tower was more silly than funny) and the scenes in the Passport office were also a little repetitive and overdone.Still for what it is it is funny and Crichton's tight-direction means that the film never really hits any lulls and thanks to its short running time it doesn't outstay its welcome. It's inoffensive and mostly amusing and is the sort of film that should prove to be generally pleasant viewing for all the family.

mark.waltz I do not recall the last time I had such a good time in watching a film comedy as I did with this one. I've known about this classic for years but somehow in the list of thousands of films I've taken the time out to see, this one got put off-until now. I guarantee that I will re-visit this film probably several times over the next few years, because like a few other greats, this one seems like the type of film that will show me things that I missed the first time around.This is a British comedy even us Americans can enjoy, brilliant in every aspect from start to finish, and featuring one of the all-time best screenplays that stands the test of time as it sets out to amuse and comically teach that crime never pays off. The wonderful Alec Guennis, with that grinch-like grin, plays a milquetoast so mild-mannered he's content with his long-time position as the guardian of gold bricks as they are sent from being made to the vaults in which they are stored. Nobody suspects that he could be anything more, and his employer agrees that the only real quality he has is his total honesty. That is, until, he makes it known to the audience that he has only been honest up until now in order to bide time to get his employer's trust so he can move forward with his dastardly plan, stealing bricks of gold and having them shipped out of the country. When the robbery does occur, he is made a hero, having been "kidnapped" by the robbers. Nobody suspects him of everything, and on vacation in France, the gold (made into miniature Eiffel Towers) are shipped for impending pick-up. But six of them are sold to some British schoolgirls at the real Eiffel Tower, and Guennis chases them down the tower (in a hysterical cartoon like chase) in order to get them. They keep repeating "Goodbye, Goodbye!" like they know something is up and wish to rub it in his face. So when he shows up at their school and makes an offer to get them back, it is like he is taking candy away from babies, and it is totally delightful.Guennis was deservedly Oscar Nominated for this grandiose performance, and is ably supported by a fine cast, most notably Stanley Holloway, giving a not so cockney performance (as he did in "My Fair Lady") and Marjorie Fielding. Diminutive Edie Martin steals every moment she is on screen as Guennis's landlord. The screenplay combines comedy both verbal and slapstick with chase sequences both thrilling and hysterically funny. And when the police car Guennis is riding in starts playing "Old MacDonald", I dare you to try not to choke from laughter. The film, told in flashback (which has a cameo by starlet Audrey Hepburn, instantly recognizable in her adorable walk-on), has so many great twists and turns like the London streets, Eiffel Tower stairwell, and eventually the South American get-away it starts and finishes in. No remake of this film could do it justice.

Tweekums As this film starts an English gentleman, named Holland, is handing out money to a variety of people in what appears to be a rather refined club in Rio de Janeiro. Talking to the man next to him he begins to explain how he came to be in such a position. It started a year ago when he worked for a bank; he was responsible for transferring gold bullion from the foundry to the bank... he dreams of robbing a shipment one day but knows that it would be impossible for him to sell it without getting it out of the country. Then one day a new guest, Pendlebury, comes to live in the hotel he is staying at; a disheartened artist who spends his days making tourist tat... including lead paperweights in the shape of the Eiffel Tower, which he exports to France. This gives him an idea... if they can make them in lead why not gold? The two of them agree to the plan and set about recruiting other members for the gang; the robbery goes ahead and the gold is melted down and turned into the paperweights and sent to Paris in specially marked crates. It looks as if they have got away with the crime of the century... until they discover that some of the gold models have been sold by mistake and if they are found they can be traced back to the foundry... the race is now on for Holland and Pendlebury to retrieve them before anybody realises what they are made from! Like some other Ealing comedies this deals with apparently decent people who for one reason or another have turned to crime; and somehow the audience is expected to hope they get away with it. When we learn that Holland has been passed over for promotion because he lacks imagination we hope that they will come to rue that belief when his imagination leads to them losing a van load of gold! Ealing regular Alec Guinness does a great job as the meek Henry Holland and Stanley Holloway is good as Pendlebury. Sid James also appears as one of the gang although his performance is far more restrained than in his better known 'Carry On' roles; this suits the more gentle style of this film though. While the humour is of a gentle nature it is still very funny; surprisingly if there is a weak point to the film it is when things get rather slapstick towards the end. As well as laughs there was some excitement; the scene where Holland and Pendlebury run down the spiral staircase on the Eiffel Tower could have been from a thriller; it induced a real sense of vertigo that leaves ones head spinning! If you've enjoyed other Ealing Comedies this is a must see and even if you haven't it is a great way to pass an hour and a half!