The Ladykillers (1955)

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Music professor Alec Guinness rents a London flat from sweet old lady Katie Johnson. He tells her that, from time to time, several other musicians will visit in order to rehearse. In truth, Guinness can't play a note, nor can his visitors: he's a criminal mastermind, holding court over a gang of thieves, including the likes of punkish Peter Sellers, homicidal Herbert Lom and punchdrunk Danny Green. The gang uses Guinness' flat as headquarters as they conceive a daring 60,000 pound robbery. After pulling off the job, the gang stuffs the loot in a railway station locker. To avoid detection, Guinness convinces the ever-trusting Johnson to pick up the money. Through a series of comic complications, Johnson returns home with a police escort, with neither the woman nor the bobbies suspecting that she's carrying a fortune in her suitcase. Mistakenly believing that Johnson has ratted on them, the gang reluctantly plans to eliminate her. The Ladykillers won an Oscar nomination for William Rose's screenplay, and a BFA award for veteran character actress Johnson. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Starring:: Alec Guinness, Cecil Parker, (more)

Director(s):: Alexander MacKendrick

Format(s):: DVD | Blu-ray | Digital SD & HD
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Synopsis of The Ladykillers

Theatrical Feature Running Time:: 91 mins

Complete Cast of The Ladykillers

Alec Guinness - Professor Marcus
Herbert Lom - Louis Harvey
Katie Johnson - Mrs. Louisa Alexandra Wilberforce
Jack Warner - Police Superintendent
Philip Stainton - Sergeant
Kenneth Connor - The Cab Driver
Jack Melford - Detective
Leonard Sharp - Pavement Artist
Ewan Roberts - Constable

Cecil Parker - Maj. Courteney
Peter Sellers - Harry Robinson
Danny Green - One-Round
Frankie Howerd - Barrow Boy
Fred Griffiths - Junk Man
Helen Burls - Hypatia
Harold Goodwin - Parcels Clerk
Edie Martin - Lettice
Stratford Johns - Security Guard

Director(s):: Alexander MacKendrick

Writer(s):: William Rose

Producer(s):: Michael Balcon

Categories:: Comedy

The Ladykillers Awards:

1955 - British Academy of Film and Television Arts - Best Screenplay
1955 - British Academy of Film and Television Arts - Best British Actress

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	Cheryl M.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful

This movie was MUCH better than the remake with Tom Hanks. That said, it was a little too slow moving for my taste (not as bad as the Tom Hanks version though). I would say if you like "subtle" humor and/or British humor, you'll like this movie.

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	Mary E.

3 out of 4 people found this review helpful

We loved it. It was English black humor at its best. Much better than the newer Tom Hanks version.

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	Jonathan S.

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful

For the younger crowd out there... the ones who only knows Alec Guiness as Obi-Wan Kanobi: Please, expand your minds. Watch this, and see why Alec Guiness is a heavyweight actor (by far, the brightest star chosen for George Lucas' "little space movie"). It's a lighthearted movie with some amazing actor's of it's time (such as Peter Sellers). The plot is about a gang of bank heist robbers, who's whole plan focuses on an unsuspecting nice old lady doing her part in their robbery. I'm a big fan of the Coen Brothers, but their sad attempt at a remake of this with Tom Hanks paled at the genius of the original.

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The Ladykillers (1955)

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