Kind Hearts and Coronets

He chopped down the family tree...
Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)
Timing: 1:44 (104 min)
8/10
45 846
—
no scores
7.6/10
630
8/10
42399
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Release date
Country
Genre
Budget
$0
Revenue
$0
Website
Director
Actors
Dennis Price, Alec Guinness, Joan Greenwood, Valerie Hobson, Audrey Fildes, Miles Malleson, Clive Morton, John Penrose, Cecil Ramage, Hugh Griffith
All actors and roles (10)
Scenario
Producer
Operator
Composer
Ernest Irving
Artist
Bert Davey
Audition
Editing
Peter Tanner, Hal Mason
All team (49)

Short description

Louis Mazzini seeks revenge against his aristocratic relatives for the treatment of his mother. To reclaim a title and fortune, he attempts to eliminate the eight family members who stand ahead of him in the line of succession. However, his plans are complicated by his feelings for two different women, and he eventually finds himself imprisoned for a crime he did not commit.

This 1949 British crime comedy was directed by Robert Hamer, marking his second feature film after Dead of Night. The screenplay was written by John Dighton, Robert Hamer, and Nancy Mitford. Dennis Price stars as the protagonist, while Alec Guinness portrays all eight members of the D'Ascoyne family. The supporting cast includes Joan Greenwood, Valerie Hobson, Audrey Fildes, and Miles Malleson. Produced by Michael Balcon through Ealing Studios, the J. Arthur Rank Organisation, and Michael Balcon Productions, the film has a runtime of 104 minutes.

The movie is highly regarded by both audiences and professionals. On IMDb, it holds a rating of 8/10 based on 42,399 votes, and on TMDB, it has a score of 7.6/10 from 630 votes. Film critics gave it an even higher rating of 9.2/10 from 51 reviews.

What's left behind the scenes

  • American censors found the comedy about eight murders so poisonous and cynical that they didn't allow it to be released nationally until the ending was reshot.
  • At the time, the film caused a sensation because Alec Guinness played all eight relatives of the main character (including female roles).
  • The film is based on Roy Horniman's novel "Israel Rank: The Autobiography of a Criminal" (1907).

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