In Ealing Studios’ long and illustrious existence they produced many classic and highly regarded films. Though they made war films dramas and romances, Ealing is generally associated with comedy and the output under the stewardship of Michael Balcon, including The Man in the White Suit, Kind Hearts and Coronets and The Ladykillers.
 
Written by William Rose, who based the story on a dream he had, the film revolves around a group of criminals who trick an old woman into assisting them in an armed robbery. Led by the mysterious and creepy Professor Marcus, who rents her spare rooms, the gang plans the heist whilst pretending to be a string quintet.
 

After the successful robbery, where they make off with £600,000 using the elderly Mrs. Wilberforce to carry the loot away, everything seems to be going well until the punch-drunk lummox known as ‘One-round’ gets his cello case caught in the door, spills money all over the street and she discovers the truth. With the landlady determined to go to the police and the gang unable to talk her round, they decide the only way to keep her quiet is to kill her.
 
However, the woman’s so sweet and harmless that the criminals really have difficulty getting the nerve to do it and end up turning on each other out of greed, jealousy and that little bit of good that proves to be their undoing...
 

The Ladykillers has always had a special place in my heart as it was the first of the Ealing Comedies that I saw and the one that introduced me to the other delights of the 1940s and ‘50s from the great British studio.  The cast is quite inspired, led by Alec Guinness who is in superb form with a wonderful set of dentures that make him look absolutely grotesque, externalising his mental state.  The Professor’s entrance, in shadow, echoes that of the murderer in M and, in some shots, he even resembles Murnau’s Nosferatu.
 
The supporting cast, with Peter Sellers in his first big role, Herbert Lom and the quite brilliant Katie Johnson are all unbelievably good.  The five gang members are all equally memorable but Johnson just about steals the show as a sweet, lovable walking disaster area who is so innocent and vulnerable that you expect her to be completely manipulated and brushed aside by the criminals so are surprised when she shows the inner steel that comes with being a child of the Victorian age who lived through both World Wars.  There are even small roles for Jack Warner who, after playing Dixon of Dock Green for 21 years, finally gets a promotion here, playing a superintendant and, in one of the more slapstick and farcical scenes, Frankie Howerd appears as a grocer, struggling with a stray horse that’s eating all his produce.
 

It’s hard to describe where the humour comes from and why the film is just so funny as the film is so dark and so difficult to explain without utterly spoiling it but there is something so English about the setting, cast and class of The Ladykillers that even the opening shot of Mrs. Wilberforce leaving her odd detached house at the end of a cul-de-sac that is inexplicably funny.  Perhaps the best explanation for why it’s so hard to describe the humour in The Ladykillers comes from the apocryphal tale of when William Rose had just explained the plot to Michael Balcon who said “Let me get this straight. There are six principle characters, five of them end up dead and this is a comedy?”
 
This is a classic piece of British comedy that really hasn’t aged in the 55 years since it was theatrically released and it shows how difficult the comedy is to pin down that the Coen Brothers, who are immensely skilled filmmakers, failed dismally to capture the humour in their forgettable remake.  I will never tire of watching this film and am glad it’s out on BD.
 

The Disc
 
Extra Features
Philip Kemp, a regular contributor to Sight & Sound, provides a curate’s egg of a commentary which provides some fascinating background and historical information, trivia and goofs but spoils it by lapsing into descriptive mode and even taking ten minutes out to enjoy the dialogue and direction!
 
The 49 minute Forever Ealing documentary, originally broadcast on Channel 4 in 2002, is well narrated by Daniel Day-Lewis and covers the rise, fall and rise again of the studio with clips from many films and contributions from actors and filmmakers who worked there.
 
There is an introduction to the film by Terry Gilliam which isn’t an introduction in the strictest sense of the word, rather Gilliam talking enthusiastically about why he likes the film so much and the best things about it.
 
Cleaning up The Ladykillers is a detailed look at the restoration process with the information told through intertitles and scenes from the film with a dividing line showing the before and after, with the amount of print damage that was cleaned up extremely evident.
 
There are three interviews with people who either worked with members of the crew or knew them: Allan Scott, Ronald Harwood and Terence Davies who are all extremely complementary about The Ladykillers and every aspect of it.
 
There is also the trailer and a booklet that wasn’t provided for review.
 

The Picture
This will never look perfect but this is probably as close to that as you’ll get with massive amounts of grain, scratching and water damage removed in the restoration process that also sharpened up some of the blurry elements that occur around cuts.  This BD maintains the OAR of 1.33:1 which is preferable to previous DVD releases that presented the picture as a matte 1.66:1.
 
The Ladykillers was shot in 3 strip Technicolor, one of the last films to use this process, which gives the brighter elements a real vivid look and the darker scenes a real oppressive look with great use of shadow.  The house was built from scratch and the location couldn’t have been any better as the interiors look fantastic and, as it backs onto a railway line, there is the permanent presence of trains and movement, along with the noise, to add to the atmosphere.
 
The Sound
Beautifully presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono, the dialogue is crisp and emphasises the terrific delivery from each and every cast member.  The score is a permanent presence, encompassing train whistles and a theme for every character that changes subtly throughout the film.  It’s almost worth watching it just to pay attention to the music.
 

Final Thoughts
The Ladykillers is a timeless classic and one of the greatest comedies to come from these shores.  The terrific script is wonderfully realised by Alexander ‘Sandy’ Mackendrick, who also helmed Whiskey Galore!, The Man in the White Suit and, to show his versatility, The Sweet Smell of Success.  You couldn’t ask for a better cast and it’s a privilege to watch Alec Guinness on such form and it’s hard to believe he only got the part because Alastair Sim was busy!  Almost the star of the show is Katie Johnson who is unbelievably funny and subverts the stereotype of a sweet old lady brilliantly. 
 
The disc features a raft of new (to the UK) extra features which are extremely welcome and all well worth a watch, plus the restoration featurette is exclusive to the Blu-ray.  This is a great film and a package that is well worth your money.