Trey Yancy This is a dark comedy that is a bit slow paced but not slow enough to lose the audience. As remaking earlier films is so popular, this movie would be an ideal candidate, particularly for someone with a biting sense of humor who could give it some punch for the modern audience.

Osmosis Iron A simply wonderful black as midnight comedy! The wit and irony run strong in this, it's truly fantastic. It's near perfection, from the clever and sharp dialogue to the masterfully crafted chain of circumstances that drives the plot. Alec Guinness plays eight quite different roles, and deserves an extra mention, but really there is no weak link in the cast. If you are a fan of black comedies, then this is a mandatory viewing!

talkbaktalk Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)A black comedy about the British Victorian era, with it's aristocrats, those hoping to be aristocrats, snobs, hypocrites, rich capitalists, high-minded idealists, outrageous women's headgear and a photographer is there too. A British film, it combines class-consciousness and Victorian societal wit and manners with the peculiarly British taste for murder in a comedic context. The first 15 minutes are frankly boring, setting up the scenario for all that comes later. A distant poor relative of the Duke of D'Ascoyne plots to inherit the title by murdering the eight other heirs who stand ahead of him in the line of succession. The British flare for satire and irony is never better displayed. Alec Guiness plays the part of eight members of an aristocratic family, each one a different character, and pulls it off. The protagonist, Dennis Price, by turns charming, calculating, ironic, plays the poor relation, determined to get to the top. Valerie Hobson plays the good woman, Joan Greenwood, in her best film performance, plays the bad. She steals every scene with nothing more than her sultry voice. Dialogue, acting, even set design are all superb. This is the kind of film that Hitchcock tried to make all his life, and only succeeded a few times.

Prismark10 Kind Hearts and Coronets is a morality tale and social satire combined into one. Although it is well known for the eight roles played by Alec Guinness, you will discover that some of the roles he plays are rather brief.Louis Mazzini is played coldly and rather understated by Dennis Price. He is the grandson of the Duke of D'Ascoyne whose mother married beneath herself to a singer and was exiled by her rich family and died destitute.Louis is toiling in a shop and ends up losing his job thanks to a D'Ascoyne and wants to get revenge against the pompous family. So he brutally bumps them off one by one and gets nearer to the line of inheritance and at the same time his social and financial status elevates.This film is one of the well known Ealing comedies which has a dark heart. In fact the film opens in prison as Louis is facing the gallows which indicates that he might had not got away with his plans. Even then there are further twists to emerge as Louis complicated love live threatens to derail him.Although Guinness grabs the headlines this is Price's film and he is well supported by a sly, witty and literate script.