Sergeant_Tibbs The Horse's Mouth first intrigued me as I love films about the arts and the art of filmmaking itself. Sometimes it can be rather self-indulgent but sometimes it can be so profoundly reflective that it becomes, almost ironically, the finest form of art. Although vastly different in style, The Horse's Mouth's premise is much like the premise of my second favourite film of all- time - Synecdoche, New York, which, released 50 years later, definitely has no connection past this coincidence. As you can imagine, since the idea of an artist struggling to find the perfect vision is why I consider Synecdoche to be one of the greatest films of all-time, those expectations rolled onto Mouth. But as I quickly found out from the first few minutes, The Horse's Mouth is instead a delightful comedy. Instead of being about trying to find a vision, the art itself is secondary and it's a pure character study paying close attention to the life of an artist.Despite a cartoonish gruff voice, Alec Guinness is the highlight. His apathy and self- deprecation make him wonderful to watch, particularly as he's very passive through the first act of the film, dragged along the narrative just like us. The writer as well as the star, Guinness clearly knows the character more than anyone, and it truly shows as he outshines his supporting cast to a severe degree. As someone who wants to be an artist myself (through writing and director films), his personal triumphs and failures find a way to take an exceptionally emotional toll. His fleeting inspirations are enlightening and when he finds himself unsatisfied it's utterly disheartening to know that someone as insightful as him can be wrong. The film has a wonderful sense of humour though and it certainly keeps the film very entertaining. However, it does suffer from that awkward transition of British Cinema in the 1950s between coming off too theatrical and whimsical and feeling truly cinematic in a Powell & Pressburger style. As it's directed by a cinematographer, it's really well shot which truly brings out the colour and the art. 8/10

ilprofessore-1 Two of the former film-editor David Lean's contemporaries and collaborators in the pre-war British film industry --the cameraman Ronny Neame and the art director John Bryan—had also risen in the ranks by the time this film was made. This delightful film based on Joyce Cary's novel "The Horse's Mouth" with Neame as director and Bryan as the producer is blessed by an excellent script by the film's leading actor, Alec Guinness. To the cinema-going public who had come to know Guinness primarily as a leading member of Lean's stock company of British stage actors, and perhaps best as the taciturn quintessentially little English man he had played so often in the Ealing Studio comedies, it must have come as quite a surprise to see him cast against type as the incorrigible sponger, con-man and self-acknowledged artistic genius Gulley Jimpson. In many ways Guinness with his mild-mannered boyish persona would have seemed oddly miscast as the loud-mouth womanizing Jimpson, but Guinness manages to pull this off; perhaps because he is so wonderfully supported by two brilliant actresses –Kay Walsh as the steely barmaid,and Renee Houston as his still adoring ex-wife— both of them treat him more as a naughty boy gone wrong than as a sex-object. Therein lies the unique charm and originality of this film, one of the most believable every made about the life of a struggling and self-destructive artist.It's truly the Portrait of the Artist as a Bad Little Boy. Bad as Gulley is, and is he! he is never in the least unlikeable. Quite an accomplishment for Guinness. Another wonderful choice Neame and Bryan made was to use the outrageous expressionist paintings of an actual artist, John Bratby (1928-1992). They are either very terrible or very wonderful in the eyes of the beholder, but whatever the viewer's choice, for once in film these paintings are completely believable as the real work of a bohemian painter trying to break all the rules of the academy and perhaps succeeding. Finally, Neame and Bryan are to be congratulated on adapting the score Prokofiev wrote for an obscure Soviet film.

barryer A truly great classic of film-making and faithfulness to the author's original intentions. The Guiness interpretation of Gully Jimson resonates for anyone who has ever known a slightly mad painter. The production values are splendid. The Bratby paintings are perfectly in keeping with the tone and thrust of the story. Casting for all the supporting roles was great throughout. This is a film that lives on in memory and continues to elicit smiles. I wholeheartedly recommend the film as entertainment at its best. I also applaud the choice made for the music track, it was inspired. You can never again hear that suite without it bringing to mind the running shuffle of Gully Jimson.

grdndms The script by Sir Alec Guinness made this a most enjoyable funny well acted film.Kay Walsh is superb as Coker. I always found that Miss.Walsh was an excellent supportive actress and when with Sir Alec they made a special sparkle light up.The book was "flat" and yet Sir Alec persuaded his friend,the director of the film,that it could be made and had potential. How right he was. Ronald Neame said that he could not see a "film" coming out from the book,but once the script had been written by Sir Alec,he was enthusiastic.The scene with Miss.Walsh running away from the police is hilariously funny.I cannot recommend it too highly. One of my personal favourite Guinness film.R. Guinness