Rating: 
Summary: Alec Guiness and his gang are no match for Mrs. Wilberforce
Review: "The Ladykillers" is regarded as the last of the great Ealing comedies and another macabre black comedy in the style of "Kind Hearts and Coronets." However, I had picked up the film because it had both Alec Guinness and Peter Sellers and was therefore rather surprised that the one doing all the scene stealing is Katie Johnson as Mrs. Wilberforce, a sweet little old lady who makes it a daily practice to go round to the local constable's station each day to keep them apprised on what is happening in the neighborhood. Guinness plays Professor Marcus, a criminal mastermind who plans on duping Mrs. Wilberforce into being an unwitting member of his gang, who are going to rob a armored car. As a cover, he tells the old lady that they are a string quartet, and they play the same record over and over again while they develop their scheme. When Mrs. Wilberforce repeatedly arrives to offer tea, coffee, or any other comfort that comes to mind, the criminals all stand around uncomfortably holding their instruments and try to make small talk. The gang has all of your standard criminal types. Danny Green is the gentle giant, One-Round (a.k.a. Mr. Lawson), Cecily Parker is the old army chap Claude (a.k.a. Major Courtney), Herbert Lom is the cold-hearted killer Louis (a.k.a. Mr. Harvey), and Sellers is the young rouge Harry (a.k.a. Mr. Robinson). However, the ironic point of this 1955 black comedy is that together they are no match for Mrs. Wilberforce. The heist goes off without a hitch, that is to say until Mrs. Wilberforce plays her unwitting role in the proceedings. What follows is like the old Chinese finger torture, where the more things work for the gang the worst off they get as the little old lady thwarts their plans without even trying. Eventually even Mrs. Wilberforce is able to add up things enough to become a liability. Then the criminals make the biggest mistake of all: they draw lots to see who has to do the old lady in. The idea that Guinness, Sellars, and the rest of the gang could be reduced to minor roles by a little old lady is astounding, but that is the precise irony that makes "The Ladykillers" a classic.
Rating:
Summary: Guinness And Sellers In A Classic Comedy
Review: A comedy from another place and another time, that right now seems so long ago and far away, "The Ladykillers," directed by Alexander Mackendrick, stars Alec Guinness, Cecil Parker, Peter Sellers and Herbert Lom, and stands as a perfect example of how charming, delightful, civilized and yes, "funny," a film can be when approached with intelligence and respect for the audience. Guinness plays Professor Marcus, who puts together a gang to pull off the "perfect" robbery he has concocted. But, as it always is with all things "perfect," it quickly goes awry for the gang, thanks to the involvement of an old lady (Katie Johnson), in whose house Marcus has taken rooms. And as the situation in which the gang finds themselves escalates as they try to put things to rights, the audience is treated to an exemplary piece of truly humorous and memorable cinema. Guinness anchors the farce with a superb characterization (even to altering his appearance with false teeth) of the Professor. It's a prime example of just how great a character actor Guinness was; as in all of his films, he creates a total character of Marcus, inside and out, beginning with the attitude and right on down to the smallest details that many actors would deem insignificant. There is a studied consistency he maintains throughout the film that would stand up to the closest scrutiny; it is not by accident that he is considered by many to be one of greatest actors of our times. And how great to see the youthful Peter Sellers in one of his earliest roles. Watch closely and you can see traces of the unique mannerisms that would mark his career; the slight hesitations, the inward, subtle consideration of the status quo and the sense he conveys in a split second that Murphy's Law is about to go into effect. He makes Harry, a member of the hapless gang, a memorable character. Herbert Lom (as Louis, in this precursor to his pairing with Sellers some twenty years later in the "Pink Panther" movies), Parker (Major Courtney) and Danny Green (One-Round) round out the gang, the likes of which you have never seen before, nor in all probability will ever see again, because-- as the saying goes-- they just don't make 'em like this any more. The supporting cast includes Jack Warner (The Superintendent), Philip Stainton (Sergeant), Kenneth Connor (Cab Driver) and Ewan Roberts (Constable). Clever and sophisticated, "The Ladykillers" is a testimony to just how grand and uplifting comedy can be, without resorting to the gross and often unpalatable "humor" upon which so many of today's contemporary comedies seem to depend. Not to say that today's comedies are no good; it's just that they so often lack the esteem and the "humanity"-- not to mention the longevity-- which lends itself to a film such as this one. Movies like this will be around long after most of the addle-brained Saturday Night Live induced fare is gone and forgotten. With the added bonus of having Guinness and Sellers together, this is a true classic in every sense of the word. This is what the magic of the movies is really all about.
Rating:
Summary: Natural Born Klutzes!
Review: Alec Guiness IS Alaistar Sims As Professor Marcus! ( Yes,that's what the funny teeth are all about.). But I digress... This film is one of those great dark comedies,that could only ever be made in Britain.An American version would fail outright. Alec Guiness is in top form as a clever conman,and his gang of off beat cronies. Alec Guiness takes up residence at the home of the kindly Mrs.Wilberforce,convincing her he's a director of a string quartet. ( a.k.a.his gang.).That's the basic premise. What happens from there is evil comedy! Is Mrs.Wilberforce a criminal accomplice or an unassuming one-woman police force? Eventually,she will have to be dealt with....but who's going to kill the sweet old lady? There,is where the real problems begin! It's great fun,but be aware,it's a very meticulous comedy. That is to say it's not a "wacky" sort of comedy.It's a thinking sort of comedy,it's more like a Charles Addams cartoon humour.If you are a Peter Sellers fan,you may be a little disappointed,it's his first film,and he's not given a lot of lines as the teddy-boy thug.( But he does have a few silly moments.). This might also be Peter Seller's first team up with future Pink Panther co-star Herbert Lom (Inspector Dreyfus ),whom is the scariest member of "the gang". Over all a brilliant Alec Guiness vehicle,and wonderful support performances all around.
Rating:
Summary: Watch this, not the remake!
Review: Alec Guinness is terrific here as the simpering, creepy criminal who uses a string quartet as a front for a huge theft. The base of operation for him and his fellow "musicians" is a room that he is renting in Mrs. Wilberforce's house. She's a kind, grandmotherly old lady who, in her own quiet and clueless way, manages to wreck all their plans. The Ladykillers is a fantastic dark comedy; you might be shocked at how dark it can get, particularly when the frustrated criminals contemplate killing the old woman, an act made difficult by her age and general kindliness. The ending will have you hooting in delight and surprise. Really a great movie for those who savor irony and subtle humor, and who wish to see Alec Guinness in one of his greatest comedic roles. The recent remake of the film is not worth watching. Though Tom Hanks is generally a fine actor, he does not hit the right note as the eccentric, scheming criminal; in fact, the entire remake doesn't capture the spirit of the original.
Rating: 
Summary: A Little White-Haired Stumbling Block
Review: Alec Guinness leads an inept group of thieves who cleverly steal a considerable amount of cash, but find one stumbling block to their success - a little old lady. She is the landlord of the house that Guinness is staying in, under the guise of being a professor and his gang are also professors practicing for a concert. He actually uses her in his plan, but that proves to be all the help she gives. Katie Johnson, as the old lady, is hysterical without much effort, exactly right on target as the proper, overly helpful, good citizen that finds herself mixed up in a crime that will cause her great personal scandal. The scene where she tries to keep apart her tea party friends and the gang is very, very funny. Guinness is, of course, his usual comic genius, and his gang all score too, including a young Peter Sellers. This is a perfect example of the "little" films that England turned out during the Forties and Fifties that remain just as entertaining today as they did when first produced. It's a terrific example of black comedy.
Rating: 
Summary: Black (and White) Masterpiece
Review: As everyone else has said, this is a wonderful movie (tho' I haven't seen the DVD version) but I'd like to add a couple of points. One reviewer said Alec Guinness reminds him of that other great character actor Alistair Sim. I think this is quite deliberate on Guinness's part. In a recent tv documentary Sim's daughter said that Sim was often congratulated for his acting in 'The Ladykillers'. We don't know whether this delighted or infuriated the older man, but I'm sure he would take it as a compliment.
The other point is that The Ladykillers projects the cosy world of post-1945 Britain, shabby, eccentric and faded perhaps, but essentially decent, and hints at the poison in its heart. This is really a dangerous world where the good survive only by accident. Director Mackendrick later went to America and let his cynicism rip in the magnificent 'Sweet Smell of Success'. Watch the two back to back and see a great artist at work with other great artists, but in two different worlds.
Rating:
Summary: Alec Guinness as Renfield?
Review: Before I see the 2004 version of THE LADYKILLERS starring Tom Hanks, I thought I'd better see the 1955 original.
Alec Guinness plays Professor Marcus, the brainy leader of a gang of disparate thieves planning an armored car hold-up. To that end, Marcus takes up residence as a lodger in the home of aged widow Louisa Wilberforce (Katie Johnson), whose old, sagging house is at the bottom of a cul-de-sac street, and whose backyard is directly above the entrance to a railway tunnel. The Professor and his cronies, Claude (Cecil Parker), Louis (Herbert Lom), Harry (Peter Sellers), and One-Round (Danny Green), plan their heist in one of Louisa's upstairs rooms while masquerading as a string quartet practicing their repertoire. The elegant music Mrs. Wilberforce hears actually comes from a phonograph player. And, the genteel landlady is to be an unsuspecting accomplice in the crime.
I'm used to the dignified characters played by Sir Alec during his distinguished film career: Colonel Nicholson in THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI, George Smiley (perhaps his greatest role) in TINKER, TAILOR, SOLDIER, SPY and SMILEY'S PEOPLE, and Prince Faisal in LAWRENCE OF ARABIA. Thus, his Marcus persona here is almost a shock, albeit an eminently watchable one. The under-eye shadow, prosthetic teeth, moistly protruding red lips, and almost-lispy voice make the Professor more reminiscent of Dracula's gofer Renfield than anyone else. It's difficult to believe this is the same Guinness that played the starched and honorable Colonel Nicholson on the Kwai but two years later.
Katie Johnson is perfectly understated as the frail, absent-minded, grandmotherly Wilberforce, who, even with that round, absurdly-flowered hat perched primly on the crown of her head, can dominate Marcus and his cronies to their ultimate distraction.
Visually, THE LADYKILLERS has some especially good moments for train buffs who, in this age of modern diesel/electrics, may pine for the old steam engines. Filmed on location, presumably in London, at the junction of several rail lines, there are panoramic shots of steam-belching locomotives crossing a lofty railroad viaduct, as well as disappearing into that aforementioned tunnel. Indeed, the trains passing by are the vehicles for the film's more darkly humorous moments.
As a dark comedy, I suppose THE LADYKILLERS would qualify as a mid-fifties "classic" of the genre. But, is it funny? Well, perhaps mildly droll at best. (Just as some of the edgier comedies of today will seem quaintly amusing five decades hence.) I'm giving four stars solely for the Guinness and Johnson performances.
Rating:
Summary: I wondered if you'd like some tea?
Review: Ealing comedy at its zenith. Led by Alec 'Kenobe' Guinnes, a cabal or robbers hole up in the house of an elderly lady, Mrs Wilberforce, under the guise of a string ensemble. Mrs W eventually rumbles them and they agree there is no option left but to dispose of her. Unfortunately, things do not go as planned and string ensemble is whittled down to nothing in no time. Comedy throughout, although a very real sense of the macabre helped by the backdrop of a dark marshalling yard to the rear of the property where the final scenes are played out. Beautiful!
Rating:
Summary: Why the remake when this is so good?
Review: Excellent movie, the British knew how to do it right. I love the Coen Brothers, but their remake of this comedy was lame, lame, lame!
Rating:
Summary: After All These Years
Review: From the moment of Professor Marcus' frightful grimace in the door, and his utterance of "I understand you have rooms for rent" to the permanently bewildered Mrs Wilburforce, one senses that some priceless comic shenanigans are afoot, and this proves the case. 'The Ladykillers', a fifties Ealing yarn about a group of thieves who involve an elderly lady in an armed robbery with disastrous results is as fresh and funny as it ever was. Herbert Lom, Peter Sellers and of course Alec Guinness in his memorable incarnation are all in fine form, and the nonsense has lost none of its charm through the years. The DVD restoration is magnificent, particularly in its resolution of the colour problems seen in old VHS releases.
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