Appearing in top 100 film lists of the British Film Institute and Time Magazine, this 1949 British black comedy solidified the legendary chameleonic acting abilities of Alec Guinness and is being presented in the Festival in restored 4K to celebrate its 70th anniversary. Essential viewing for any film lover, it is the critical and commercial high point of director Robert Hamer's brief and troubled but brilliant career.
When Louis Mazzini’s (a superb Dennis Price) mother eloped with an Italian opera singer, she was disowned by her aristocratic family for marrying beneath her station. Consequently, Louis was also cut off from the lineage, shunned and made to pay for his mother’s choice. After the family refuses to let her be buried in the family mausoleum, it is the last straw for Louis. He decides to avenge his mother's death by attempting to murder the eight relatives (all of which are played by Guinness) who stand between himself and the family fortune. But when Louis finds himself torn between his long-time love and the widow of one of his victims, his plans go awry.
Tuesday 29th October
106 min
PG
Film Festival
