24 October 2020

The original "The Ladykillers" is coming back

"The much-loved British caper starring Alec Guinness is being reissued, 65 years on, fully restored from the original negative. It was shot at Ealing Studios and around King’s Cross in London, where photographers captured the stars relaxing on set." [more pix at the link]
The 1955 version was IMHO way better than the 2004 remake (it carries a rare 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes).  I didn't realize that Katie Johnson (pictured above) won the BAFTA that year for Best Actress in a Leading Role,

4 comments:

  1. I enjoy Tom Hanks but his version was a real misfire, beginning with that awful decision to use a bizarre voice. The 1955 original was great

    ReplyDelete
  2. I used to watch Tom Hanks movies, but after Forest Gump, he, and Tom Cruise, became the go to male lead and all of a sudden you couldn't believe the character anymore ... was he on a desert island, flying a plane into the Hudson river, or playing a foot piano. Tom Cruise playing a 6 foot 5 inch (excuse my old fashioned terminology) Jack Reacher left me smashing down the theatre doors to get out, promising myself and the world that I would NEVER watch a Tom Cruise movie again. Bums on seats, sure, but some of us don't need to see a mega rich actor's name to convince us to watch a movie, I mean, Tom Cruise and Hanks are not really saving the world, are they, so why are they paid so much ??? No, these days I tend to watch foreign movies, the humour is less obvious, more intelligent, and the main male actor doesn't ALWAYS get the girl, even sometimes dies ... and outside the mainstream is where you get the gems, trust me on that. Also, subtitles increase your ability to read fast ... but most often they, the subtitler (?) substitutes words like 'metre' with 'yard', because, well, I guess he or she doesn't know there are other countries in the world.
    'The Lady Killers' is a very good movie, I would enjoy watching it again. The original one I mean, the Tom Hanks remake was shite.

    ReplyDelete
  3. The Brits saw acting as a profession rather than an way to become a star. Of course many did become stars but those who didn't continued to work and perfect their craft. I enjoy British movies (especially old ones) because the bit players are so good. Too many US movies are centered around a movie "star".

    ReplyDelete