I included a short review of the film on 11th November this year. Ian Nathan introduces this episode by saying this is "a pitch black comedy", followed by Stephen Armstrong who calls Kind Hearts and Coronets one of the top two British comedies of all time. (Not sure I would agree with that). Dennis Price plays Louis Mazzini who, at the beginning, is narrating his story from his prison cell. (Never happy with narrators, and this has it in spades). Louis believes he is the long lost heir to the D'Ascogne fortune. Unfortunately he has to get rid of the eight in line before him. All eight are played by Alec Guinness, all upper class though not all rich. Of course we get to see the murders as they happen. One, a young photographer, comes to an end in Marlow weir!
Christina Newland was sure it was one of the greatest British comedies. Neil Norman agreed that it had a perfect structure, "exceptional" dialogue and a tremendous cast. Ian Nathan thought it demonstrated the fading aristocracy of 1949 but he added how bleak was the story. But Steven Armstrong thought the murders were so clever that Louis would not get caught. Neil Norman and Christina talk about the wealthy women in the cast and that it's all about class.
Ian Nathan goes on the talk about the novel Israel Rank by Roy Horniman and how it came to be adapted by Robert Hamer who also directed. Produced by Michael Balcon of Ealing Studios, it was so unlike anything that organisation had previously made. Dennis Price gives a deadpan performance, although Neil Norman says that this was not the launchpad for a stellar career. His Louis is found guilty for the one murder he did not commit. The presenters liked the mixture of sound stages and locations, and that the ending was ambiguous to a fault. It influenced many films to come.
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