To celebrate the release of Kind Hearts and Coronets released for the first time on Uhd on 22 April – we have a Uhd to give away to one lucky winner!
Kind Hearts and Coronets is the jewel in Ealing Studios’ crown, and arguably one of the finest British films ever made.
Hailing from the Golden-Age of Ealing Comedies and the same year as Passport to Pimlico and Whisky Galore!, Kind Hearts and Coronets stars Dennis Price as the debonair yet impoverished Louis Mazzini, the would-be Duke of Chalfont whose mother was disinherited by her noble family, the D’Ascoynes, for marrying beneath her. When her dying wish to be buried in the family crypt is refused, Louis vows to avenge his mother and work his way up the family tree, by engaging in the gentle art of murder. One by one he attempts to kill off the eight successors that stand...
Kind Hearts and Coronets is the jewel in Ealing Studios’ crown, and arguably one of the finest British films ever made.
Hailing from the Golden-Age of Ealing Comedies and the same year as Passport to Pimlico and Whisky Galore!, Kind Hearts and Coronets stars Dennis Price as the debonair yet impoverished Louis Mazzini, the would-be Duke of Chalfont whose mother was disinherited by her noble family, the D’Ascoynes, for marrying beneath her. When her dying wish to be buried in the family crypt is refused, Louis vows to avenge his mother and work his way up the family tree, by engaging in the gentle art of murder. One by one he attempts to kill off the eight successors that stand...
- 4/19/2024
- by Competitions
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
"How very delightful!" Studiocanal UK & Park Circus have unveiled an official trailer dubbed Once More with Ealing, celebrating classic films made by the UK's iconic vintage production company Ealing Studios. 1949 saw the release of a trio of classic British comedies that really cemented Ealing’s place in history as this country’s finest film studios: Passport to Pimlico, Kind Hearts & Coronets and Whiskey Galore! 75 years later, these films still seem as fresh, innovative and, above all, as funny as ever. To celebrate the 75th Anniversary of these landmark films, and to compliment the theatrical reissue of a new 4K restoration of Ealing's sweetest crime caper film The Lavender Hill Mob (out 29 March), cinemas nationwide will be offering a selection of Ealing classics, both comedy and drama. The trailer below includes clips from a various selection of these classic films, and it's a nice reminder to book tickets and enjoy.
- 3/25/2024
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
In 1961, a daring daylight robbery was committed in London, when Goya’s portrait of the Duke of Wellington (1812-14), recently auctioned for a massive £140,000, was stolen from its new home in the capital’s National Gallery.
The story was big news – so big, in fact, that the painting was referenced in 1963’s “Dr. No,” in a scene where Sean Connery’s James Bond spots it lying about in Dr. No’s lair, as if 007’s notorious adversary were the brains behind the theft. In real life, however, the mastermind behind this grand piece of larceny was Kempton Bunton, a retired bus driver who returned the painting in 1965, claiming to have stolen it in protest at the rising cost of the TV license for old age pensioners.
These days, surprisingly little is known of Bunton and his plot, which later took even more twists and turns in the 1970s. All that is likely to change,...
The story was big news – so big, in fact, that the painting was referenced in 1963’s “Dr. No,” in a scene where Sean Connery’s James Bond spots it lying about in Dr. No’s lair, as if 007’s notorious adversary were the brains behind the theft. In real life, however, the mastermind behind this grand piece of larceny was Kempton Bunton, a retired bus driver who returned the painting in 1965, claiming to have stolen it in protest at the rising cost of the TV license for old age pensioners.
These days, surprisingly little is known of Bunton and his plot, which later took even more twists and turns in the 1970s. All that is likely to change,...
- 9/4/2020
- by Damon Wise
- Variety Film + TV
Studiocanal’s Vintage Classics is celebrating Christmas with the release of the British festive treat The Holly And The Ivy, starring acting royalty Ralph Richardson, Celia Johnson, Margaret Leighton, Denholm Elliot and John Gregson.
To celebrate we are giving away a copy of The Holly & The Ivy on Blu-ray along with the recently released Ealing Studios’ 1944 classic The Halfway House and three more much-loved British films from the collection – Went The Day Well, Passport To Pimlico and Dead Of Night.
The Vintage Classics Collection currently features nearly 90 iconic British films, all fully restored and featuring brand new extra content. To find out more, and for news on future releases, follow on Facebook at /Vintageclassicsfilm.
Please note: This competition is open to UK residents only
a Rafflecopter giveaway
The Small Print
Open to UK residents only The competition will close 19th December 2019 at 23.59 GMT The winner will be picked at random...
To celebrate we are giving away a copy of The Holly & The Ivy on Blu-ray along with the recently released Ealing Studios’ 1944 classic The Halfway House and three more much-loved British films from the collection – Went The Day Well, Passport To Pimlico and Dead Of Night.
The Vintage Classics Collection currently features nearly 90 iconic British films, all fully restored and featuring brand new extra content. To find out more, and for news on future releases, follow on Facebook at /Vintageclassicsfilm.
Please note: This competition is open to UK residents only
a Rafflecopter giveaway
The Small Print
Open to UK residents only The competition will close 19th December 2019 at 23.59 GMT The winner will be picked at random...
- 12/8/2019
- by Competitions
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
To celebrate the new Home Entertainment release of Pink String &Sealing Wax we have a bundle of 5 Vintage Classics films to give away. Titles include Passport to Pimlico, The Lady Killers, Lavender Hill Mob, Kind Hearts and Coronets and of course, the classic crime comedy Pink String & Sealing Wax which sees its re-release this month. From Ealing Studios this roaring melodrama sees
The post Win Pink String and Sealing Wax in a Vintage Classics Blu-Ray bundle appeared first on HeyUGuys.
The post Win Pink String and Sealing Wax in a Vintage Classics Blu-Ray bundle appeared first on HeyUGuys.
- 4/22/2016
- by Competitions
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Ron Moody as Fagin in 'Oliver!' based on Charles Dickens' 'Oliver Twist.' Ron Moody as Fagin in Dickens musical 'Oliver!': Box office and critical hit (See previous post: "Ron Moody: 'Oliver!' Actor, Academy Award Nominee Dead at 91.") Although British made, Oliver! turned out to be an elephantine release along the lines of – exclamation point or no – Gypsy, Star!, Hello Dolly!, and other Hollywood mega-musicals from the mid'-50s to the early '70s.[1] But however bloated and conventional the final result, and a cast whose best-known name was that of director Carol Reed's nephew, Oliver Reed, Oliver! found countless fans.[2] The mostly British production became a huge financial and critical success in the U.S. at a time when star-studded mega-musicals had become perilous – at times downright disastrous – ventures.[3] Upon the American release of Oliver! in Dec. 1968, frequently acerbic The...
- 6/19/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
The UK culture minister talks about the current strengths and challenges of the British film industry.
Ed Vaizey, the Conservative MP for Wantage and Didcot, is the UK’s Minister of State at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
Earlier this week, the Dcms released figures about the strength of British film production — with total UK spend for film so far this year at £750m, with £600m coming from inward investment – a “significant increase on the same point in 2013.” (Total spend in 2013 was £1.1bn.) The Dcms noted that for every £1 invested through the Film Tax Relief, £12 is generated for UK Gdp.
On the occassion of the BFI London Film Festival, Vaizey spoke to Screen editor Wendy Mitchell about the job being done by the BFI, the challenges ahead for the British film industry, and the current bright spots to celebrate in the UK’s creative industries.
We’ve seen...
Ed Vaizey, the Conservative MP for Wantage and Didcot, is the UK’s Minister of State at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
Earlier this week, the Dcms released figures about the strength of British film production — with total UK spend for film so far this year at £750m, with £600m coming from inward investment – a “significant increase on the same point in 2013.” (Total spend in 2013 was £1.1bn.) The Dcms noted that for every £1 invested through the Film Tax Relief, £12 is generated for UK Gdp.
On the occassion of the BFI London Film Festival, Vaizey spoke to Screen editor Wendy Mitchell about the job being done by the BFI, the challenges ahead for the British film industry, and the current bright spots to celebrate in the UK’s creative industries.
We’ve seen...
- 10/16/2014
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
Best British movies of all time? (Image: a young Michael Caine in 'Get Carter') Ten years ago, Get Carter, starring Michael Caine as a dangerous-looking London gangster (see photo above), was selected as the United Kingdom's very best movie of all time according to 25 British film critics polled by Total Film magazine. To say that Mike Hodges' 1971 thriller was a surprising choice would be an understatement. I mean, not a David Lean epic or an early Alfred Hitchcock thriller? What a difference ten years make. On Total Film's 2014 list, published last May, Get Carter was no. 44 among the magazine's Top 50 best British movies of all time. How could that be? Well, first of all, people would be very naive if they took such lists seriously, whether we're talking Total Film, the British Film Institute, or, to keep things British, Sight & Sound magazine. Second, whereas Total Film's 2004 list was the result of a 25-critic consensus,...
- 10/12/2014
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
35th edition of the festival runs June 19-28.
The Us documentary Red Army about the Soviet Red Army hockey team will open the 36th edition of the Moscow International Film Festival (Miff), which runs from June 19-28.
Directed by Gabe Polsky, the film was first shown at last month’s Cannes Film Festival and will be released in the Us by Sony Pictures.
Speaking at this week’s press conference, programme director Kirill Razlogov exxplained that documentaries have always played “a special role” at the festival - “documentaries are practically in all of the programmes” - and said that it was “symbolic” to open with a documentary.
The festival will be rounded off on June 28 at the Pushkinsky Cinema with a screening of Matt Reeves’ Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.
Veteran Russian actor-director Gleb Panfilov (Vassa) will head the international jury for the main competition and will be joined by the German actress Franziska Petri, Georgian...
The Us documentary Red Army about the Soviet Red Army hockey team will open the 36th edition of the Moscow International Film Festival (Miff), which runs from June 19-28.
Directed by Gabe Polsky, the film was first shown at last month’s Cannes Film Festival and will be released in the Us by Sony Pictures.
Speaking at this week’s press conference, programme director Kirill Razlogov exxplained that documentaries have always played “a special role” at the festival - “documentaries are practically in all of the programmes” - and said that it was “symbolic” to open with a documentary.
The festival will be rounded off on June 28 at the Pushkinsky Cinema with a screening of Matt Reeves’ Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.
Veteran Russian actor-director Gleb Panfilov (Vassa) will head the international jury for the main competition and will be joined by the German actress Franziska Petri, Georgian...
- 6/12/2014
- by screen.berlin@googlemail.com (Martin Blaney)
- ScreenDaily
Strike a light, guv – here are five of cinema's most memorable cockneys. Who else belongs on the list?
Cockneys have been a part of the cinematic landscape for years – see Ealing comedies such as Passport to Pimlico (1949), which had more than enough born-and-bred Londoners for a fine old knees-up round the Joanna.
There are many types of cinematic cockney – they're not merely one-dimensional east Londoners, born with rhyming dictionaries stored away in their loaves of bread. To prove this, here are five different types of cockney. A cockney compendium, if you will.
Please be aware that some of the clips contain a few rude words. Not Mary Poppins, obviously.
1. Alfie – Sir Michael Caine
Even though he was born south of the river, in Camberwell, Caine epitomised the newly-fashionable working-class Londoner; this was the movie that made him a star.
Reading on mobile? Watch the clip on YouTube
2. Kill List – Neil Maskell...
Cockneys have been a part of the cinematic landscape for years – see Ealing comedies such as Passport to Pimlico (1949), which had more than enough born-and-bred Londoners for a fine old knees-up round the Joanna.
There are many types of cinematic cockney – they're not merely one-dimensional east Londoners, born with rhyming dictionaries stored away in their loaves of bread. To prove this, here are five different types of cockney. A cockney compendium, if you will.
Please be aware that some of the clips contain a few rude words. Not Mary Poppins, obviously.
1. Alfie – Sir Michael Caine
Even though he was born south of the river, in Camberwell, Caine epitomised the newly-fashionable working-class Londoner; this was the movie that made him a star.
Reading on mobile? Watch the clip on YouTube
2. Kill List – Neil Maskell...
- 6/26/2013
- The Guardian - Film News
Cameron K McEwan Aug 16, 2016
Cameron sings the praises of 25 classic and modern Doctor Who adventures that went underappreciated. See what made the cut below...
Doctor Who fans can be an odd bunch at times (and by that I mean all the time), what's gold to one is dross to another. And when you think everyone is agreed on a genuine stinker (Timelash, for example), you'll find it has admirers in abundance. But what's here are some of the stories that, for whatever reason, get overlooked, underseen and, perhaps, undervalued - in no particular order.
The Awakening
Two-parters often get forgotten about (in classic Doctor Who at any rate) and this Peter Davison story, whilst perhaps best known to Who fans for a famous blooper featuring a horse, has some tremendous imagery and beautiful location shooting. Best of all is the villain of the piece, The Malus, who put the willies...
Cameron sings the praises of 25 classic and modern Doctor Who adventures that went underappreciated. See what made the cut below...
Doctor Who fans can be an odd bunch at times (and by that I mean all the time), what's gold to one is dross to another. And when you think everyone is agreed on a genuine stinker (Timelash, for example), you'll find it has admirers in abundance. But what's here are some of the stories that, for whatever reason, get overlooked, underseen and, perhaps, undervalued - in no particular order.
The Awakening
Two-parters often get forgotten about (in classic Doctor Who at any rate) and this Peter Davison story, whilst perhaps best known to Who fans for a famous blooper featuring a horse, has some tremendous imagery and beautiful location shooting. Best of all is the villain of the piece, The Malus, who put the willies...
- 4/25/2013
- Den of Geek
Feature Cameron K McEwan 26 Apr 2013 - 07:00
Cameron sings the praises of twenty-five classic and modern Doctor Who adventures that deserve more love. See what made the cut below...
Doctor Who fans can be an odd bunch at times (and by that I mean all the time), what's gold to one is dross to another. And when you think everyone is agreed on a genuine stinker (Timelash, for example), you'll find it has admirers in abundance. But what's here are some of the stories that, for whatever reason, get overlooked, underseen and, perhaps, undervalued - in no particular order.
The Awakening
Two-parters often get forgotten about (in classic Doctor Who at any rate) and this Peter Davison story, whilst perhaps best known to Who fans for a famous blooper featuring a horse, has some tremendous imagery and beautiful location shooting. Best of all is the villain of the piece, The Malus,...
Cameron sings the praises of twenty-five classic and modern Doctor Who adventures that deserve more love. See what made the cut below...
Doctor Who fans can be an odd bunch at times (and by that I mean all the time), what's gold to one is dross to another. And when you think everyone is agreed on a genuine stinker (Timelash, for example), you'll find it has admirers in abundance. But what's here are some of the stories that, for whatever reason, get overlooked, underseen and, perhaps, undervalued - in no particular order.
The Awakening
Two-parters often get forgotten about (in classic Doctor Who at any rate) and this Peter Davison story, whilst perhaps best known to Who fans for a famous blooper featuring a horse, has some tremendous imagery and beautiful location shooting. Best of all is the villain of the piece, The Malus,...
- 4/25/2013
- by louisamellor
- Den of Geek
Ken Loach's documentary is skilfully compiled from archive footage and newly recorded interviews with elderly socialists who remember the 1930s and 40s and with youngish leftwing academics of today. But rather than the provocative polemic one might have expected, it's more of an over-extended party political broadcast for a phantom old Labour party that is forever waiting in the wings. It celebrates the Labour landslide at the 1945 general election and the resolve never to return again to the miserable conditions that the working class endured in the 1930s. As I watched, there rang in my ears a distorted version of the question asked in the last two lines of WB Yeats's The Second Coming: "And what rough socialist beast, its hour come round at last,/ Loaches towards a New Jerusalem to be born?"
This committed view of our history over the past 70 years suggests that Britain was united...
This committed view of our history over the past 70 years suggests that Britain was united...
- 3/19/2013
- by Philip French
- The Guardian - Film News
Sidney Stratton (Alec Guinness) bounces from job to job at a series of textile factories, where he tries to develop a new synthetic fabric that will never wear out or stain. He believes it will change the world for the better, but when he finally succeeds he finds the factory owners against him because they will no longer need to produce or sell clothes and the work force up in arms because they will become redundant, once everyone has bought the last set of clothes they will ever need.
*****
Ealing comedies are a very particular species of film. On the one hand they have a seemingly cosy, inoffensive familiarity about them – very British, very undemanding. Yet virtually to a film we find on closer inspection that they have real bite to them. The Lavender Hill Mob, Passport to Pimlico, The Ladykillers and Kind Hearts & Coronets – all feature dark, subversive elements and this film,...
*****
Ealing comedies are a very particular species of film. On the one hand they have a seemingly cosy, inoffensive familiarity about them – very British, very undemanding. Yet virtually to a film we find on closer inspection that they have real bite to them. The Lavender Hill Mob, Passport to Pimlico, The Ladykillers and Kind Hearts & Coronets – all feature dark, subversive elements and this film,...
- 11/13/2012
- by Dave Roper
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Ealing Studios' name is synonymous with comedy largely because of three films released on consecutive weeks in 1949: Passport to Pimlico, Whisky Galore! and Kind Hearts and Coronets. Before then it was associated with the form of realism created by the documentarists Alberto Cavalcanti and Harry Watt, brought in by Michael Balcon early in the second world war to give his studio a greater authenticity. The finest movie in this mode is It Always Rains on Sunday, made in 1947 in grimy, Blitz-scarred east London and being revived in a new print as an example of the darker side of Ealing in the BFI Southbank's Ealing retrospective. Superbly photographed by the great Douglas Slocombe in the Picture Post manner, a style radically different from the elegant Kind Hearts and Coronets, it's 24 hours in the life of Bethnal Green, cleverly dovetailing the lives of some 20 characters ranging from spivs, petty crooks...
- 10/27/2012
- by Philip French
- The Guardian - Film News
My friend Maurice Stewart, who has died aged 79, was a consummate theatre professional. He was a stage manager, company manager and director in many parts of British theatre, working on operas and West End productions of American musicals. He toured with "third-rate variety to the Folies Bergère in Paris" and travelled to America with the Old Vic company. Renowned in the West End as a script doctor, he also wrote plays for BBC TV.
Maurice was a prime mover in the Puppet Centre and Trust, which evolved from talks held at Wandsworth library in 1976. He championed puppetry and played a part in its renaissance in the 1970s and 80s. More recently, he lectured at colleges in Europe and the Us on topics including "modern actors recreating the past" and British music hall and Gilbert and Sullivan. He built a substantial theatre archive and his interest in music hall led to...
Maurice was a prime mover in the Puppet Centre and Trust, which evolved from talks held at Wandsworth library in 1976. He championed puppetry and played a part in its renaissance in the 1970s and 80s. More recently, he lectured at colleges in Europe and the Us on topics including "modern actors recreating the past" and British music hall and Gilbert and Sullivan. He built a substantial theatre archive and his interest in music hall led to...
- 7/30/2012
- The Guardian - Film News
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Although Ealing Studios did not exclusively make comedies – actually, less than ten percent of their output was comic – it is the run of comedies from the late ’40s into the ’50s that the studio is best remembered for, and it’s not difficult to see why. Under the leadership of Michael Balcon, the legendary British producer who also founded Gainsborough Pictures, they produced incredibly sharp, witty and likeable comedies ranging from the whimsy of a film like Passport to Pimlico to the razor-sharp black comedy of Kind Hearts and Coronets, also released in 1949.
The movies were quintessentially British, and often got funnier as they got darker precisely because the characters had to uphold good British virtues while getting away with political upheaval (Passport to Pimlico), theft (The Lavender Hill Mob, one of their best) or murder (Kind Hearts and Coronets). This paradox is prevalent in Passport to Pimlico,...
Although Ealing Studios did not exclusively make comedies – actually, less than ten percent of their output was comic – it is the run of comedies from the late ’40s into the ’50s that the studio is best remembered for, and it’s not difficult to see why. Under the leadership of Michael Balcon, the legendary British producer who also founded Gainsborough Pictures, they produced incredibly sharp, witty and likeable comedies ranging from the whimsy of a film like Passport to Pimlico to the razor-sharp black comedy of Kind Hearts and Coronets, also released in 1949.
The movies were quintessentially British, and often got funnier as they got darker precisely because the characters had to uphold good British virtues while getting away with political upheaval (Passport to Pimlico), theft (The Lavender Hill Mob, one of their best) or murder (Kind Hearts and Coronets). This paradox is prevalent in Passport to Pimlico,...
- 6/12/2012
- by Adam Whyte
- Obsessed with Film
ill Manors (18)
(Ben Drew, 2012, UK) Riz Ahmed, Ed Skrein, Natalie Press, Anouska Mond. 121 mins
The coalition government has repeatedly denied his existence, but Plan B proves he's for real with this intense, provocative survey of British urban decay in all its forms. A few too many forms, perhaps, as this crams in so many tales of hardship, exploitation, drugs and violence, and seeks to render them in so many ways (hip-hop numbers, tricksy visuals, flashbacks), it gets a bit carried away. Still, top marks for at least trying to tell it like it is.
Red Tails (12A)
(Anthony Hemingway, 2012, Us) Cuba Gooding Jr, Terrence Howard. 125 mins
George Lucas co-produces this story of the African-American Tuskegee Airmen and their role in the second world war, fighting both Nazis and racism. There's more of an eye for aerial action than grown-up drama, though.
A Fantastic Fear Of Everything (15)
(Crispian Mills, Chris Hopewell,...
(Ben Drew, 2012, UK) Riz Ahmed, Ed Skrein, Natalie Press, Anouska Mond. 121 mins
The coalition government has repeatedly denied his existence, but Plan B proves he's for real with this intense, provocative survey of British urban decay in all its forms. A few too many forms, perhaps, as this crams in so many tales of hardship, exploitation, drugs and violence, and seeks to render them in so many ways (hip-hop numbers, tricksy visuals, flashbacks), it gets a bit carried away. Still, top marks for at least trying to tell it like it is.
Red Tails (12A)
(Anthony Hemingway, 2012, Us) Cuba Gooding Jr, Terrence Howard. 125 mins
George Lucas co-produces this story of the African-American Tuskegee Airmen and their role in the second world war, fighting both Nazis and racism. There's more of an eye for aerial action than grown-up drama, though.
A Fantastic Fear Of Everything (15)
(Crispian Mills, Chris Hopewell,...
- 6/8/2012
- by Steve Rose
- The Guardian - Film News
It came, it saw, it massively underwhelmed. Nevertheless, despite lukewarm critical reviews, Prometheus shot to the top of the UK Box Office this week, comfortably ahead of Snow White and the Huntsman in second. I imagine Prometheus will have plenty of legs and should be at the top for another week or so yet as people flock to see what all the fuss is about.
The major release this week is Lucasfilm production Red Tails which tells the story of the first African-American airmen to serve in the American army during World War 2. It’s a project George Lucas has had gestating for some time now but he has wisely handed over directorial duties to Anthony Hemingway, an experienced TV director making his first foray into feature films. I can’t see Red Tails challenging the big hitters at the top of the Box Office pile, but it should do...
The major release this week is Lucasfilm production Red Tails which tells the story of the first African-American airmen to serve in the American army during World War 2. It’s a project George Lucas has had gestating for some time now but he has wisely handed over directorial duties to Anthony Hemingway, an experienced TV director making his first foray into feature films. I can’t see Red Tails challenging the big hitters at the top of the Box Office pile, but it should do...
- 6/8/2012
- by Rob Keeling
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
It’s Friday, so you know what that means – lots more films released in cinemas across the country and this is week it’s a mixed bag. From the horrors of The Innkeepers, Harsh Light of Day and The Pact to the comedy stylings of Simon Pegg and Will Ferrell in A Fantastic Fear of Everything and Casa de Mi Padre respectively.
Nationwide Releases The Pact
“At 4.47 Pm Nicole Barlow Arrived At 550 Claremont Avenue. At 8.23 Pm She Phoned Her Daughter. It Was The Last Call She Ever Made.”
Following her mother’s funeral, Annie reluctantly returns to her childhood home – a place that she’d rather forget. Now her sister Nicole and cousin have inexplicably disappeared, she is forced to unlock the doors to the past to discover the hidden secrets of the house and in doing so finds a room that she has no memory of. Things take a...
Nationwide Releases The Pact
“At 4.47 Pm Nicole Barlow Arrived At 550 Claremont Avenue. At 8.23 Pm She Phoned Her Daughter. It Was The Last Call She Ever Made.”
Following her mother’s funeral, Annie reluctantly returns to her childhood home – a place that she’d rather forget. Now her sister Nicole and cousin have inexplicably disappeared, she is forced to unlock the doors to the past to discover the hidden secrets of the house and in doing so finds a room that she has no memory of. Things take a...
- 6/8/2012
- by Phil
- Nerdly
★★★★☆ Newly restored 1949 comedy classic Passport to Pimlico is a fine example of a post-war comedy produced by the renowned Ealing Studios. Written by the highly talented T.E.B Clarke, (who was responsible for another comedy classic, 1951's The Lavender Hill Mob) and directed by Henry Cornelius, Passport to Pimlico shows a great understanding of the mechanics of not only great writing but also of comedy.
Read more »...
Read more »...
- 6/7/2012
- by CineVue
- CineVue
A typically quaint and light-hearted comedy from the masterly Ealing Studios, Passport to Pimlico has endured as one of their best loved capers.
The film is set in post-war London in 1949, an era of British history that arguably tends to be ignored slightly by the movies. Obviously the great triumphs and struggles of the war years are well known to modern day audiences, as of course are the swinging sixties a fair few years later. 1949 however is a relatively uncommon time period to set a film in. Life was still tough for your regular Brit as while the spectre of war may have dissipated there were still plenty of everyday reminders of its impact on the general public. Rationing was still in place, goods were in short supply and bombed out buildings still stood along the city streets. In Passport To Pimlico, scriptwriter T.E.D. Clarke and director Henry Cornelius...
The film is set in post-war London in 1949, an era of British history that arguably tends to be ignored slightly by the movies. Obviously the great triumphs and struggles of the war years are well known to modern day audiences, as of course are the swinging sixties a fair few years later. 1949 however is a relatively uncommon time period to set a film in. Life was still tough for your regular Brit as while the spectre of war may have dissipated there were still plenty of everyday reminders of its impact on the general public. Rationing was still in place, goods were in short supply and bombed out buildings still stood along the city streets. In Passport To Pimlico, scriptwriter T.E.D. Clarke and director Henry Cornelius...
- 6/7/2012
- by Rob Keeling
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
A joint venture between StudioCanal and the Independent Cinema Office, Made In Britain is a new film season that is set to debut five restored and remastered classic British films over five weeks including Passport to Pimlico, Plague of the Zombies, The Man Who Fell to Earth, Hobson’s Choice and Quatermass and the Pit – an eclectic mix of British film at its best.
Passport to Pimlico is on limited release now and that will be followed by Plague of the Zombies on June 12th and The Man Who Fell to Earth on June 19th. StudioCanal UK have released a number of clips demonstrating the restorations at work – you can see a few below:
Passport to Pimlico Restoration Comparison
Plague of the Zombies – Restored Footage
The Man Who Fell to Earth – Clip
The Made in Britain season runs June 5th to July 3rd. For more information check out the official...
Passport to Pimlico is on limited release now and that will be followed by Plague of the Zombies on June 12th and The Man Who Fell to Earth on June 19th. StudioCanal UK have released a number of clips demonstrating the restorations at work – you can see a few below:
Passport to Pimlico Restoration Comparison
Plague of the Zombies – Restored Footage
The Man Who Fell to Earth – Clip
The Made in Britain season runs June 5th to July 3rd. For more information check out the official...
- 6/6/2012
- by Phil
- Nerdly
Whatever your views on this summer's range of British national pride-inducing events, from the Queen's Jubilee to the Olympics, you can rest easy because Studio Canal are using it all as a springboard to bring an eclectic mix of Brit classics back to the big screen.From the 5th June they'll be launching their Made In Britain season that sees a diverse array of films screened across the UK, with something to cater for all tastes: Passport to Pimlico, Plague of the Zombies, The Man Who Fell to Earth, Hobson's Choice and Quartermass and the Pit. They may not all be the most obvious choices, but they're certainly all worthy of discovery (or rediscovery).All the movies have been recently restored too, so it's a rare...
- 6/1/2012
- Screen Anarchy
We’re always on the lookout for seasons of film screenings which offer something a little different from your average mulitplex fare and Studio Canal have come up trumps again with a collection of fine British films.
The season in question is entitled Made In Britain, and takes place every Tuesday from 5th June to 3rd July with screenings across the country and Studio Canal have chosen some excellent film, some of which are rarely seen on the big screen.
To celebrate this excellent season of screenings we’re giving one lucky winner the chance to win A3 copies of 4 posters from the series. These posters can be seen below and more deatils of the season, and how you can book tickets are here:
In this year of celebration of all things British, Studiocanal and the Ico are delighted to announce a summer season of theatrical screenings in celebration of some of the finest,...
The season in question is entitled Made In Britain, and takes place every Tuesday from 5th June to 3rd July with screenings across the country and Studio Canal have chosen some excellent film, some of which are rarely seen on the big screen.
To celebrate this excellent season of screenings we’re giving one lucky winner the chance to win A3 copies of 4 posters from the series. These posters can be seen below and more deatils of the season, and how you can book tickets are here:
In this year of celebration of all things British, Studiocanal and the Ico are delighted to announce a summer season of theatrical screenings in celebration of some of the finest,...
- 5/31/2012
- by Competitons
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
As we celebrate sixty years of the Queen's reign, our blogger explains how film can trick your pupils into learning about the UK's heritage - and their own identity
The poster on my classroom wall, a publicity shot for last year's part British film, Hugo, shows a boy hanging from the hands of a clock, in a parody of a famous Harold Lloyd portrait. It serves as more than decoration. Time and again it's used in lessons to illustrate the language of imagery: the clash of colours, the angle of the dangling feet, the font of the title, the expression on the protagonist's face. It illustrates how, a century on from the pioneering cinema of the Lumieres and Melies and the birth of the Hollywood studios, movies have found their way into every nook and cranny of school timetables.
Hele's School in Plymouth uses film extensively to reinforce learning...
The poster on my classroom wall, a publicity shot for last year's part British film, Hugo, shows a boy hanging from the hands of a clock, in a parody of a famous Harold Lloyd portrait. It serves as more than decoration. Time and again it's used in lessons to illustrate the language of imagery: the clash of colours, the angle of the dangling feet, the font of the title, the expression on the protagonist's face. It illustrates how, a century on from the pioneering cinema of the Lumieres and Melies and the birth of the Hollywood studios, movies have found their way into every nook and cranny of school timetables.
Hele's School in Plymouth uses film extensively to reinforce learning...
- 5/28/2012
- The Guardian - Film News
Martin Kemp's werewolf embarrassment, David Lean's Lawrence of Arabia rides again and Ealing classics get a spruce-up
One in the eye for Martin
How must Martin Kemp feel? The Krays star, EastEnder and sofa seller was also once, of course, a member of Spandau Ballet. He can now be found contributing an ill-starred cameo to the dreadful, straight-to-dvd British comedy (I think) Strippers vs Werewolves. In the film's opening scene, Martin, aroused by a stripper dressed in schoolgirl uniform, turns into a werewolf and she, taking fright, stabs him in the eye. That's him over with, after just two minutes.
Then the opening credits kick in… set to "Hungry Like the Wolf", by his 80s arch rivals Duran Duran. Oh the infamy. Always believe in your soul, Martin - at least the BBC are bound to play "Gold" a lot during the Olympics.
Arabian nights at this year's...
One in the eye for Martin
How must Martin Kemp feel? The Krays star, EastEnder and sofa seller was also once, of course, a member of Spandau Ballet. He can now be found contributing an ill-starred cameo to the dreadful, straight-to-dvd British comedy (I think) Strippers vs Werewolves. In the film's opening scene, Martin, aroused by a stripper dressed in schoolgirl uniform, turns into a werewolf and she, taking fright, stabs him in the eye. That's him over with, after just two minutes.
Then the opening credits kick in… set to "Hungry Like the Wolf", by his 80s arch rivals Duran Duran. Oh the infamy. Always believe in your soul, Martin - at least the BBC are bound to play "Gold" a lot during the Olympics.
Arabian nights at this year's...
- 4/28/2012
- by Jason Solomons
- The Guardian - Film News
Dr. Garth Twa takes an in-depth look at La Grande Illusion - a revolutionary milestone of visual art, exclusively for @puremovies We all have those films, those films that open us up. La Grand Illusion is one of those films. It was for Orson Welles, and for Woody Allen. That’s what so important about what Studiocanal is doing. ‘With every foot of film lost, we lose a link to our culture, to the world around us, to each other, and to ourselves,’ Martin Scorsese says, 'movies touch our hearts, and awaken our vision, and change the way we see things. They take us to other places. They open doors and minds. Movies are the memories of our lifetime. We need to keep them alive.' In addition to restoring and re-releasing La Grand Illusion, this year Studiocanal are also bringing out Marcel Carné’s Quai des Brumes, Luis Bunuel...
- 4/7/2012
- by Dr. Garth Twa
- Pure Movies
Alright, you've already seen our picks for the five best Best Picture years, the Oscar years that you can actually look back on and not wince if you're a fan of movies and just-deserved prizes. So let's keep it simple: here are the five worst years below, the ones that make fans of cinema rather crazy and that have had people bitching about it ever since. The 5 Worst Best Picture Line-Ups 1949 The Best Picture Nominees: "All The King's Men" (winner), "Battleground," "The Heiress," "A Letter To Three Wives," "Twelve O'Clock High" What Else Could They Have Nominated? "Adam's Rib," "The Third Man," "Kind Hearts & Coronets," "Manon," "On The Town," "Passport To Pimlico," "She Wore A Yellow Ribbon," "White Heat" Why Is It One Of The Worst? Anyone who thinks that the Oscars picking sub-standard fare is...
- 2/20/2012
- by Oliver Lyttelton
- The Playlist
Throughout the classic comedies produced by Ealing Studios in the ’40s and ’50s run both a lightness of touch and a subtly unsentimental look at human character. Their classics all involve crime and greed: for money and the freedom that comes with it in The Ladykillers and The Lavender Hill Mob, for money and social standing in Kinds Hearts and Coronets. But the (amateur) criminals in the latter two are gentlemen; very English and very charming. In The Ladykillers, the gentility is merely a disguise for professional criminals. Often, the apparent civility of polite society helps their characters veil their repressed, anarchic sides.
The first of Ealing’s run of classic comedies – which also includes The Man in the White Suit and Passport to Pimlico – was Whisky Galore!, the first movie directed by Boston-born Scotsman Alexander Mackendrick. It was produced by Ealing’s legendary Michael Balcon and co-edited by Charles Crichton,...
The first of Ealing’s run of classic comedies – which also includes The Man in the White Suit and Passport to Pimlico – was Whisky Galore!, the first movie directed by Boston-born Scotsman Alexander Mackendrick. It was produced by Ealing’s legendary Michael Balcon and co-edited by Charles Crichton,...
- 8/9/2011
- by Adam Whyte
- Obsessed with Film
The year 1949 was a pretty miserable time in Britain. Postwar austerity was at its height. Many city centres were still largely bomb sites. The cold war was getting chillier. The British film industry was in crisis after the Labour government had imposed a punitive tax on American films, which led to Hollywood studios withholding their product. Then suddenly, in the early summer, three pictures opened on consecutive weeks that together defined what we now know as "the Ealing comedy". The films got darker and Ealing Studios' reputation greater as the month wore on.
In the first, Passport to Pimlico, a London borough, supported by a recently discovered medieval document, declares itself to be part of ancient Burgundy and thus an independent state. In the second, Whisky Galore, the thirsty inhabitants of a remote Scottish village hijack the cargo of a whisky-laden merchantman wrecked on their shores during the second...
In the first, Passport to Pimlico, a London borough, supported by a recently discovered medieval document, declares itself to be part of ancient Burgundy and thus an independent state. In the second, Whisky Galore, the thirsty inhabitants of a remote Scottish village hijack the cargo of a whisky-laden merchantman wrecked on their shores during the second...
- 8/1/2011
- by Philip French
- The Guardian - Film News
Ealing Studios Bicycle Tours
Among the many splendid things about Ealing comedies is the way they got outside and took in postwar London, so what better way to celebrate the Ealing spirit than hauling yourself on to a bike and doing the same? Coinciding with the Southbank's Vintage festival (see Events preview, p39), these guided tours (vintage bikes provided, vintage garb encouraged) visit the key locations of three Ealing classics – The Lavender Hill Mob, Hue & Cry and Passport To Pimlico – of which a surprising amount survives, from landmarks like the Bank of England and Westminster Bridge to south London back streets. And after a bracing pedal, you can round off your tour with a screening of the restored Lavender Hill Mob (starring Alec Guinness and Stanley Holloway) at the BFI Southbank.
Jubilee Gardens, SE1, Fri to 31 Jul
Screen Arts Festival, Nationwide
Too highbrow for the multiplex and all those vulgar feature films?...
Among the many splendid things about Ealing comedies is the way they got outside and took in postwar London, so what better way to celebrate the Ealing spirit than hauling yourself on to a bike and doing the same? Coinciding with the Southbank's Vintage festival (see Events preview, p39), these guided tours (vintage bikes provided, vintage garb encouraged) visit the key locations of three Ealing classics – The Lavender Hill Mob, Hue & Cry and Passport To Pimlico – of which a surprising amount survives, from landmarks like the Bank of England and Westminster Bridge to south London back streets. And after a bracing pedal, you can round off your tour with a screening of the restored Lavender Hill Mob (starring Alec Guinness and Stanley Holloway) at the BFI Southbank.
Jubilee Gardens, SE1, Fri to 31 Jul
Screen Arts Festival, Nationwide
Too highbrow for the multiplex and all those vulgar feature films?...
- 7/22/2011
- by Steve Rose
- The Guardian - Film News
To celebrate the DVD release of The Halfway House available on DVD now, Optimum Home Entertainment have given us three copies of the movie to give away on DVD. The movie was directed by Basil Dearden and stars Mervyn Johns, Glynis Johns and Sally Ann Howes.
2011 sees the centenary of the birth of Ealing stalwart Basil Dearden, who directed more Ealing films than any of his peers – 18 – including The Blue Lamp, Saraband for Dead Lovers and The Halfway House. He was also the director of the ground-breaking Victim, starring Dirk Bogarde.
The Halfway House is an enjoyable mystery tale of a group of strangers driven to take shelter at a remote Welsh Inn during a storm. Each has a personal problem to hide, but they are soon brought together by unsettling events perhaps precipitated by their hosts, the enigmatic innkeepers. Starring Mervyn Johns and real-life daughter Glynis, The Halfway House...
2011 sees the centenary of the birth of Ealing stalwart Basil Dearden, who directed more Ealing films than any of his peers – 18 – including The Blue Lamp, Saraband for Dead Lovers and The Halfway House. He was also the director of the ground-breaking Victim, starring Dirk Bogarde.
The Halfway House is an enjoyable mystery tale of a group of strangers driven to take shelter at a remote Welsh Inn during a storm. Each has a personal problem to hide, but they are soon brought together by unsettling events perhaps precipitated by their hosts, the enigmatic innkeepers. Starring Mervyn Johns and real-life daughter Glynis, The Halfway House...
- 6/24/2011
- by Competitons
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
The Halfway House (1943)
Director: Basil Dearden
A young girl tries to bring her estranged parents back together by contriving a mini-break at a charming Welsh inn. It might sound a bit like The Parent Trap, but The Halfway House is an intriguing but uneven wartime fantasy drama from Ealing Studios. Director Basil Dearden’s film was co-written by Angus MacPhail and Diana Morgan (Went The Day Well?) and also features one of the most grating Welsh accents I’ve ever heard – courtesy of Glynis Johns.
The Halfway House begins with a series of brief vignettes introducing the main characters. There’s young Joanna (Sally Anne Howes), whose bickering parents Richard and Jill (Richard Bird and Valerie White) are on the brink of divorce. A disgraced army officer Fortescue (Guy Middleton) is released from prison, after serving time for pilfering the regimental funds. At a Welsh port, ex-navy captain Harry Meadows...
Director: Basil Dearden
A young girl tries to bring her estranged parents back together by contriving a mini-break at a charming Welsh inn. It might sound a bit like The Parent Trap, but The Halfway House is an intriguing but uneven wartime fantasy drama from Ealing Studios. Director Basil Dearden’s film was co-written by Angus MacPhail and Diana Morgan (Went The Day Well?) and also features one of the most grating Welsh accents I’ve ever heard – courtesy of Glynis Johns.
The Halfway House begins with a series of brief vignettes introducing the main characters. There’s young Joanna (Sally Anne Howes), whose bickering parents Richard and Jill (Richard Bird and Valerie White) are on the brink of divorce. A disgraced army officer Fortescue (Guy Middleton) is released from prison, after serving time for pilfering the regimental funds. At a Welsh port, ex-navy captain Harry Meadows...
- 6/14/2011
- by Susannah
- SoundOnSight
“Time stands still, here in the Valley” - Mr Rhys the Innkeeper.
When we think of the legacy of Ealing Studios, film fans will always remember the classic comedies Passport to Pimlico (1949), The Lavender Hill Mob (1951) and The Man in the White Suit (1951). Long considered the Studios' finest cinema achievements, the beauty of an Ealing comedy is its realist style. Whereas The Carry On films and the Boulting Brothers relied on caricature, Ealing always focused on the ordinary man, notably Stanley Holloway and Alec Guinness, being placed in an extraordinary situation.
Such was their comedy success it’s easy to forget that Ealing dabbled in more serious, and at times, much darker stuff. Horror was never a genre associated with the studio, although the black humour of the excellent Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949) - with its imaginative murders - pre-dated the ghoulish Theatre of Blood (1973) by nearly 25 years; and yet...
When we think of the legacy of Ealing Studios, film fans will always remember the classic comedies Passport to Pimlico (1949), The Lavender Hill Mob (1951) and The Man in the White Suit (1951). Long considered the Studios' finest cinema achievements, the beauty of an Ealing comedy is its realist style. Whereas The Carry On films and the Boulting Brothers relied on caricature, Ealing always focused on the ordinary man, notably Stanley Holloway and Alec Guinness, being placed in an extraordinary situation.
Such was their comedy success it’s easy to forget that Ealing dabbled in more serious, and at times, much darker stuff. Horror was never a genre associated with the studio, although the black humour of the excellent Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949) - with its imaginative murders - pre-dated the ghoulish Theatre of Blood (1973) by nearly 25 years; and yet...
- 6/14/2011
- Shadowlocked
Cinema Retro has received the following press release:
Top Collection Of Film Posters To Go Under The Hammer Issue Date: 8th February 2011
On the 3rd March 2011 a private collection of rare film posters will go under the hammer at Special Auction Services (Sas).
This significant international collection will form part of a specialist entertainment memorabilia auction featuring over 200 lots of cinema posters, theatrical and music memorabilia
The collection of film posters is estimated at £15,000 – £20,000 is expected to attract international interest as one of the top ten poster auctions over the past year.
Catalogued by Sas consultant Michael Bloomfield – one of the UK’s leading entertainment poster specialists – here are some highlights:
Lot 10. Poland 2001 Space Odyssey. Est. £400 - £600
Lot 21. USA East of Eden (James Dean) 1955. Est. £400 - £600
Lot 41. USA 3-sheet Lolita 1962 linen-backed (Lb). Est. £1,000 - £2,000
Lot 61. USA Cool Hand Luke 1967 Lb. Est. £400 - £600
Lot 76. UK Rebel Without a Cause (James Dean) 1955 Lb.
Top Collection Of Film Posters To Go Under The Hammer Issue Date: 8th February 2011
On the 3rd March 2011 a private collection of rare film posters will go under the hammer at Special Auction Services (Sas).
This significant international collection will form part of a specialist entertainment memorabilia auction featuring over 200 lots of cinema posters, theatrical and music memorabilia
The collection of film posters is estimated at £15,000 – £20,000 is expected to attract international interest as one of the top ten poster auctions over the past year.
Catalogued by Sas consultant Michael Bloomfield – one of the UK’s leading entertainment poster specialists – here are some highlights:
Lot 10. Poland 2001 Space Odyssey. Est. £400 - £600
Lot 21. USA East of Eden (James Dean) 1955. Est. £400 - £600
Lot 41. USA 3-sheet Lolita 1962 linen-backed (Lb). Est. £1,000 - £2,000
Lot 61. USA Cool Hand Luke 1967 Lb. Est. £400 - £600
Lot 76. UK Rebel Without a Cause (James Dean) 1955 Lb.
- 2/9/2011
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
I miss being shocked by violence, but every routine action movie has decapitations ... there's no left field left for violence to come out of
The other day, midway through Went the Day Well?, I felt an unfamiliar emotion stirring in my breast. This slice of wartime propaganda from Ealing – directed by Alberto Cavalcanti and adapted from a short story by Graham Greene – is very different from the comedies for which the studio is best known, though our introduction to the quaint English village of Bramley End, where it takes place, makes us think we're in store for an everyday story of country folk. But the emotion I felt wasn't amusement; it was shock. To be precise, I was shocked by the violence.
How can this be? How come I was shocked by a black-and-white film made in 1942, when I can sit through the likes of Antichrist or Martyrs without flinching?...
The other day, midway through Went the Day Well?, I felt an unfamiliar emotion stirring in my breast. This slice of wartime propaganda from Ealing – directed by Alberto Cavalcanti and adapted from a short story by Graham Greene – is very different from the comedies for which the studio is best known, though our introduction to the quaint English village of Bramley End, where it takes place, makes us think we're in store for an everyday story of country folk. But the emotion I felt wasn't amusement; it was shock. To be precise, I was shocked by the violence.
How can this be? How come I was shocked by a black-and-white film made in 1942, when I can sit through the likes of Antichrist or Martyrs without flinching?...
- 7/2/2010
- by Anne Billson
- The Guardian - Film News
We ask our film critics and former winners for their view of the nominees for next weekend's ceremony, and Jason Solomons reflects on Bafta history and the future of the awards
Long gone are the days when the Bafta ceremony was as vital as a Rotarian dinner, when the same few British redoubtables – Attenborough, Mills, Bogarde, Forsyth (Bill and Bruce) – clapped each other on the back with a "Well done, old chap", mainly for still squeezing into their black tie.
The Baftas used to take place in April or early May, way after the Oscars. Splitting the film and television awards in 1998 provided an instant injection of glamour, and in 2002 the film Baftas were moved to February, cannily placing them as the last staging post en route to Oscar glory for many American films. I remember the red carpet foaming up in the rain and ruining Julia Roberts's shoes,...
Long gone are the days when the Bafta ceremony was as vital as a Rotarian dinner, when the same few British redoubtables – Attenborough, Mills, Bogarde, Forsyth (Bill and Bruce) – clapped each other on the back with a "Well done, old chap", mainly for still squeezing into their black tie.
The Baftas used to take place in April or early May, way after the Oscars. Splitting the film and television awards in 1998 provided an instant injection of glamour, and in 2002 the film Baftas were moved to February, cannily placing them as the last staging post en route to Oscar glory for many American films. I remember the red carpet foaming up in the rain and ruining Julia Roberts's shoes,...
- 2/15/2010
- by Jason Solomons, Philip French
- The Guardian - Film News
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