‘The Ladykillers‘ reopens the endless discussion and conclusions about original films and remakes. 20 years ago, the Coen brothers were making an American remake starring Tom Hanks, which I saw then and liked (much more than other subscribers of IMDB, where the average rating is a mediocre 6.2) . Now I got to see the original version made in 1955 and directed by Alexander Mackendrick. I enjoyed the movie made 69 years ago at least as much. Not only has the comedy and action remained fresh, but the visual quality and performances of the actors make ‘The Ladykillers‘ 1955 edition one of the best films of the British Ealing film studios and a reference film for productions realized exclusively on the sets, precisely at the time when filmmakers and their film crews were discovering the virtues and advantages of natural light and filming in nature or in the urban environment, on the streets.
The sets, made entirely in the studio, are formidable. In an English one-story house at the end of a cul-de-sac, lives old Mrs. Wilberforce. The house looks like a prelude to the motel in ‘Psycho’ with two important additional details. It is on a hill near a large railway station and trains to and from all directions pass under that hill. The house had been damaged in the bombings of the war that had ended a decade ago, and the bizarre architecture was supplemented by sloping floors and walls. Precisely the strategic position makes this house the ideal home where the gang of thieves led by Professor Marcus plans to rob a mail train stopped at the station and hide the loot immediately after the hit. To camouflage the gatherings of bandits, they disguise themselves as baroque musicians in rehearsals. Mrs. Wilberforce is delighted with the company, but when the thieves use her to recover the money stolen from the station and when she realizes that the musicians were not musicians and the instrument cases hide different treasures, things get complicated. The old peaceful woman is both shrewd and stubborn, and has a sense of justice and a vitality that will blow up all the bandits’ plans.
The set design is terrific, one of the best studio sets I’ve seen in movies. The intense and contrasting colors, with the few nuances of the early years of color film, also play an important role in the charm and special visual atmosphere of this film. The comedy of situations is enhanced by the savory lines of text. The role of the invincible old woman is played by Katie Johnson, a veteran actress of the English stage and screen, who was 78 years old and over 60 years into her career when the film was made. The head of the band of robbers is played by Alec Guinness, to whom I was able to get to know another facet of a formidable talent that also developed in many decades of activity. Among the thugs we can see Peter Sellers in one of his first major comedic roles in a feature film. ‘The Ladykillers‘ model 1955 is a film that remains worth seeing today and that I recommend to all viewers, not just those who love classic cinematheque movies.