need a group of friends like this (old woman included)
Five oddball criminals planning a bank robbery rent rooms on a cul-de-sac from an octogenarian widow under the pretext that they are classical musicians.
Where to watch
1The Ladykillers is showing in 1 cinema in Los Angeles — next screening Saturday 25 July at 19:30 at Videotheque.
Saturday, 25 July
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Cast & crew
6What people say
One of the greatest physical comedy performances in cinema is achieved by a 76-year-old. That would be Katie Johnson in “The Ladykillers,” who doesn’t let being someone’s gran stop her from carrying the entire movie on her back. Released in an era of slick heist flicks like “Rififi” and “The Killing,” director Alexander MacKendrick dared to have a different type of take for the time: what if it’s not the robbers who were cool... but an old lady? And cool as ice Johnson is - not just in the face of mildly hardened criminals, but also to MacKendrick’s technically exacting directorial style. Really though, the hapless robbers should have known better. MacKendrick’s production design is ripped right out of the darkest crags of German expressionism. Granny was living in the lair of Dr. Mabuse this whole time. Part of Warm Fuzzies Winter.
The confliction between old fashioned and the slightly pretentious values of Britain with more contemporary ones was one of the critical components that Ealing comedies controlled with authority, and The Ladykillers is a crucial testimony to that. Directed by Alexander Mackendrick (Sweet Smell of Success) and starring Ealing regular Alec Guinness as the impressively devious and intimidating Professor Marcus, the leader of a crime ring.It's furthermore inhabited with some great supporting actors including an early screen performance from Peter Sellers, and the studio, as usual, delivers the material with impressive delicacy and skill; earning its screenwriter, William Rose, a Best Original Screenplay nomination at the 29th Academy Awards. The Ladykillers is an excellent example of the prestigious and beloved studio firing on all cylinders with well-written dialogue and a succession of metaphors for the state of the British isles after WWII.
Common questions
What is The Ladykillers about?+
A group of eccentric criminals led by Professor Marcus poses as a string quintet to rent rooms from an unsuspecting elderly widow while they plan a nearby bank robbery.
Who directed The Ladykillers?+
The film was directed by Alexander Mackendrick, a key figure in British cinema known for his work with Ealing Studios.
Is The Ladykillers a comedy?+
It is a celebrated dark comedy that relies on sharp wit and situational absurdity rather than traditional slapstick.
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