Sir Alec Guinness was one of the Britain’s best-loved and most
accomplished actors. His illustrious career spanned over fifty years
and incorporated some of the most successful and critically acclaimed
films in cinema history. A natural film actor, he received many awards
for his work including both Baftas and Oscars.
An exceptionally versatile actor, Guinness worked across all genres and
was often near-unrecognisable beneath elaborate make-up. With the
perfect timing of a comedian and the hypnotic intensity of the greatest
dramatic actors, he dazzled audiences in both hard-hitting dramas and
side-splitting comedies alike. An unassuming man who preferred
anonymity to the glitzy show-business lifestyle, Alec Guinness was a
quiet master of cinema acting. One of British cinema’s brightest ever
stars.
This collection brings together five of the very best comedies Alec
Guinness made for Ealing Studios. Each is a comic gem that showcases
his astonishing talent. The Man in the White Suit and Barnacle Bill are
both classic Ealing David-and-Goliath stories, The Captain’s Paradise
follows the increasingly farcical life of a bigamist ferry captain,
Last Holiday is the tale of a timid man who is given a short time to
live, so decides to have a last hurrah and Kind Hearts and Coronets
sees Guinness playing all eight members of the aristocratic D'Ascoyne
family who suddenly find themselves targets of a ruthless heir.
Kind Hearts And Coronets (1949)
Louis Mazzini's mother belongs to the aristocratic family D'Ascoyne,
but she ran away with an opera singer. Therefore, the D’Ascoynes
rejected her and Louis. Once adult, Louis (Dennis Price) decides to
avenge his mother and him, by becoming the next Duke of the family.
Murdering every potential successor - all famously played by Alec
Guinness - is clearly the safest way to achieve his goal.
The Man In The White Suit (1951)
Sidney Stratton (Alec Guinness), a humble inventor, develops a fabric,
which never gets dirty or wears out. This would seem to be a boon for
mankind, but the established garment manufacturers don't see it that
way; they try to suppress it. Nevertheless, Sidney is determined to put
his invention on the market, forcing the clothing factory bigwigs to
resort to more desperate measures...
The Captain's Paradise (1953)
In The Captain’s Paradise Alec Guinness plays the thoroughly selfish
and conceited Henry St James captaining a ship between Gibraltar and
Morocco. When he’s in Gibraltar with his straight-laced British wife
Maud, played by Celia Johnson (Brief Encounter), he eats at home and
goes to bed early. However, when he’s with his fiery Spanish wife Nita
(Yvonne De Carlo), he stays out dancing into the small hours. Problems
arise when his wives begin to demand more than the life he has carved
out for each of them, and it doesn’t take long for St James’ perfect
‘paradise’ to collapse.
Last Holiday (1950)
George Bird (Alec Guinness) is a mild-mannered salesman who is told by
his doctor that he has only a very short time left to live. Determined
not to waste his final days, he decides to go on one last holiday to
live the rest of his life to the full. Recently remade by Hollywood
with Queen Latifah reprising Guinness’ role, Last Holiday was written
by renowned novelist and playwright J. B. Priestley.
Barnacle Bill (1957)
Captain Ambrose (Alec Guinness) is the last in a long line of
distinguished seafarers. Forced to retire due to chronic seasickness,
he takes charge of a dilapidated pier in a seaside resort. After he
finds out the town’s Mayor wants to demolish his beloved pier, Ambrose
registers the pier as a foreign cruise ship at anchor - and so free
from the law of the land. As the feisty Captain battles with the
infuriated authorities, all manner of hilarious antics ensue.
Written by T.E.B. Clarke - writer of The Lavender Hill Mob, The
Titfield Thunderbolt and Passport to Pimlico and featuring early
appearances by both Jackie Collins and Donald.
None specified Alec Guinness, Dennis Price, Valerie Hobson, Joan Greenwood, Miles Malleson, Clive Morton, Hugh Griffith, John Salew, Peggy Ann Clifford, Arthur Lowe, Laurence Naismith, Richard Wattis, Carol White, Cecil Parker, Michael Gough, Ernest Thesiger, Brian Worth, Arthur Mullard, Yvonne De carlo, Celia Johnson, Bill Fraser, Michael Balfour, Kay Walsh, Muriel George, Esma Cannon, Bernard Lee,Sid James, Wilfrid Hyde-White, Brian Oulton, John Charlesworth, Peter Jones, Charles Lloyd Pack, Maurice Denham, Victor Maddern, Lionel Jeffries, Harry Locke, Jackie Collins, Donald Pleasance, Warren Mitchell, Eric Pohlmann, Joan Hickson, Sam Kydd
Robert Hamer, Alexander Mackendrick, Anthony Kimmins, Henry Cass, Charles Frend
618 mins
1949 - 1957
None specified
English
5
2 - will only play on UK / European DVD player or multi region
player
Usually despatched within 5 working days
