Ten Movies I’m Glad I Saw: Kind Hearts And Coronets (#4)

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It’s amazing: all of those years of living in Florida and being stationed on the coasts, and yet I’ve had more hurricane problems here in Kentucky, with the closest coastline over 600 miles away! This weekend some guy named Gordon is raining all over the Midwest. Time to do what you do when it rains — plan a nice nap!!! Or, if you want a movie, here’s one for you. This is one I saw on TCM, and I’m so glad I did. #4: Kind Hearts and Coronets I realize that the “AFI” list couldn’t include this because it’s the American Film Institute and this is a British film, but this movie should have been the #1 comedy listed. Comedically speaking, this blows Some Like It Hot out of the water (much like one of the D'Ascoyne victims). And the “dark humor” is so brilliant it makes something like Dr. Strangelove look as juvenile as Porky’s. Condemned prisoner Louis D'Ascoyne Mazzini (Dennis Price) passes time until he is to go to the gallows by writing the story of his life. As things play out, he’s being executed for a crime he didn’t commit, while he got away with eight, count ‘em, eight murders (all of the victims played by Alec Guinness, including Lady Agatha D’Ascoyne). It’s told in flashback style (as are the next two movies on the list...hint, hint), which allows for one of the funniest lines in this or any other movie: after shooting Lady Agatha’s balloon down with an arrow, Louis says, “I shot an arrow in the air, she fell to earth in Berkeley Square.” And the last 15 minutes of the movie has more twists than Chubby Checker songs! This is not everyone’s cup of tea, but I highly recommend this movie. It is stark raving hilarious. Kind Hearts And Coronets Directed by Robert Hamer Released in 1949 The introduction of the D’Ascoyne family (all played by Alec Guinness):