KIND HEARTS AND CORONETS

Review: A distant poor relative of the Duke of D’Ascoyne goes on a murder spree in order to eliminate eight other heirs so he can become the next in the line of succession.
Director: Robert Hamer
Actors: Dennis Price, Alec Guinness, Valerie Hobson, Joan Greenwood, Clive Morton and Hugh Griffith
Year: 1949
Genre: Classics, Comedy, Crime and Drama
Conclusion: 5/5
This is a superb comedie noire and also has a deliciously witty script. It is a very dry and dark film. The cast are all brilliant. This is superbly directed by Robert Hamer and is one of his masterpieces. At the start of this film Alec Guinness was offered only four of the eight roles. He insisted on playing all eight. Apparently there is an alternative ending that was required for the U.S. as their distributors didn’t like the ambiguous ending. There have been talks that directors etc were going to remake this film, once in 1984 starring Dustin Hoffman and also in 2000 staring Robin Williams and Will Smith. Both of which never got made.  According to the BBFC some scenes were cut but the details are not available.  At the start of 2012 the late film critic Barry Norman produced a list in the Radio Times of his 100 greatest films of all time and this film was listed.