Ealing Films

I was listening to the lovely Anne-Marie Duff on the radio this morning, talking about how the new (Michael Caine starring) film she's in - Is Anybody There - reminded her of an Ealing comedy. That reminded me I'd already got this article written about Ealing films. It first appeared on my other website, Suite101, where I write extensively about foreign films, but I've tweaked it and uploaded it for your reading pleasure here on Movienoodle. Enjoy.

Classic British Comedy from Ealing
What is an Ealing Film? A Short History of the British Film Studio

The borough of Ealing in London is home to one of the oldest studios in the world. Ealing Studios have produced some of Britain's best loved comedy films.

The Golden Years

The golden years for Ealing are generally considered to be the 1940s and 50s, a peak time for British film-making, during which Ealing produced such gems as Passport to Pimlico, Kind Hearts and Coronets, School For Scoundrels, The Ladykillers and The Lavender Hill Mob.

The Whimsical Comedy of Ealing Films

Ealing films demonstrated a comedy of gentle whimsy, squeezing all they could out of British stereotypes. Inept policemen, London buses, cockney spivs, stiff upper lips and lots of drinking tea featured heavily. These films were so very British in their essence, often they were hard to understand elsewhere (for which read America). Firmly rooted in a time and place, in retrospect they can be viewed not only as classic comedies but as social and political histories of Britain.

Passport to Pimlico

Passport to Pimlico was made in 1948 by director Henry Cornelius. Set just after the end of the second world war, Passport to Pimlico demonstrated a clear understanding of the social climate of the time. To put it in context, after a victorious war the conservative British prime minister Winston Churchill was defeated in the general election by a landslide majority for Labour. Why was he rejected by the British public? They were ready for change; a revolution for British society; they wanted to shrug off the class system and see equal opportunities for all. This need for change is palpable in Passport to Pimlico, which essentially concerns the story of the residents of Pimlico discovering a document that reveals they are, legally speaking, living in the land of Burgundy. They immediately decide to seal themselves off from the rest of England and set up their own 'country', complete with new rules and regulations. Problems, and comedy, ensue when Pimlico is over-run by crooks eager to evade British law, and ultimately the residents realize that good old Blighty is the place they want to be after all.

Kind Hearts and Coronets

Kind Hearts and Coronets (1950) is a masterpiece of film-making and, unlike Passport to Pimlico, doesn't require quite as much awareness of British history in order to grasp what's going on. Directed by Robert Hamer, Kind Hearts and Coronets concerns the snobbish, wealthy D'Ascoyne family. When young Louis Mazzini D'Ascoyne (Dennis Price) discovers that he is ninth in line to inherit the family fortune, he devises a despicable plot to bump off the other eight family members. This is a wicked and wonderful comedy, which has great fun following the murderous Mazzini about his dastardly deeds, and revels in finding more and more outrageous ways of offing the hapless D'Ascoynes. One of the major reasons this film is such superb comedy value is that the entire D'Ascoyne family (bar Mazzini) is played by Alec Guinness, including Lady Agatha D'Ascoyne. This means Guinness gets to camp it up in the most glorious fashion. The performances of Guiness, Price and leading lady Joan Greenwood in Kind Hearts and Coronets are simply unsurpassable.

The Future for Ealing

Ealing inevitably passed into decline, but recently their fortunes have turned around. Re-developed as a state of the art studio, they have helped to create some very successful British TV productions, such as The Royle Family and special scenes for the new series of Doctor Who. Fairly recent film releases The Importance of Being Earnest, Alien Autopsy and Valiant all came from Ealing, as did the new St. Trinians film, starring a pre-Bond Gemma Arterton. It's gratifying to see this famous old studio celebrating its history and attracting high quality comedy productions back to its sound stages. Roll on Ealing!

Star Wars - A Musical Journey

I have just got back from London, where I enjoyed a most entertaining evening in the company of the London Philharmonic Orchestra and lots of funny people dressed up as Star Wars characters. Described as a "unique concert event", the basic set up of Star Wars - A Musical Journey, was a live performance of John Williams' iconic music, played underneath a huge screen which synchronized specially edited segments from all the Star Wars films to the orchestral scores.

Along with meeting a cheeky and very American (are they all American?) storm trooper (see above), I was also stupidly thrilled to spot the real Boba Fett (Jeremy Bulloch) in the audience, and entranced by the talents of the show's narrator Anthony Daniels, who is of course better known as the golden one, C3P0. So, it is with a tremendous amount of geeky Star Wars pleasure and a certain amount of pride that now, for one post only, I am going to place Movienoodle in the capable hands of said esteemed actor, Mr Anthony Daniels:

"Greetings film fans, 'tis I Anthony Daniels. I was humbled by your applause on the opening night of Star Wars - A Musical Journey. How kind you are to remember me with such fondness. C3P0, as you are no doubt aware, was a daunting role. Little did I know, thirty years ago when the jokers among the cast and crew 'forgot' to free me from my golden costume during breaks in filming, that it would be me who had the last laugh. Yes, Star Wars is but a footnote in the history of my life. I have since emerged truly victorious as a serious actor of note. My Hamlet is the stuff of legend, as I was saying to my successor Brian, at the Melton Mowbray Players theatre group just last year. As the natural choice to front this fabulous new money spinning, or rather re-imagining, of the Star Wars franchise, I relish the chance to tread the boards once more. The theatre is my spiritual home. How lucky I am that Star Wars - A Musical Journey is punctuated with so many opportunities to really act. I may only be credited as the narrator, but anyone lucky enough to witness my quiet lament to the forest moon of Endor, will testify to my acting prowess. As I reach out a tentative hand, towards a planet that exists only in my mind, the audience is swept along on a magical journey with me. Some were even moved to tears. That connection comes from the power of acting. That is why live performance is such a joy, and why Star Wars will forever hold a very special place in my heart."

(Please note, the above words, attributed to Mr Daniels, are all made up.)

When it Comes to Vampires, Let The Right One In

Vampires... Are they a little bit passe? Hollywood has given the tweens Twilight, and good old Blighty has delivered Lesbian Vampire Killers, especially for the discerning spotty teenage boy market, but as for quality? Well, all we've had recently is Coppola's creaky old Bram Stoker's Dracula (too stagy) and Neil Jordan's Interview With The Vampire (too pretentious).

The untouchable classic is, and always will be, Nosferatu of course, but has modern cinema provided anything even remotely gripping within the vampire genre? I know there's The Lost Boys, but the pleasure of that film remains a guilty secret for most people. I'm thinking more of the films you can actually admit to liking. You know, the ones you'd stand up for in a fight, safe in the knowledge that their innate quality and ultra coolness will back you all the way.

Well, it looks like the Swedes have gone and done it. Every magazine I pick up seems to be raving about Let The Right One In. And the most encouraging thing is, although the story is dark and scary, nobody seems to be focused on the horror. That's just a by product. No, it would seem Let The Right One In is blessed by a decidedly fragile, humanistic element. That's why it's receiving all the kudos. And that's why despite vampires being passe, Let The Right One In might just be worth shelling out for. Click the link above for my exciting preview of the film.

Pictures: Lena Leandersson in Let The Right One In, EFTI. Nosferatu still. Lost Boys promo poster, Warner Bros.