Kind Hearts and Coronets is a 1949
BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
black comedyA black comedy, or dark comedy, is a comic work that employs black humor or gallows humor. The definition of black humor is problematic; it has been argued that it corresponds to the earlier concept of gallows humor; and that, as humor has been defined since Freud as a comedic act that anesthetizes...
feature filmIn the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
. The plot is loosely based on the 1907 novel
Israel Rank: The Autobiography of a Criminal by
Roy HornimanRoy Horniman was a British writer.He was the owner of The Ladies Review for some years and was a member of the British Committee of The Indian National Congress. As well as acting he became tenant and manager of the Criterion Theatre and wrote many plays as well as adaptations of his own and...
, with the screenplay written by
Robert HamerRobert James Hamer was a British film director and screenwriter. He was the son of the actor Gerald Hamer ....
and
John DightonJohn Dighton was a successful British playwright and screenwriter.Dighton wrote for the stage until 1936, when he made the transition to films...
and the film directed by Hamer. The film's title derives from
TennysonAlfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson, FRS was Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom during much of Queen Victoria's reign and remains one of the most popular poets in the English language....
's 1842 poem
Lady Clara Vere de VereLady Clara Vere de Vere is an English poem written by Alfred Lord Tennyson, part of the collection The Lady of Shalott, and Other Poems, published in 1842. The poem is about a lady in a family of aristocrats, and has numerous noble references, such as to earls or coats of arms...
: "Kind hearts are more than
coronetA coronet is a small crown consisting of ornaments fixed on a metal ring. Unlike a crown, a coronet never has arches.The word stems from the Old French coronete, a diminutive of coronne , itself from the Latin corona .Traditionally, such headgear is – as indicated by the German equivalent...
s, And simple faith than
NormanThe Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
blood."
The film stars
Dennis PriceDennis Price was an English actor, remembered for his suave screen roles, particularly Louis Mazzini in Kind Hearts and Coronets, and for his portrayal of the omniscient valet Jeeves in 1960s television adaptations of P. G...
(Louis Mazzini),
Alec GuinnessSir Alec Guinness, CH, CBE was an English actor. He was featured in several of the Ealing Comedies, including Kind Hearts and Coronets in which he played eight different characters. He later won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Colonel Nicholson in The Bridge on the River Kwai...
(the D'Ascoyne family),
Joan GreenwoodJoan Greenwood was an English actress. Born in Chelsea, she studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Her husky voice, coupled with her slow, precise elocution, was her trademark...
(Sibella) and
Valerie HobsonValerie Hobson was a British actress who appeared in a number of British films during the 1940s and 1950s...
(Edith).
Kind Hearts and Coronets is listed in
TimeTime is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
magazine's top 100, and in the
BFI Top 100 British filmsIn 1999 the British Film Institute surveyed 1000 people from the world of British film and television to produce the BFI 100 list of the greatest British films of the 20th century. Voters were asked to choose up to 100 films that were 'culturally British'...
.
In 2011, the film was
digitally restoredthumb|300px|Stacked containers filled with reels of [[film stock]]The film preservation, or film restoration, movement is an ongoing project among film historians, archivists, museums, cinematheques, and non-profit organizations to rescue decaying film stock and preserve the images which they contain...
and re-released in selected British cinemas.
Plot
Louis Mazzini (
Dennis PriceDennis Price was an English actor, remembered for his suave screen roles, particularly Louis Mazzini in Kind Hearts and Coronets, and for his portrayal of the omniscient valet Jeeves in 1960s television adaptations of P. G...
), the
DukeA duke or duchess is a member of the nobility, historically of highest rank below the monarch, and historically controlling a duchy...
of Chalfont, is in prison awaiting execution, and decides to write his memoirs. Shown in
flashbackFlashback is an interjected scene that takes the narrative back in time from the current point the story has reached. Flashbacks are often used to recount events that happened before the story’s primary sequence of events or to fill in crucial backstory...
, Louis is born in
EdwardianThe Edwardian era or Edwardian period in the United Kingdom is the period covering the reign of King Edward VII, 1901 to 1910.The death of Queen Victoria in January 1901 and the succession of her son Edward marked the end of the Victorian era...
England, the son of a woman from an aristocratic family (the D'Ascoynes) and an
ItalianItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
operaOpera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
singer. Shunned by her family for marrying a commoner, Louis' parents apparently live a poor but simple life. When Louis' father dies of a heart attack on seeing him as an infant for the first time, his mother is forced into a life of drudgery. Louis also recalls as a child playing with a girl called Sibella and his eventual rival, Lionel.
When Louis is in his twenties, his mother dies from injuries sustained in an accident. After the D'Ascoynes refuse to allow Louis' mother to be buried in the family vault, he becomes obsessed with avenging this wrong and eventually claiming the D'Ascoyne dukedom of Chalfont. Although there are initially eleven relatives between Louis and the Dukedom, Louis notes "Sometimes the death column brought good news...sometimes the births column brought bad. The advent of twin sons to the Duke was a terrible blow. Fortunately, an epidemic of diphtheria restored the status quo almost immediately and even brought me a bonus in the shape of the Duchess". After being rebuked by an now adult Sibella and witnessing her marriage to Lionel (
John PenroseJohn Penrose was a British actor.His best known role was in the 1949 film Kind Hearts and Coronets, where he played Lionel, Sibylla's dull husband whom Louis was accused of murdering. He also appeared in The Lion Has Wings , Freedom Radio and The Secret People .-External links:...
), Louis has a chance encounter with one of the heirs, Ascoyne D'Ascoyne (Alec Guiness, in the first of eight roles as the D'Ascoynes). This results in Louis' dismissal from his job in trade, and he then decides to eliminate the entire D'Ascoyne family.
After drowning Ascoyne D'Ascoyne and his mistress, Louis writes a sympathy letter to Ascoyne's father, Lord Ascoyne D'Ascoyne, who employs him at the family banking firm. Louis next decides to murder Henry D'Ascoyne, but is also charmed by Henry's wife, Edith D'Ascoyne (
Valerie HobsonValerie Hobson was a British actress who appeared in a number of British films during the 1940s and 1950s...
). After killing Henry in an explosion and subsequently poisoning Reverend Lord Henry D'Ascoyne, Louis decides to become engaged to Edith, concluding that Sibella's "face would have looked rather out of place under a coronet". After an argument and a scuffle with a now-bankrupt Lionel, Louis then murders Lady Agatha D'Ascoyne (
balloonA balloon is an inflatable flexible bag filled with a gas, such as helium, hydrogen, nitrous oxide, oxygen, or air. Modern balloons can be made from materials such as rubber, latex, polychloroprene, or a nylon fabric, while some early balloons were made of dried animal bladders, such as the pig...
pierced by an arrow and killed by the subsequent fall), General Lord Rufus D'Ascoyne (explosion) and Ethelred D'Ascoyne (shot) in swift succession. Admiral Lord Horatio D'Ascoyne and Louis' employer Lord Ascoyne D'Ascoyne are spared as they die prematurely: the first in a naval accident and the second of a
strokeA stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
in learning that he has succeeded Ethelred D'Ascoyne as the ninth Duke of Chalfont.
Louis becomes the tenth Duke, but his victory is short-lived. When Lionel commits suicide, Louis is wrongly blamed for his death. Louis is tried by his peers in the
House of LordsThe House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
, and is convicted of murdering the one person he in fact did not kill. Both Edith (who marries Louis in prison) and Sibella appear as witnesses at the trial, with Sibella blatantly lying and incriminating Louis.
Found guilty and soon to be hanged, Louis is visited by Sibella, who subtly offers a chance at acquittal based on an understanding that Edith will be disposed of and Sibella can then marry him and become Duchess. Louis indicates agreement, and moments before his planned execution a suicide note is conveniently produced indicating that Lionel had committed suicide. Upon his release, Louis is confronted by both Edith and Sibella. A hesitant Louis quotes from
The Beggar's OperaThe Beggar's Opera is a ballad opera in three acts written in 1728 by John Gay with music arranged by Johann Christoph Pepusch. It is one of the watershed plays in Augustan drama and is the only example of the once thriving genre of satirical ballad opera to remain popular today...
: "How happy could I be with either, Were t'other dear charmer away!" When a representative of
Tit-BitsTit-Bits was a British weekly magazine founded by George Newnes on 22 October 1881 until 18 July 1984, when it was taken over by Associated Newspapers' Weekend, which itself closed in 1989. The last editors were David Hill and Brian Lee...
magazine interrupts Louis' reflections and asks for the publication rights to his memoirs, Louis suddenly realizes he has left his incriminating manuscript in the prison cell.
American version
To satisfy the Hays Office
Production CodeThe Motion Picture Production Code was the set of industry moral censorship guidelines that governed the production of the vast majority of United States motion pictures released by major studios from 1930 to 1968. It is also popularly known as the Hays Code, after Hollywood's chief censor of the...
, the film was
censoredthumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
for the American market. Ten seconds of footage was added to the ending, showing Louis' memoirs being discovered before he can retrieve them. The dialogue between Louis and Sibella was altered to downplay their adultery; derogatory lines about the Parson were deleted; and in the nursery rhyme "
Eeny, meeny, miny, moe"Eeny, meeny, miny, moe", which can be spelled a number of ways, is a children's counting rhyme, used to select a person to be "it" for games and similar purposes such as counting out a child that has to be stood down from a group of children as part of a playground game...
",
sailor replaced the word
niggerNigger is a noun in the English language, most notable for its usage in a pejorative context to refer to black people , and also as an informal slang term, among other contexts. It is a common ethnic slur...
. The American version is six minutes shorter than the British original.
Cast
- Dennis Price
Dennis Price was an English actor, remembered for his suave screen roles, particularly Louis Mazzini in Kind Hearts and Coronets, and for his portrayal of the omniscient valet Jeeves in 1960s television adaptations of P. G...
(Louis Mazzini and his father)
- Alec Guinness
Sir Alec Guinness, CH, CBE was an English actor. He was featured in several of the Ealing Comedies, including Kind Hearts and Coronets in which he played eight different characters. He later won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Colonel Nicholson in The Bridge on the River Kwai...
(the D'Ascoyne family: Ascoyne D'Ascoyne; Henry D'Ascoyne (photographer); Reverend Lord Henry D'Ascoyne; Lady Agatha D'Ascoyne; Admiral Lord Horatio D'Ascoyne; General Lord Rufus D'Ascoyne; Lord Ascoyne D'Ascoyne and Ethelred D'Ascoyne, eighth Duke of Chalfont)
- Valerie Hobson
Valerie Hobson was a British actress who appeared in a number of British films during the 1940s and 1950s...
as Edith
- Joan Greenwood
Joan Greenwood was an English actress. Born in Chelsea, she studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Her husky voice, coupled with her slow, precise elocution, was her trademark...
as Sibella
- Audrey Fildes
Audrey Fildes was a British actress whose first film credit was in the 1947 production While I Live. In 1949, she played the role of Louis Mazzini's mother, who was ostracised by her aristocratic family, in the film Kind Hearts and Coronets.-References:...
as Mama
- Miles Malleson
William Miles Malleson was an English actor and dramatist, particularly known for his appearances in British comedy films of the 1930s to 1960s. Towards the end of his career he also appeared in cameo roles in several Hammer horror films, with a fairly large role in The Brides of Dracula as the...
as the Hangman
- Clive Morton
Clive Morton was an English actor who made many screen appearances, especially on television. In 1955, he appeared in Laurence Olivier's Richard III and is recalled by fans of Doctor Who for his role as Trenchard in The Sea Devils in 1972...
as the Prison Governor
- John Penrose
John Penrose was a British actor.His best known role was in the 1949 film Kind Hearts and Coronets, where he played Lionel, Sibylla's dull husband whom Louis was accused of murdering. He also appeared in The Lion Has Wings , Freedom Radio and The Secret People .-External links:...
as Lionel
- Cecil Ramage as Crown Counsel
- Hugh Griffith
Hugh Emrys Griffith was a Welsh film, stage and television actor.-Early life:Griffith was born in Marianglas, Anglesey, Wales, the son of Mary and William Griffith. He was educated at Llangefni County School and attempted to gain entrance to university, but failed the English examination...
as the Lord High StewardThe position of Lord High Steward of England is the first of the Great Officers of State. The office has generally remained vacant since 1421, except at coronations and during the trials of peers in the House of Lords, when the Lord High Steward presides. In general, but not invariably, the Lord...
- John Salew
-Selected filmography:* The Silent Battle * Sailors Don't Care * Once a Crook * One of Our Aircraft Is Missing * The Day Will Dawn * Secret Mission * It Always Rains on Sunday...
as Mr. Perkins
- Peggy Ann Clifford
Peggy Ann Clifford is an English film and television actress with a lengthy career, including Kind Hearts and Coronets and The Time of His Life .-Selected filmography:* One Exciting Night...
as Maud Redpole
- Arthur Lowe
Arthur Lowe was a BAFTA Award winning English actor. He was best known for playing Captain George Mainwaring in the popular British sitcom Dad's Army from 1968 until 1977.-Early life:...
as the Tit-BitsTit-Bits was a British weekly magazine founded by George Newnes on 22 October 1881 until 18 July 1984, when it was taken over by Associated Newspapers' Weekend, which itself closed in 1989. The last editors were David Hill and Brian Lee...
magazine representative
Production
Guinness was originally only offered four D'Ascoyne parts, recollecting: "I read [the screenplay] on a beach in France, collapsed with laughter on the first page, and didn't even bother to get to the end of the script. I went straight back to the hotel and sent a telegram saying, ‘Why four parts? Why not eight!?'"
The location used for Chalfont, the family home of the d'Ascoynes, is
Leeds CastleLeeds Castle, southeast of Maidstone, Kent, England, dates back to 1119, though a Saxon fort stood on the same site from the 9th century. The castle is built on islands in a lake formed by the River Len to the east of the village of Leeds....
in
KentKent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
,
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Novel
Reviewer
Simon HefferSimon James Heffer is a British journalist, columnist and writer.-Education:Heffer was educated at King Edward VI Grammar School in Chelmsford and Corpus Christi College, Cambridge.-Career:...
notes the plot of the original
Roy HornimanRoy Horniman was a British writer.He was the owner of The Ladies Review for some years and was a member of the British Committee of The Indian National Congress. As well as acting he became tenant and manager of the Criterion Theatre and wrote many plays as well as adaptations of his own and...
novel was darker (e.g., the murder of a child) and differed in several respects. A major difference was that the main character was the half-Jewish (as opposed to half-Italian) Israel Rank, and Heffer noted that "...his ruthless using of people (notably women) and his greedy pursuit of position all seem to conform to the stereotype that the
anti-semiteAntisemitism is suspicion of, hatred toward, or discrimination against Jews for reasons connected to their Jewish heritage. According to a 2005 U.S...
has of the Jew."
Radio adaptations
The film has been adapted for radio, including a version produced on
BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
featuring
Robert PowellRobert Powell is an English television and film actor, probably most famous for his title role in Jesus of Nazareth and as the fictional secret agent Richard Hannay...
and
Timothy BatesonTimothy Dingwall Bateson was a British actor. The son of Dingwall Bateson, a solicitor later knighted, he was educated at Uppingham School and Wadham College, Oxford....
(first broadcast in 1990), and another for BBC7 featuring
Michael KitchenMichael Kitchen is an English actor and television producer, best known for his starring role as DCS Foyle in the British TV series Foyle's War.-Early life:...
as Mazzini and
Harry EnfieldHenry Richard "Harry" Enfield is a BAFTA-winning English comedian, actor, writer and director.-Early life:...
as the D'Ascoyne family.
Digital restoration
The Criterion Collection released a two-disc set that featured both versions of the film. UK distributor
Optimum ReleasingStudioCanal UK is a film distributor company working in the UK and Ireland. The company releases many films, including foreign language films, anime releases such as Studio Ghibli's films and independent British, Irish and American films in the UK and sometimes Ireland.Optimum was acquired by...
released a digitally restored version for both
DVDA DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
and Blu-ray on 5 September 2011.