Today, there are plenty of movies where actors take on multiple roles. Eddie Murphy and Mike Myers will come to mind for many, but they weren’t the first to do it. Sir Alec Guinness made it clear it was possible, with a movie that goes down as one of the greatest British comedies ever made.
The 1949 comedy Kind Hearts and Coronets still holds up today, holding onto its 100% Rotten Tomatoes score. Behind its Edwardian facade is a dark satire that covers many important topics that stand today, whether it’s ambition or class. Of course, there’s a serial murder situation that draws people in at the same time.
This was a movie that changed the way movies could be made. Originally, Guinness was offered just four roles, and maybe that would have been easier to film and manipulate. However, he wanted to do more. As he read the script about the four D’Ascoyne family members, he asked one thing: Why not eight?
That led to the eight living family members. There is a sneaky ninth member when you consider the portrait of one of the ancestors!
What did that mean for filming, though? There is a scene with six family members in a single frame, and keep in mind that this was 1949. Cinematographer Douglas Slocombe had to use complex in-camera double-exposures with glass mattes. One slight movement would ruin everything he’d worked for days on, so he needed to keep the camera locked down. What was the best way to do that? Sleep right next to the camera to make sure nobody knocked it, even an inch!
What many may not realize is that Kind Hearts and Coronets is based on the 1907 novel Israel Rank: The Autobiography of a Criminal by Roy Horniman, but much of it was changed in the way of the setting. Written during the Edwardian time, it focused a lot on the antisemitism of the period, and that couldn’t stand in 1949 just after World War II. So, the half-Jewish main character was transformed into a half-Italian one, and the social antisemitism was removed to create a lighter comedy.
This didn’t stop the American industry from pushing for an alternate ending. However, it wasn’t due to the setting, but more due to the way the movie has more of an ambiguous ending. In the British version, Louis is released from prison and realizes that his tell-all murder confession memoirs were left behind. Would he ever be caught, or would he still get away with it? The American cut includes the prison warden finding the diary, hinting that Louis would never get away with murder.
It’s not easy to watch this perfect British comedy, though. Kanopy is the best place to stream, but you’ll find it easier to buy a digital copy on Prime Video, Apple TV, and Google Play.
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