The Ladykillers DVD

Advantages: Cons
Disadvantages: Prose

Herein is the lesson about treading on dangerous ground. No, not the fact that a classic Ealing comedy has been ripped off, ripped up and moved to the deep South of the USA, but the fact that you can't cross a little ol' biddy and her friend Fate, without getting your fingers burnt. Or blown off. This op is taken from the viewpoint of someone who, if they have seen the classic British version of The Ladykillers with Old Ben Kenobi in, he's long ...
...at the end to being based on the original book) is seen afresh for what it is. Goldthwaite H Dorr, PhD, ("As in Elmer?"... Elmer Fudd, geddit?) is a most bizarre character for any Hollywood star to get away with. Like the last good Coen bothers film theed saw, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, it basically entails some A-list celebrity wearing (or seeming to) silly top front teeth and speaking awkwardly, but here the physical Dorr has been made. Tom Hanks ... Read review

Advantages: A slick, dark comedy
Disadvantages: Neither dark enough for Coen fans or comedic enough for mainstream movie-goers

...that stand in their way; the gang members’ total ineptitude and Dorr’s landlady Marva Munson who has stumbled onto their plan. And having overcome the former, they have to get rid of the latter… Joel and Ethan Coen continue their push towards the mainstream with this remake of the classic Ealing comedy. I was initially horrified, as the original is one of my favourite films. However, this is a re-imagining rather than a straight remake and with ...
...one of cinema’s oldest staples: the heist movie. They took a disparate group of character actors and put them together to create a simple, knockabout comedy that will have you chuckling into your popcorn. Its premise is dark and nasty, but the brothers Coen have managed to craft a bright and breezy, albeit very slight black comedy. It’s glossier than much of their earlier work, but also lighter, shorter and equally funny. Some may say they have sold ... Read review

Advantages: Some darn fine black humour
Disadvantages: Nothing worth mentioning

In the movie world, I'm a bit dubious of remakes, especially remakes of classic films. So it was with not a little trepidation that I noted a recent attempt, a 'new' slant on an Ealing comedy classic from 1955, The Ladykillers. In it's favour, Tom Hanks was playing Alec Guinness's 'professor' role from the original, and the fabulous Coen brothers were the directors. So, hopefully, it wouldn't be too bad. Tom Hanks performance is a hybrid of the ...
...casino which is moored on the Mississippi. He, and his four accomplices, pose as musicians and rent rooms with the cat-loving Mrs Marva Munson (Irma P. Hall), a god-fearin' widow woman, Conveniently, she has a root cellar from where the band of intrepid 'musicos' can tunnel their way to the casino's vault. Simple and straightforward, eh? Alas, no. Which is good for us, because it's the hidden dangers and the to-ing and fro-ing of the story which ... Read review

Advantages: Humerous ending, Gospel singing
Disadvantages: Does not compare to the original

I had really enjoyed the 1955 Ealing Comedy version of this film, The Ladykillers, and so was not expecting much from this remake. My local cinema was offering preview tickets and not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, I collected two tickets and on the night in question headed off to the cinema. Well, I was wrong. The film far exceeded my expectations. Directed by the Coen Brothers, Ethan and Joel, the film is funny in a quirky sort of way. ...
...times rather black and macabre. The basic synopsis remains relatively unchanged from the original. A gang of would-be thieves plan to rob a gambling establishment. To do this they assume the guise of a chamber music ensemble playing on period instruments. They select a place from which to formulate and instigate their plans. A room is duly rented at the selected establishment. The landlady discovers the crime and the gang decide they now have to ... Read review

Advantages: Interesting idea(but obviously not original)
Disadvantages: Doesn't better original

The Ladykillers is a remake of an old Ealing Comedy. The original is a very black comedy and was set in post-war London. This version is based in modern day Deep South. Apart from that it is very similar to the original version in terms of overall plot and characters. The plot revolves around a gang of bungling robbers. They plan to rob a local casino and as a base of operations they use a room they are renting from an old lady. They manage to successfully ...
...them one day to return the money, or she will tell the police. The gang decide that they have no choice but to kill her. They draw lots to determine who must do it. The question is will they actually be able to do it? The characters in this film are all rather one-dimensional. Firstly there is the professor played by Tom Hanks. He is a sort of pseudo intellectual who uses long words seemingly to confuse people and who has organised the plan. The ... Read review

Advantages: Alex Guinness, Peter Sellers, Herbert Lom
Disadvantages: It has been redone (but not out done)

...June 2004 was an important month for the film The Ladykillers. Not only did the remake of the film open in British cinemas on the 25th June 2004 but the DVD of the original was released by Universal Pictures on 21st June 2004. The original, a classic Ealing Studios film (the last to be filmed by the studios), is a dark comedy. The screenplay was written by William Rose who said the story came to him in a dream. Rose was to win the 1956 Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for Ladykillers. The story features five criminals posing as musicians who plan to rob two armoured cars. They rent a house in London, perfectly positioned by a railway station where the robbery is to take place, only to have their plans thwarted by the innocent old landlady and her pet parakeet. To succeed in their plans, they must take drastic action. They need... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Good story and plot, great characters, funny, good actors, unusual
Disadvantages: None for me but probably too gentle and old fashioned for many.

...Reviewing a couple of my old favourite Ealing Comedies, reminded me of just how many great films there were, that came out of this British Studio, in the 1940's and 1950's. One such Classic was the final offering from the Ealing Studios, The Ladykillers, which was remade in recent years with the lead role going to Tom Hanks and the scene shifting to America. However the original Ladykillers was set in London in that black and white post war era of the 1950's and is infinitely better. Released in 1955, it portrays the period exceptionally well. As a black comedy it has more humour than blackness. Alec Guiness, as Professor Marcus, is the leader of a gang of thieves that are about to commit a perfect crime. As a goofy looking, British eccentric it should be easy as no-one would imagine that Professor Marcus was a criminal. However one... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: A new version of an excellent film
Disadvantages: Nowhere near as good as the original

...this version again - mainly because of Tom Hanks - but I am certainly inspired to go back and watch the old version. I am struggling to recommend this film, but trying to be objective, I think anyone who has not seen the original - after all this film is aimed at the younger generation who are unlikely to have seen it - will enjoy this. I can't imagine anyone will think it is an excellent film, but it certainly has its moments. I watched the film version, but the DVD is available from Amazon for £8.99.... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful