{"id":25673,"date":"2012-05-04T11:59:41","date_gmt":"2012-05-04T18:59:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=25673"},"modified":"2021-02-03T09:44:07","modified_gmt":"2021-02-03T16:44:07","slug":"lavender-hill-mob-the-1951","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=25673","title":{"rendered":"Lavender Hill Mob, The (1951)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;Most men who long to be rich know inwardly that they will never achieve their ambition &#8212; but I was in the unique position of having a fortune literally within my grasp.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Lavender-Hill-Mob-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Lavender-Hill-Mob-Poster-199x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"199\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-25674\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Lavender-Hill-Mob-Poster-199x300.jpg 199w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Lavender-Hill-Mob-Poster-84x128.jpg 84w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Lavender-Hill-Mob-Poster-679x1024.jpg 679w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Lavender-Hill-Mob-Poster.jpg 796w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 199px) 100vw, 199px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nA seemingly meek bank clerk (Alec Guinness) who oversees the daily transport of gold bullion is inspired by his new housemate (Stanley Holloway) to secretly steal a shipment of gold and smuggle it overseas in the form of molded Eiffel Towers.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Alec Guinness Films<\/li>\n<li>Black Comedy<\/li>\n<li>Flashback Films<\/li>\n<li>Mistaken or Hidden Identities<\/li>\n<li>Thieves and Criminals<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nAlec Guinness starred in four top-notch Ealing Studios comedies between 1949-1955: <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=24966\"><em>Kind Hearts and Coronets<\/em> (1949)<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=19637\"><em>The Man in the White Suit<\/em> (1951)<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=2075\"><em>The Ladykillers<\/em> (1955)<\/a>, and this delightfully comedic caper flick. What&#8217;s most appealing about <em>The Lavender Hill Mob<\/em> is how utterly likeable its thieving protagonists are: despite knowing that they&#8217;re committing a crime of enormous monetary proportions, we can&#8217;t help genuinely rooting for them &#8212; especially given how roundly underestimated Guinness&#8217;s character is by his superiors during early scenes. Both Guinness and Stanley Holloway (as the two primary movers behind the heist) are in top form, and T.E.B. Clarke&#8217;s Oscar-winning screenplay is consistently clever, throwing just enough loopholes into the mix to keep us guessing what will happen next. While some find the final madcap car chase to be a bit of a cop-out, I think it&#8217;s a fitting ending to the increasingly surreal scenario in which Guinness and Holloway find themselves. Watch for a truly surprising final shot, which places the entire film in a different context. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Alec Guinness as Holland (nominated by Peary as one of the Best Actors of the Year in his <em>Alternate Oscars<\/em>)<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Lavender-Hill-Cinematography-Guinness.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Lavender-Hill-Cinematography-Guinness.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"544\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-25676\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Lavender-Hill-Cinematography-Guinness.png 720w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Lavender-Hill-Cinematography-Guinness-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Lavender-Hill-Cinematography-Guinness-300x226.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Stanley Holloway as Pendlebury<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Lavender-Hill-CinematographyHolloway.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Lavender-Hill-CinematographyHolloway.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"544\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-25675\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Lavender-Hill-CinematographyHolloway.png 720w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Lavender-Hill-CinematographyHolloway-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Lavender-Hill-CinematographyHolloway-300x226.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Douglas Slocombe&#8217;s cinematography<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Lavender-Hill-Cinematography.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Lavender-Hill-Cinematography.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"544\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-25678\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Lavender-Hill-Cinematography.png 720w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Lavender-Hill-Cinematography-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Lavender-Hill-Cinematography-300x226.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>A deliciously witty script<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Lavender-Hill-Cinematography-Script.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Lavender-Hill-Cinematography-Script.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"544\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-25677\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Lavender-Hill-Cinematography-Script.png 720w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Lavender-Hill-Cinematography-Script-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Lavender-Hill-Cinematography-Script-300x226.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, as another most enjoyable Ealing Studios comedy.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Genuine Classic<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> (<span style=\"color:red;font-weight:bold;\">Listed in <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-static\/1001Movies.htm\"><em>1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die<\/em><\/a><\/span>) <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0044829\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1951\/10\/16\/archives\/the-screen-in-review-the-lavender-hill-mob-with-alec-guinness-first.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.digitallyobsessed.com\/displaylegacy.php?ID=3995\">Digitally Obsessed Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/dvdsavant\/s627alec.html\">DVD Savant Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/81005\/the-lavender-hill-mob\/#articles-reviews?articleId=12647\">TCM Article<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/movies\/the-lavender-hill-mob\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Most men who long to be rich know inwardly that they will never achieve their ambition &#8212; but I was in the unique position of having a fortune literally within my grasp.&#8221; Synopsis: A seemingly meek bank clerk (Alec Guinness) who oversees the daily transport of gold bullion is inspired by his new housemate (Stanley Holloway) to secretly steal a shipment of gold and smuggle it overseas in the form of molded Eiffel Towers. Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Alec&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=25673\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25673","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-responses-to-peary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25673","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=25673"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25673\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":68291,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25673\/revisions\/68291"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=25673"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=25673"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=25673"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}