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                         Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)
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STARS...........: Dennis Price, Alec Guinness, Valerie Hobson
DIRECTOR........: Robert Hamer
WRITERS.........: Robert Hamer, John Dighton
GENRE...........: Comedy, Crime
IMDB............: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0041546
RUNTIME.........: 1h 46mn
SIZE............: 5.40 GB
VIDEO CODEC.....: HEVC (Main10@L4)
BITRATE.........: 7000 Kbps (2-pass)
RESOLUTION......: 1480x1080
ASPECT RATIO....: 1.37:1
FRAMERATE.......: 24 fps
AUDIO1..........: English AAC 1.0 160kbps VBR
AUDIO2..........: German HE-AAC 1.0
AUDIO3..........: Commentary by Peter Bradshaw, Terence Davies, Matthew Guinness
SUBTITLES.......: ENG, GER
SOURCE..........: Studio Canal 70th Anniversary Blu-ray
ENCODE DATE.....: 2020-11-15


Alec Guinness gets to die eight times, playing a line of successors to a dukedom, in the Ealing black comedy Kind Hearts and Coronets. Louis Mazzini (Dennis Price) is ninth in line to inherit the dukedom from the aristocratic D'Ascoyne family. Louis vows to kill all eight people who stand between him and the duke's title. Aside from two cases of natural causes, Louis works through the list, eliminating rivals (all played by Guinness). Along the way he romances Sibella (Joan Greenwood), a childhood friend who ends up marrying a dullard, and Edith (Valerie Hobson), the beautiful widow of one of his victims with whom he plans to share his title. But just when Louis is ready to assume the D'Ascoyne mantle, a bizarre irony strikes.


Extras

• Once More With Ealing - This brand new video program focuses on the unique nature of the humor that the Ealing films promoted and how it is represented in Kind Hearts & Coronets. Included in it are clips from brand new interviews with writer/director Paul King (Paddington 2), producer Stephen Woolley (The Crying Game), writer/director Whit Stillman (Barcelona), and critic Peter Bradshaw, amongst others.

• Introduction - A short introduction to Kind Hearts and Coronets by John Landis.

• Dennis Price: Those British Faces - A wonderful tribute to the great Dennis Price. The documentary features plenty of clips from many of the actor's best films.

• Alternate U.S. Ending - A slightly longer but less effective ending. 

• BFI's Introducing Ealing Studios - This video program focuses on the rich history of Ealing Studios and some of its most prominent figures. Included in it are clips from interviews with author Matthew Sweet (Shepperton Babylon) and BFI curator Mark Duguid. The program was created in 2012.

• Commentary - This archival audio commentary features critic Peter Bradshaw, director Terence Davies and Matthew Guinness. It also appeared on the previous release of Kind Hearts and Coronets.

• Behind the Scenes and Costume Stills Gallery