Rent The Ladykillers (1955)

3.9 of 5 from 312 ratings
1h 29min
Rent The Ladykillers Online DVD & Blu-ray Rental
  • General info
  • Available formats
Synopsis:
Alexander Mackendrick's last Ealing comedy and certainly one of the best, William Rose received an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay. Sir Alec Guinness stars in one of his most vivid disguises, in this killingly funny black comedy gem. The villains plot to kill the old lady who discovers their robbery. But the pensioner is not as harmless as she seems! A rare colour film from Ealing in the '50s, it was premiered in 1955 at the end of the Ealing Green period.
Actors:
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Directors:
Producers:
Michael Balcon
Writers:
William Rose, Jimmy O'Connor
Studio:
Warner
Genres:
Classics, Comedy
Collections:
1949: That Ealing Feeling, Drama Films & TV, Fictional British Prime Ministers On Screen, Films to Watch If You Like..., Films to Watch if You Like: Get Carter, Getting to Know :Tom Hanks, Getting to Know..., Heist Movies: A 20-Year Stretch, inema Paradiso's 2023 Centenary Club: Part 2, Pig Power: Animal Farm At 70, A Brief History of Film..., The Instant Expert's Guide, The Instant Expert's Guide to: Charles Crichton, Top 100 BFI Films, Top Films, What to Watch Next If You Liked Scrooge
Awards:

1956 BAFTA Best Actress

1956 BAFTA Best Screen Play

BBFC:
Release Date:
02/09/2002
Run Time:
89 minutes
Languages:
English Dolby Digital 1.0 Mono
Subtitles:
None
DVD Regions:
Region 2
Formats:
Pal
Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen 1.66:1
Colour:
Colour
Bonus:
  • Theatrical trailer
BBFC:
Release Date:
15/02/2010
Run Time:
92 minutes
Languages:
English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono
DVD Regions:
Region 2
Formats:
Pal
Aspect Ratio:
Full Screen 1.33:1 / 4:3
Colour:
Colour
BBFC:
Release Date:
09/11/2020
Run Time:
90 minutes
Languages:
English LPCM Mono
Subtitles:
English Hard of Hearing
DVD Regions:
Region 0 (All)
Formats:
Pal
Aspect Ratio:
Various
Colour:
Technicolor
BLU-RAY Regions:
(0) All
Bonus:
  • Lobby Cards Gallery
  • Behind the Scenes Stills Gallery
  • New Investigating 'The Ladykillers'
  • New Colour in 'The Ladykillers': A New Interview with Professor Keith Johnston
  • Audio Commentary with Author and Film Scholar Philip Kemp
Disc 1:
This disc includes the main feature
Disc 2:
This disc includes special features (Blu-ray Disc)

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Reviews (4) of The Ladykillers

Classic Comedy - The Ladykillers review by CP Customer

Spoiler Alert
06/03/2007

A classic from the golden age of cinema the Lady Killers is a very classy comedy. If you enjoy any of the classic Screwball comedies like Bringing Up Baby or Arsenic and Old Lace this is definitely for you. Full of both dark and slapstick humour all the actors give solid performances, especially the menacing Alec Guinness who plays Professor Marcus and the sweet Katie Johnson who plays Mrs. Wilberforce. There are also memorable performances from well known actors Peter Sellers and Herbert Lom

Full of witty humour, suspense, twists, and turns, this is a treasured film, of which nowadays few are made.

8 out of 8 members found this review helpful.

Classic British Comedy - one of the best comedies ever made - The Ladykillers review by PV

Spoiler Alert
31/08/2015

This film is a classic. I believe the guy who wrote it was nominated and won an Oscar for his script too - and in my opinion, everyone should have won an award for being part of this wonderful film.

Perfect writing. perfect acting, perfect timing - a neat efficient plot with real laughs. One of the very best movies of all time - and possibly the best film Peter Sellers ever made. Alec Guinness superb, and the wonderful old lady who we are side with as the audience (the actress who plays her won a BAFTA for this).

If you have sat through the Tom Hanks black southern USA version of this, then you have my full sympathies.

If you haven't, don't bother and just rent this and watch it again and again. A masterclass in comedy.

5 stars with bells on. One of the best films ever made. Watch and learn.

3 out of 3 members found this review helpful.

Classic and Timeless Ealing Comedy - The Ladykillers review by GI

Spoiler Alert
28/07/2023

Flawless, timeless and an absolute classic from the Ealing Studios. A simply wonderful black comedy with Alec Guinness demonstrating his sheer brilliance of comic timing and characterisation. Made at the height of Britains golden film production era and from a studio that produced so many classic comedies as well as other films. Set in London in the aftermath of the Second World War when much of the war damage was very evident there's a great nostalgia to be felt in watching these wonderful films, sadly they are not seen enough nowadays and deserve a modern audience to discover just how great they are. A dotty old lady, Mrs Wilberforce (Katie Johnson), lives alone in a lopsided house near the railway. She takes in a new lodger, Professor Marcus (Guinness), who she believes is a musician along with his four friends. But they are a criminal gang planning an armed robbery and when she rumbles them they decide they'll have to kill her but it turns out to be harder to do than they thought. With a support cast that includes Peter Sellers, Herbert Lom, Cecil Parker and Jack Warner this remains a delight. Funny, dark and simply perfect. If you've never seen this then it's an absolute must.

1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.

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