A distant poor relative of the Duke D'Ascoyne plots to inherit the title by murdering the eight other heirs who stand ahead of him in the line of succession.A distant poor relative of the Duke D'Ascoyne plots to inherit the title by murdering the eight other heirs who stand ahead of him in the line of succession.A distant poor relative of the Duke D'Ascoyne plots to inherit the title by murdering the eight other heirs who stand ahead of him in the line of succession.
- Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
- 4 wins & 3 nominations total
Stanley Beard
- Warder
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaSir Alec Guinness nearly drowned in the scene where the Admiral goes down with his sinking ship. Guinness was held down by wires whilst the set filled up with water. Once the scene was wrapped, the crew started to leave, until one technician suddenly realized that they had forgotten to release Sir Alec from the wires holding him underwater. He immediately dove into the waters with some wire-cutters and freed Guinness. Fortunately for all concerned, Guinness took great pride in his ability to hold his breath for long periods of time.
- GoofsThe first murder that Louis Mazzini commits involves him swimming fully dressed underwater to release a boat from its moorings. In spite of having brought no change of clothes or even a towel, he is shown shortly after committing the murder paddling down the river with his clothes bone-dry.
- Quotes
Sibella: [sobs] Oh Louis! I don't want to marry Lionel!
Louis Mazzini: Why not?
Sibella: He's so dull.
Louis Mazzini: I must admit he exhibits the most extraordinary capacity for middle age that I've ever encountered in a young man of twenty-four.
- Crazy creditsThe opening credits list photos of the 4 leading actors with their character names; in the case of Alec Guinness, 8 photos of the 8 characters he plays are shown, along with the one character name of "The D'Ascoyne Family." In the end credits, the 8 character names are listed for him.
- Alternate versionsWas available in a computer colorized version.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Film Profile: Michael Balcon (1961)
- SoundtracksIl mio tesoro intanto
Aria from "Don Giovanni"
Written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (as Mozart)
Libretto by Lorenzo da Ponte (uncredited)
The music is played by The Philharmonia Orchestra
Conducted by Ernest Irving
Sung by an unidentified soloist
Featured review
Undoubtedly one of the most perfect, brilliant comedies ever, this movie is extremely fun and revels in its dark, clever humour. What can one say about a comedy centred around a dapper, charming, likable, impoverished young English gentleman who is at the same time an utterly remorseless, ever-calculating killer who has no qualms about killing an entire line of relatives who all stand in his path to inherit the family fortune? On top of that, he all the while takes great care in preserving his demeanor and status as a gentleman; all the relatives he must eliminate are brought to life by the genius of Alec Guinness; and there's an executioner who takes pains to show proper respect to his social "superior." The dialogue, indeed pretty much all of the humour, is a shining example of "British humour" at its best. It is subtle, clever, dark, and full of irony and satire. It is pure, brilliant entertainment that doesn't stop. Comedy really can't get much better than this.
- Wulfstan10
- Mar 22, 2005
- Permalink
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official site
- Languages
- Also known as
- Adel verpflichtet
- Filming locations
- Leeds Castle, Maidstone, Kent, England, UK(Chalfont - D'Ascoyne family castle)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $35,948
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $8,004
- Dec 1, 2019
- Gross worldwide
- $146,400
- Runtime1 hour 46 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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By what name was Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949) officially released in India in English?
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