The Lavender Hill Mob (1951)

Directed by Charles Crichton. Starring Alec Guinness, Stanley Holloway, Sid James, Alfie Bass, Marjorie Fielding, Christopher Hewett, Edie Martin.

Arguably the quintessential Ealing Studios comedy is a deliciously droll caper with Guinness as a fussy, unassuming bank clerk in London who handles deliveries of gold bullion, and one day hatches a plot to steal a large shipment and unload it on the down-low with the help of a foundry operator (Holloway) and a couple of petty crooks (James, Bass). Quick, clever, well-crafted gem, dominated by Guinness’ sublime performance, Crichton’s flavorful direction (Hitchcock would be proud of the dizzying sprint down those Eiffel Tower steps), and the wild chase climax. The sequence where Guinness and Holloway are trying to board a ferry to cross the English Channel is gaspingly funny. T. E. B. Clarke’s screenplay won an Academy Award. It’s not hard to spot Audrey Hepburn in a bit part, but only eagle-eyed viewers are likely to spot Robert Shaw as a lab tech in his first film appearance.

90/100