The Ladykillers

1955 1h 31m EN

👍

7.3

SOLID

🔥

100%

CERTIFIED FRESH

💯

METACRITIC

⭐

7.6

IMDB

★7.3TMDB · 578🍅100%Rotten Tomatoes●91Metacritic★7.6IMDB · 33,105

ComedyCrime

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Five oddball criminals planning a bank robbery rent rooms on a cul-de-sac from an octogenarian widow under the pretext that they are classical musicians.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Where to watch · US

Lionsgate+ Amazon ChannelSubscription

Cast

Alec Guinness
Professor Marcus
Cecil Parker
Claude, alias 'Major Courtney'
Herbert Lom
Louis, alias 'Mr. Harvey'
Peter Sellers
Harry, alias 'Mr. Robinson'
Danny Green
'One-Round', alias 'Mr. Lawson'
Katie Johnson
Mrs. Wilberforce
Jack Warner
The Superintendent
Philip Stainton
The Sergeant

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Alexander Mackendrick
Writers: William Rose, William Rose
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 6

ERA

Did you know

71 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Alexander Mackendrick, shot by Otto Heller. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Tristram Cary. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Jack Harris shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 6

CAST

Did you know

Alec Guinness and Cecil Parker and Herbert Lom carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 6

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0048281 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Alexander Mackendrick directs. Otto Heller behind the camera. Tristram Cary scores. Jack Harris cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

171 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by Alexander Mackendrick, shot by Otto Heller. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Tristram Cary. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Jack Harris shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Alec Guinness and Cecil Parker and Herbert Lom carry the top of the cast.
6IMDB entry: tt0048281 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
7Classified under 16 themes, including "widow", "dark comedy", "parrot", "gang of thieves".

The technical file

Cinematography: Otto Heller
Original score: Tristram Cary
Editing: Jack Harris
Costume design: Anthony Mendleson
Makeup / hair: Alex Garfath
Runtime: 91 min · 1h 31m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: The Ladykillers (1955)
Rotten Tomatoes: 100% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 91/100
IMDB rating: 7.6/10 · 33,105 votes
MPAA: Not Rated
US box office: $23,213

Awards

Nominated for 1 Oscar. 2 wins & 5 nominations total

Also by

Alexander Mackendrick

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2022-11-14
★ 7/10
I always felt that Herbert Lom had a wonderful face for comedy; and here I think he stands out alongside Cecil Parker - always underrated, but who could be relied upon to deliver a standard of comedy haplessness consistently well on screen. Guinness and Sellers are doing what we know they are good at, so I was less impressed by them in this one. Katie Johnson gets many plaudits as "Mrs Wilberforce", though I wonder how much acting she was actually doing? Any interviews I have seen with her seem to suggest she was pretty much playing herself in this slightly more sinister of the Ealing comedies that sees Guinness and his cohorts pretend to be practicing musicians in her rickety old house whilst secretly planning a daring heist that could net them a massive £60,000. What follows is a classy mix of near-misses and precise comedy timing that actually can have you on the edge of your seat at times; but this is not, in my view, as good as the output from the late 40's - it sacrifices some of it's charm and humour to achieve the more ominous tone prevalent over the last half an hour, and I don't quite love that effect. It is a classic nonetheless that well deserves it's recent 4K restoration that brings the colours to life most vividly.
r96sk2024-05-30
★ 9/10
A film of real quality! <em>'The Ladykillers'</em> is amusing viewing. It's style of comedy is very fitting of its era, but I only mean that positively as the slapstick is undoubtedly fun to watch unfold. The cast are all worthy of a mention, though the standouts for me are Alec Guinness, Herbert Lom and Katie Johnson. The flick looks splendid too, love the set of Wilberforce's home. Entertainment from start to finish, ya can't ask for more than that.