1949 saw the release of a trio of classic British comedies that really cemented Ealing’s place in history as this country’s finest film studios: PASSPORT TO PIMLICO, KIND HEARTS & CORONETS and WHISKY GALORE! 75 years later, these films still seem as fresh, innovative and, above all, as funny as ever.
To celebrate the 75th Anniversary of these landmark films, and to compliment the theatrical reissue of a new 4k restoration of Ealing’s sweetest crime caper THE LAVENDER HILL MOB (out 29 March), cinemas nationwide will be offering a selection of Ealing classics, both comedy and drama, under the banner ONCE MORE WITH EALING!
PASSPORT TO PIMLICO and WHISKY GALORE! are hilarious celebrations of British eccentricity, ingenuity, and promote a healthy disdain for authority coupled with a not inconsiderable dose of anarchy. Something much more wicked lurks in KIND HEARTS AND CORONETS, Ealing’s darkest, cleverest, sexiest, and most perverse comedy.
Surely an inspiration for SALTBURN, this acerbic tale of social climbing stars Dennis Price as Louis Mazzini, cast out from the bosom of his aristocratic family, as a baby thanks to the “unsuitable” marriage of his mother, who returns as an adult to reclaim his birth-right by despatching everyone (mainly Alec Guinness, in multiple roles) that stands in his way.
Other classics to savour include Ealing stalwart Alec Guinness and his gang of thieves undone by Katie Johnson and her parrots in gloriously restored 4k Technicolor THE LADYKILLERS, ground-breaking and provocative dramas such as POOL OF LONDON and IT ALWAYS RAINS ON SUNDAY, the archetypal portmanteau horror championed by everyone from John Landis to Kenneth Branagh, DEAD OF NIGHT, and that man Guinness again, facing off against big business as they try to quash his miracle invention in THE MAN IN THE WHITE SUIT. And that’s just to name a few of the Ealing treats in store.
About VINTAGE CLASSICS from STUDIOCANAL
The stunning roster of incomparable VINTAGE CLASSICS titles includes outstanding thrillers, heart-rending masterworks, horror favourites, war dramas, Ealing comedies, and plenty of lesser-known gems.
The collection boasts some of the greatest and most beloved stars of cinema including Alec Guinness, Julie Christie, Paul Robeson, Dirk Bogarde, Diana Dors, Richard Attenborough, Margaret Leighton, Terence Stamp and Jenny Agutter to name but a few, in films directed by auteurs such as David Lynch, John Schlesinger, Carol Reed, Roger Corman, Nic Roeg, and Joseph Losey.
Prepare to reappraise underrated actors, box office bombs and overlooked directors, such as the incomparable Muriel Box, director of three films in the collection. 2024 sees the eagerly awaited new 4k restoration of Michael Powell’s Peeping Tom (1960), Ealing’s The Lavender Hill Mob (1951) in 4K, Carol Reed’s enchanting fable A Kid for Two Farthings (1955), the film that kick-started the British New Wave: Room at the Top (1959), Kenneth More as The Comedy Man and many more.
Take an in-depth stroll around this best of British on the brand-new VINTAGE CLASSICS website, taking film fans deeper into their favourite films with behind-the-scenes stills, never-seen-before vintage campaign books, specially commissioned writing, clips, extras and trailers and, new for 2024, a brand new merchandise store, where you can finally get your hands on some of the beautiful artwork for these iconic movies. Catch some of these titles on Studiocanal Presents, Apple TV+, Amazon Prime Video Channels and ITV X Premium.
THE LAVENDER HILL MOB released as a 4K UHD Collector’s Edition and on Digital on 22 April
Amazon pre-order link: https://amzn.to/42I4XTa
KIND HEARTS & CORONETS released for the first time on UHD on 22 April
Amazon pre-order link: https://bit.ly/4a3HHSv
Also joining these bigger Ealing names in the Vintage Classics Collection this year are some lesser-known gems: Jean Simmons is blackmailed by her no-good husband back from the dead in CAGE OF GOLD, Tommy Trinder impresses in a rare dramatic role in Ealing’s wartime ode to the Auxiliary Fire Service and their vital work during the Blitz in THE BELLS GO DOWN, and LEASE OF LIFE, written by Eric Ambler and starring Robert Donat as a Vicar who delivers an impromptu sermon that sets tongues wagging in Ealing’s only treatise on religion.
About STUDIOCANAL (a CANAL+ Company)
STUDIOCANAL, a 100% affiliate of CANAL+ Group held by Vivendi, is Europe’s leader in production, distribution and international sales of feature films and series, operating in all nine major European markets – France, United Kingdom, Germany, Poland, Spain, and Benelux – as well as in Australia, in New Zealand and in the United States.
It finances, produces, and distributes 80 films per year. It owns the largest catalogue in Europe and one of the most prestigious in the world, boasting around 9 000 titles from 60 countries, spanning 100 years of film history.
Close to 25 million euros has been invested into the 4K restoration of nearly 1 000 classic feature films over the past 5 years. In addition, STUDIOCANAL also produces almost 20 series each year and operates at an international level by globally distributing its scripted productions and CANAL+ Originals (2,000 hours of current and library content in distribution).
All productions take place directly through STUDIOCANAL entities or with its award-winning network of 14 production companies in Europe and in the United States: BAMBU PRODUCCIONES (SP), BIRDIE PICTURES (UK), DINGIE (NETH), LAILAPS FILMS (GER), OPUS TV (POL), RED PRODUCTION COMPANY (UK), SAM PRODUCTIONS (DEN), STRONG FILM & TELEVISION (UK), STUDIOCANAL ORIGINAL (FR), STUDIOCANAL SERIES (GER), SUNNY MARCH TV (UK), THE PICTURE COMPANY (US), URBAN MYTH FILMS (UK), 2E BUREAU (FR).
https://www.canalplusgroup.com/en/group/studiocanal-1
ABOUT PARK CIRCUS:
Park Circus is an all-rights distribution company representing the greatest names in filmed entertainment.
Our classic film distribution and sales divisions represent the major Hollywood and British studios including Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Releasing International, Disney, Universal Pictures, Warner Bros. Pictures, LAIKA, Film4 and ITV Studios as well as independent producers and rights holders.
Park Circus enables audiences worldwide to experience classic and contemporary films by working with theatrical exhibition, television, digital and home entertainment partners. Park Circus is supported by the UK Global Screen Fund – a DCMS fund administered by the BFI. www.parkcircus.com
