The Lavender Hill Mob (U)

★★★★★ Alec Guinness shines in this hilarious British comedy. ~ Empire.

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Ealing's classic 1951 comedy has now been given a glorious 4K restoration.

Henry Holland (Alec Guiness) has worked faithfully for 20 years as a bank transfer agent for the delivery of gold bullion.

A shy retiring man, completely inconsequential to his employers, he has long dreamt of a way to execute his plan of the perfect gold robbery – the only catch being how to move the gold on once stolen.

One day he befriends Pendlebury (Stanley Holloway), a maker of souvenirs.

Holland remarks that with Pendlebury’s smelting equipment, he could forge the gold into harmless-looking toy Eiffel Towers and smuggle the gold from England into France.

Soon after, the two plant a story to gain the services of professional criminals Lackery (Sid James) and Shorty (Alfie Bass).

Together the four plot their crime, leading to unexpected twists and turns.

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★★★★★ Ealing Studios had quite a year in 1951. Not only did the company produce the witty satire The Man in the White Suit, it also released this superb and subtle crime-film spoof. ~ Radio Times.

★★★★★ Inflation may have dented the allure of its 1m bullion heist, but this 1951 Ealing comedy is still 24-carat gold. ~ Total Film.

★★★★★ Both a joyous comedy and a tense thriller. Indeed, its climactic car-chase sequence is easily as dramatic as any of those found in today's summer blockbusters. ~ The Telegraph.

★★★★★ Charles Crichton's direction is subtle but inventive - check out the snaking, near-single-take opening in a Rio cabana - and the performances, writing and plotting are faultless. ~ Time Out.