Great fun, not a touch of malice in The Lavender Hill Mob

There are times when it's simply great to sit down and take in one of those old classic films. Watching this early crime/comedy caper, The Lavender Hill Mob proves that those filmmakers in post-war England knew exactly what they were about and proved that you could do a thriller that was based purely in timing and wit and didn't need violence to carry it forward.

Such is the case with this comedy. The film opens in a merry cafe somewhere warm and sunny. A man smoking a cigar with an infectious grin is telling a story to a companion, while all around him pass friends and acquaitances, to whom he hands out fat wads of cash. Soon, we discover that the story that he is telling is his own.

A quiet, rather unnoticeable, bank clerk, Mr. Holland (Alec Guinness) oversees the shipments of gold buillion from the foundry where it is cast into bars to his bank. He's done it so many times that he could probably do it in his sleep. Even the guards know when he is going to ring them up in their lorry cab and warn them of a car that is following a bit too intently.

But Holland's life is about to change dramatically when a new tenant at his rooming house moves in. Mr. Pendlebury (Stanley Holloway) fancies art as a hobby and sets up in the garage as his studio. Soon, he and Holland are chatting away amicably, and while both of them are doing well, there's a little something missing in their lives. Especially when Holland mentions what he does for a living. Soon, visions of larcenous loot are dancing in front of their eyes as they begin to plot a most perfect heist.

They set up a plot in Pendlebury's business, GewGaws, Ltd., to lure in some more experienced help, namely Lackery (Sidney James) and Shorty (Alfie Bass) to lend a hand and share the wealth. When the time comes, the hiest comes off beautifully, if a touch awkwardly, and the four of them find themselves richer by a million English pounds in gold. Of course, to spend it, they have to get it out of the country, and that's when things start to go a little awry.

Seems that they didn't plan about French customs, illiterate salesclerks or a gaggle of schoolgirls.

This is a riotously funny film with plenty of dry wit that is packed into just over eighty minutes. There's nary a dull moment in this, with the narrative moving rapidly, and Guinness and Holloway getting the best lines. Some of the best scenes are delivered without any dialog at all, with the men working in the foundery with their faces lit up by molten gold being some of the best, as well as a dizzying trip down the Effiel Tower that induces vertigo.

I don't want to let slip any more of the plot, as this is a truly funny film and worth every moment to watch. Director Charles Crichton knows just when to let the actors take the material and run with it. The backdrops are of a post-war London and Paris, and you can see scars from a world war not too long ago on the landscape. For those who like some trivia in their films, watch for a cameo by Audrey Hepburn in one very brief scene, and this is considered to be her first appearance in a major film.

Looking a bit farther into the background, I found out that the studio, Ealing, worked with the Bank of England to come up with the plan of the heist, which helps with the overall feel of the film. Made in 1951, this is still an appealing film today, and doesn't have any details that make the movie feel dated at all. One thing that has surprised me is that a remake is planned for 2006, with the cast as yet still unannounced. Somehow, I suspect that it's not going to be nearly as much fun as the original.

Rated G, without any sort of profanity, nudity or violence unless you want to count the chase scene through the streets of London.

Happily recommended.