Most Ealing comedies championed consensus, but Alexander Mackendrick's revelled in conflict. The ‘Maggie’ is a decrepit Clyde 'puffer' boat, whose wily captain dupes a wealthy American businessman to ferry his possessions to his new Scottish island home - then proceeds to delay, hinder and endanger his hapless client. This third of Mackendrick's four comedies for Ealing may be the least known, but it has all the mischief and moral ambiguity of his more celebrated predecessors, Whisky Galore! and The Man in the White Suit.
When a mistake at the Ministry of Education sends the girls of St. Swithin's to board with the boys of Nutbourne College, it causes mayhem for both headmasters. The two must, however, join forces, in order to conceal the mistake from parents and governors. The Happiest Days Of Your Life is a mast...
When Matt (Bill Travers) and Jean Spenser (Virginia McKenna) inherit the Bijou cinema they are thrilled. However, all is not what it seems. Upon arrival, they realise that the movie theatre is a debt-ridden mess, kept going by three eccentric pensioners. In order to try and keep afloat, Matt and ...
If you received a call saying Santa Claus had crashed into your shed, what would you do? For Steve Anderson (Rafe Spall), a former getaway driver, that's a question he'll have to answer sooner than he thinks. And when Santa (Jim Broadbent) is sent to prison, things get even more complicated.
