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 corporation threatens to take over a small railway line, a group of villagers decide to try and run it for themselves. The final collaboration between director Charles Crichton and writer T.E.B. Clarke, The Titfield Thunderbolt is a stunningly scenic gem in Ealing's repertoire. Anarchic an...
Masquerading as a string quintet, a gang of thieves plot to rob a bank, whilst renting an unknowing old woman's spare room as a hideaway. The Ladykillers features a deliciously devious Alec Guinness as the brains behind the group, alongside Herbert Lom in his first comedic role, and an appearance...
