Part of Heist!
A crew of thieves led by Professor Marcus (Alec Guinness) pulls off a daring heist and tricks their elderly landlady — who believes them to be a string quintet — into sneaking the loot past the authorities. When things don’t go as planned, the crew must improvise to keep their treasure and ensure the old woman’s silence.
“It is a superbly elegant comedy; even after 65 years, it still kills.” —Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian “In addition to Mr. Guinness, it boasts a performer who does one of the nicest bits of character acting you could ask for at any time. She is the 77-year-old Katie Johnson, who plays the old lady into whose home Mr. Guinness and his string ensemble of bandits intrude themselves before — and after — they pull their stunt. Miss Johnson, gentle and proper, yet upright and stubborn as a mule, makes a beautiful English rock of ages, against which the comical villains lash themselves to foam.” —Bosley Crowther, New York Times (1956) “This is an amusing piece of hokum, being a parody of American gangsterdom interwoven with whimsy and exaggeration that makes it more of a macabre farce.” —Variety
