Although I am a passionate defender of almost anything the Coen Brothers do, a long overdue revisit of the original Ealing production of The Ladykillers reveals the Coens’ remake to be all but totally irrelevant. Breathlessly economical in its pacing and character sketches, brilliantly acted, and charmingly, mordantly funny, MacKendrick’s film is so light on its feet that even the slapstick seems subtle and witty. In spite of the mutual affinity for zaniness, the film seems particularly unsuitable to the Coen Brothers’ verbose and overdetermined style. (The remake has at least one inspired quality, however: the analogy it establishes between post-WWII Britain and the post-Civil Rights Era American South, and between the resilient, underestimated matriarchs that have borne witness to these eras.) Finally, the original film remains untouchable. It is a genuine classic, though this is far too hackneyed a label to be truly adequate.
by Leo Goldsmith | Source: Anchor Bay Entertainment DVD
23 Apr 2005 2:11 PM | Submit Comment