|
COPYRIGHT 2004 All rights reserved. Reproduced by permission of The Condé Nast Publications Inc.
Movie Listings
The Film File
Why remake "The Ladykillers"? The original, directed by the Scotsman Alexander Mackendrick in 1955, was not the cream of the Ealing comedies--that supremacy belongs to "Kind Hearts and Coronets"--but it outstrips the tweeness of some of its fellows, giving off a peculiar blend of charm and menace. It was that combination, presumably, which tweaked the fancy of America's leading magpies, the Coen brothers. They rarely spy a genre that they do not wish to pilfer.
The tale has been lugged from the dankness of England to a warm American South. Here, on a peaceful street, lives Marva Munson (Irma P. Hall), together with her cat, Pickles, and an oil painting of her late husband, who is no less influential for being late. One day, Mrs. Munson is visited by a gentleman. Professor Goldthwait Higginson Dorr (Tom Hanks) is seeking to rent a room from the good lady, who wrinkles her nose when he declares that he is a Ph.D. ("You mean like Elmer?" she asks, hearing a Fudd sound), but who otherwise likes the look of him--cottons and linens of toffee and cream, plus a loose little bow tie that a child would try to twirl. The Professor asks if he may invite friends around to rehearse music; the cellar will do just fine. They play mostly Renaissance, certainly nothing later than rococo. "Ro-co-co," Marva repeats, as if she were a rooster.
Needless to say, his guests are devotees...
Read the full article for free courtesy of your local library.
|
Bookmark this article
Print this article
Link to this article
Email this article
Digg It!
Add to del.icio.us
RSS
