Many people now days seem to have forgotten how Alec Guinness started out his career once. He was a quite successful comedy actor and appeared in several genre movies, often as the leading man. This sort of all changed after he won an Oscar for his serious role in "The Bridge on the River Kwai". Ever since people tend to mostly remember him for his serious roles, which makes his comical appearances and talents perhaps unfortunately a bit under-appreciated.
In this movie he plays no less than 8 different roles, which are all members of the same family. Sounds Eddy Murphy like but it's of course done with lots of class and talent. He seamlessly plays all of the different character with great professionally involved but never without a comical touch, without ever making the movie feel ridicules.
This was also actually one of his first movie roles and it seems amazing that he already scored so many big parts early on in his career. It shows what talent he had and how many great directors were already confident enough with his skills to offer him a great part in their productions.
But it's of course not just Alec Guinness which makes this movie a great, amusing watch. I must say that all of the acting is simply great within the movie. It features some classy British acting, from mostly some unknown actors involved. Especially also Dennis Price knows to impress as the leading man of the movie.
But it above all is also a greatly written movie. It features a nice concept, that serves perfectly as one to bring some good entertainment to the screen. It's a very amusing movie, mostly through its story. But it's also well constructed all. It's also a story that provides the movie with lots of pace, which also helps to make this movie better to watch now days than some of the other genre movies from the same era.
The movie is being a comedy but it's a quite dark and subtle one. The humor and comedy doesn't ever get exaggerated and it relies often more on its clever writing than any of the movie its visuals or actors physics.
A fine amusing movie to watch, that got made very well and with some great actors involved.
9/10
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