CROOKS AND CORONETS
UK, 1969, 106 minutes, Colour.
Telly Savalas, Edith Evans, Warren Oates, Cesar Romero, Harry H. Corbett, Nicky Henson, Hattie Jacques, Frank Thornton, Thorley Walters, Leslie Dwyer, Clive Dunn.
Directed by Jim O’ Connolly.
Crooks and Coronets is a pleasant 1960s-style caper. It has the unimaginable casting of Telly Savalas and Dame Edith Evans. Telly Savalas and Warren Oates play two crooks, commissioned by Cesar Romero, to rob an old lady. Once they try to, they find they are unable to. There are consequences both serious and comic.
The film has a lot of British character comedians including Harry H. Corbett and Hattie Jacques. It is entertaining – in a nostalgic kind of way for those times.
The film was directed by Jim O’ Connolly who made a range of films like Berserk and The Valley of Gwangi.
1. The tone of the title, its meaning, its themes? How is it fulfilled?
2. Was this a good example of the heist genre? Was it conventional, which conventions did it use, how well? The poking fun at the robbery theme?
3. How interesting was the general plan, the aims of the thieves, the details of the execution? How enjoyable the irony of seeing them almost executed?
4. How enjoyable was the film in its presentation of crime American style? The Mafia background, Marco and his style, the American crooks and their extensive way of doing things? Explosions and guns? Business acumen? Big ambitions? Sentimentality?
5. How enjoyably did the film show the contrast between crime American style and crime British style? The Americans defeated? But winning allied with the British? The British being defeated as such?
6. Hassler and Miller? The portrayal of the background, the foibles, their skills, the failures? The parody of gangster characters with Telly Savalas? Their change in attitude? was it credible? Or part of the comedy plot?
7. How enjoyable was Dame Edith Evans' portrayal of Lady Sophie? Her touch, the satire on the impoverished English aristocracy, the eccentric English, her flying the plane, her thieving, her gambling? How enjoyable a satire on the English was presented through her and through Lord Freddy and the servants?
8. How enjoyable was the final fight? How elaborately staged and filmed? The element of farce? Was this appropriate for the ending of this particular film?
9. What were the major comedy ingredients of this film? How did it work on audience presuppositions about robberies, English and American criminals, English and American styles of comedy?
