Kind Hearts And Coronets

If the Ealing Studios classic Kind Hearts And Coronets isn't the blackest of black comedies, then it may well be the driest: It's loaded with devastating slights dropped into the most formal of British sentences. It's the story of a commoner who murders his way to the dukedom, all while comporting himself in such a gentlemanly fashion that it feels like he's merely ushering his rivals gently to their fate. This cognitive dissonance comes into play when he goes out bird-hunting with his next victim, but refuses to carry a shotgun, claiming that "my principles will not allow me to take a direct part in blood sports." The screenplay bristles with such sharp little ironies, but Kind Hearts remains memorable less for its caustic dialogue than for the cold-blooded matter-of-factness in which it's delivered.