THE LADYKILLERS [1955] : MASTERPIECE FILM HONOURS

THE LADYKILLERS : '' The Enduring Charm of British Whimsy '' : The film's reputation has only grown since December 1955, with the British Film Institute ranking it among the best British Films of 20th century.

The Ladykillers was written by William Rose, who allegedly dreams the plot and awoke to write it down. This dreamlike provenance makes its way into the film.

Scottish-American director Alexander Mackendrick, who had previously worked for Ealing on Whisky Galore ! [ 1949] and The Man in the White Suit [1951], gave the film its distinctive atmosphere of part-grotesque fairy tale and part-suburban farce.

As Mackendrick once remarked: “The characters are all caricatures, fable figures; none of them is real for a moment.”

A BELOVED FILM THEN AND NOW : The Ladykiller was a critical and commercial success in the United Kingdom. 

Critic Penelope Houston applauded its '' splendid, savage absurdity.'' It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and won Katie Johnson a BAFTA for Best British Actress, aged 77.

The World Students Society thanks Ben McCann, an Associate Professor of French Studies at the University of Adelaide in Australia.