9 / 10
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The Disc
 
Extra Features
Philip Kemp, a regular contributor to Sight & Sound, provides a curate’s egg of a commentary which provides some fascinating background and historical information, trivia and goofs but spoils it by lapsing into descriptive mode and even taking ten minutes out to enjoy the dialogue and direction!
 
The 49 minute Forever Ealing documentary, originally broadcast on Channel 4 in 2002, is well narrated by Daniel Day-Lewis and covers the rise, fall and rise again of the studio with clips from many films and contributions from actors and filmmakers who worked there.
 
There is an introduction to the film by Terry Gilliam which isn’t an introduction in the strictest sense of the word, rather Gilliam talking enthusiastically about why he likes the film so much and the best things about it.
 
Cleaning up The Ladykillers is a detailed look at the restoration process with the information told through intertitles and scenes from the film with a dividing line showing the before and after, with the amount of print damage that was cleaned up extremely evident.
 
There are three interviews with people who either worked with members of the crew or knew them: Allan Scott, Ronald Harwood and Terence Davies who are all extremely complementary about The Ladykillers and every aspect of it.
 
There is also the trailer and a booklet that wasn’t provided for review.
 

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The Picture
This will never look perfect but this is probably as close to that as you’ll get with massive amounts of grain, scratching and water damage removed in the restoration process that also sharpened up some of the blurry elements that occur around cuts.  This BD maintains the OAR of 1.33:1 which is preferable to previous DVD releases that presented the picture as a matte 1.66:1.
 
The Ladykillers was shot in 3 strip Technicolor, one of the last films to use this process, which gives the brighter elements a real vivid look and the darker scenes a real oppressive look with great use of shadow.  The house was built from scratch and the location couldn’t have been any better as the interiors look fantastic and, as it backs onto a railway line, there is the permanent presence of trains and movement, along with the noise, to add to the atmosphere.
 
The Sound
Beautifully presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono, the dialogue is crisp and emphasises the terrific delivery from each and every cast member.  The score is a permanent presence, encompassing train whistles and a theme for every character that changes subtly throughout the film.  It’s almost worth watching it just to pay attention to the music.
 
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Final Thoughts
The Ladykillers is a timeless classic and one of the greatest comedies to come from these shores.  The terrific script is wonderfully realised by Alexander ‘Sandy’ Mackendrick, who also helmed Whiskey Galore!, The Man in the White Suit and, to show his versatility, The Sweet Smell of Success.  You couldn’t ask for a better cast and it’s a privilege to watch Alec Guinness on such form and it’s hard to believe he only got the part because Alastair Sim was busy!  Almost the star of the show is Katie Johnson who is unbelievably funny and subverts the stereotype of a sweet old lady brilliantly. 
 
The disc features a raft of new (to the UK) extra features which are extremely welcome and all well worth a watch, plus the restoration featurette is exclusive to the Blu-ray.  This is a great film and a package that is well worth your money.

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