Film Forum

Reviews

"ONE GLORIOUS, LADY-KILLING FESTIVAL! Few actors have been so elusive and so captivating at once, so microfaceted in their offhanded subtlety. No matter how well you think you know Guinness as a performer, there's always more to see.”
– Stephanie Zacharek, Village Voice
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“Alone among the great performers, [Guinness] resolved a paradox: how to be a star without being the center of attention—or, at least, while giving no sign that you crave such a prominent spot. Nonetheless, as though by accident, Guinness grew into a hero—or, rather, into one of life’s supporting players who had heroism thrust upon him, whether he liked it or not. He oozed or scampered through one Ealing comedy after another, making The Lavender Hill Mob and The Man in the White Suit in a single year, 1951, and British moviegoers, canvassed for their favorites, kept putting Guinness on the list. Where Peter Sellers—who worshipped Guinness, and scrutinized him avidly when they worked on The Ladykillers—would spend himself in a fury of impersonation, Guinness gave no hint of a hollow core. He found a still point in the turning world.

Certainly, few actors have been more expert at the smoothing of feathers, or had more of a knack for the mot juste. Gather all the trades and talents that he displayed onscreen, and you end up with the most curious of amalgams: prince, priest, bank clerk, shrink, dictator, Jedi, vacuum-cleaner salesman, thinker, sailor, soldier, spy. Much was revealed in the serious games that Alec Guinness played. More remains unknown.”
– Anthony Lane, The New Yorker
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“A MASTER CLASS IN VERSATILITY!”
– Tom Teodorczuk, The Daily Beast
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