The Horse's Mouth

Introduction

Alec Guinness plays the unkempt, vulgar and unscrupulous painter, Gulley Jimson, who enjoys tormenting everyone, especially his patron, with prank calls that cause his staff to resign. He is a talented artist but, due to his bizarre lifestyle and appearance, has never quite made it and is in search of the perfect canvas.

Having been released from Wormwood Scrubs, he talks his way into the apartment of Sir William and Lady Beeder, and proceeds to charm them whilst drinking himself unconscious. He awakes to find the apartment empty as they have left for a six weeks holiday in the Caribbean and, thinking their wall could be that elusive canvas, moves in, pawns all their belongings and paints a huge mural of feet.

Video

A lush transfer of a film that relies quite heavily on colour and the picture doesn't disappoint.

Audio

The Horse's Mouth has a sharp Dolby Digital 2.0 mono soundtrack, which presents the dialogue well, despite some slight hiss. The film is well accompanied by a lively score, but the louder scenes could have done with a stereo or surround mix, though this is not a problem. There is an odd bit of over-dubbing when Jimson's sculptor friend refuses some stew, saying 'Buzz off' but the mouth says something completely different!

Conclusion

This was the second of four collaborations between Ronald Neame and Guinness following The Card, six years earlier and is a wonderful, brilliant and, occasionally, even hilarious film.

Alec Guinness is perhaps better known for his dramatic roles, but I prefer his comedic turns in films like The Ladykillers, Kind Hearts and Coronets and this, as he is such a great talent. He employs a voice that is incredible and it's a wonder he kept it up without shredding his vocal chords!

Guinness is undoubtedly the star, benefitting from a fantastic script, which he wrote from Joyce Cary's novel and the perfect supporting cast, who allow him to shine.

This is a bare-bones package from Eureka, with no extra features or even subtitles, but the film is a cracking watch and, as that's what's important, it's a DVD well worth picking up.