After World War II, a number of comedies with unique humorous style and profound historical insight into European society emerged in Britain. A series of works produced by Ealing Studios were most typical among these comedies. For a long time, Ealing Comedy was virtually synonymous with British comedy. Its classic designs and plots, such as comedy group image, one person acting multiple roles and "big stupid thief", have influenced the creation of comedy films up to now.

 

 

It is not until 1938 that the famous film producer Michael Balcon took over and ushered the Ealing Studios into the golden age. In the 1930s and 1940s, Ealing gained its fame from comedies starring music stars such as Gracie Fields, Stanley Holloway and George Formby. Balcon was also the first British producer to invest heavily in comedies. In the war time, Ealing produced a number of films that reflect the war. It was only after the war that we witnessed Ealing's burst of signature dark comedies.

 

In 1949, three masterpieces, Passport to Pimlico, Whisky Galore! and Kind Hearts and Coronets, were born, which paved the way to the glory of "Ealing Comedy". These three films were also, at the same time, shortlisted for the British Film Academy Award the next year. Ealing comedy suddenly shot to fame and established its position in the film world.

 

 

In Passport to Pimlico, an unexploded World War II bomb was detonated accidentally in Pimlico area in London. The excavated treasures and documents show that this area is still part of Burgundy, France, so it is not controlled by British law. Therefore, a struggle on maintaining independence and safeguarding the interests and security of British law began. Although there were no big stars in the whole film at that time, it was the flash of many small characters that produced a unique comedy style, with witty humor in every line and scene.

 

When Passport to Pimlico was released in the United States, the distributor specially transported part of Pimlico's soil in front of the cinema, and asked the staff dressed in British police uniforms to distribute counterfeit passports and invite the audience to step on the "British soil" before going in to watch the film. It has to be said that this ingenious publicity idea is worth studying in today's premiere ceremony.

 

 

The film Whisky Galore! is a bizarre tale of Scottish islanders who, after running out of wartime rations of whisky, find a stranded ship loaded with large amount of spirits and go to salvage it. Like Passport to Pimlico, the film reflects ordinary people's attitudes to power and the law, as well as the spirit of the British people united by their beliefs.

 

 

Kind Hearts and Coronets brought a significant role for the acting career of Alec -thousand faces-Guinness. Guinness played eight roles in the film. He played eight members of a family, including men and women - general, snob, photographer, feminist, admiral, priest, banker and duke, with an age span of 60 years. Alec Guinness has also starred in other classic films such as The Lavender Hill Mob, The Man in the White Suit and The Ladykillers. He can be regarded as the most famous business card of Ealing comedy.

 

The film title Kind Hearts and Coronets is a reference to poem by British poet laureate Tennyson Clara Ferra de Ferra (1842): "A kind heart is above a crown, faith above blood." This phrase is like a sentence, foretelling the chief actor's ending in a dry humorous way.

 

 

The screenplay for The Lavender Hill Mob and Passport to Pimlico were both written by T. E. B. Clark and the former won the Best Original Screenplay Award at the 25th Academy Awards and the Best Screenplay Award at the 12th Venice International Film Festival. Thanks to this film, Guinness received his first Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. Audrey Hepburn, who was a nobody at that time, played a small role at the beginning of the film.

 

 

The Man in the White Suit was inspired by a stage play written by Roger MacDougall, Mackendrick's cousin. The story, which revolves around "a stain-resistant, wear-resistant fabric", has so many sci-fi elements in it that in 2014 the Guardian named it one of "Top 20 British Science Fiction Films". Alec Guinness plays a genius who develops high-tech materials but works against the interests of the labor union, thus leading to a hilarious cat-and-mouse game.

 

 

On the list of "Top 100 British Films" released by the British Film Institute (BFI) in 1999, the works of Ealing Film Studio occupied seven seats.

 

As a group of landmark British comedies emerging after the war, "Ealing Comedy" is not only a satire on reality, but also a fable of the future.

 

All six films to be screened in this year’s Beijing International Film Festival are chosen. You must not miss them!