The blackest, and perhaps funniest, of all the comedies to have emerged from Britain’s Ealing Studios, Kind Hearts and Coronets was placed by French critic Georges Sadoul within the great satirical tradition of Swift, Thackeray, and Oscar Wilde. Louis Mazzini (Price) is the spurned member of a titled family who decides the only way to claim the dukedom is to kill off his more favored relatives. Alec Guiness’s masterful portrayals of the eight family members who fall victim to Mazzini’s murderous aspirations made him an international star.