The Lavender Hill Mob 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		5.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		5.0
Overall		5.0

The Lavender Hill Mob 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 5, 2024

Charles Crichton's "The Lavender Hill Mob" (1951) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of StudioCanal. The supplemental features on the release include a short introduction Martin Scorsese; interview with writer T.E.B. Clarke; excerpts from the BECTU history project interview with director Charles Crichton; behind the scenes stills gallery; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Some crooks are different

Henry Holland (Alec Guinness, The Bridge on the River Kwai, Doctor Zhivago) is a quiet bank clerk who works in a gold bullion office in downtown London. For over twenty years, he has been dreaming about being rich. He is in his early fifties and single.

Convinced that it is time for a change, Henry decides to rob his bank. He invites amateur sculptor and paperweights designer Alfred Pendlebury (Stanley Holloway, Brief Encounter, My Fair Lady) to assist him after he realizes that he is just as disillusioned with life as he is. Shortly after, the two are joined by a duo of professional gangsters -- Lackery (Sidney James, The Glass Tomb, Too Many Crooks), a safe cracker, and Shorty (Alfie Bass, The Bespoke Overcoat, Come Play With Me), a man with an unlimited arsenal of special skills.

The plan is to hijack a truck full of gold bullion, with Henry in it, and have Alfred melt the gold into souvenir models of the Eiffel Tower which will be shipped to Paris. Once in France, the gold will be sold on the black market. The money from the sale will be evenly distributed between Henry, Alfred, Lackery, and Shorty.

A day after the gang is formed, however, Henry is told by his boss that he is getting promoted -- which means that he will no longer have to work in the gold bullion office and sign off deliveries. This puts his plan in jeopardy because without him around it would be impossible to hijack the truck. Afraid that they might miss their chance to get rich, Henry, Alfred, Lackery, and Shorty agree to expedite things.

The heist goes according to Henry’s plan. While Scotland Yard is looking for the robbers, the gold is quickly melted and shipped to Paris. Unfortunately, a few British schoolgirls visiting the city end up buying a couple of the souvenirs. When Henry and Alfred go after them and try to recover the souvenirs, all hell breaks loose.

Based on an original script by T.E.B. Clarke, an Ealing Studios regular, Charles Crichton’s The Lavender Hill Mob is a charming, highly energetic film, one of the very best in the caper genre. It is also a refreshingly politically incorrect film, which is why it is so irresistibly funny.

The film is loaded with terrific one-liners that effectively neutralize its minor plot inconsistencies. The tempo is steady and the camerawork surprisingly strong (the entire production was funded by a limited budget, but it never shows).

Guinness and Holloway make a great pair of crooks. After their trip to Paris -- the highlight of which is the wonderfully edited Eiffel Tower sequence -- the film switches gears and also delivers a series of effective satirical blows.

The long chase on the streets of London during the final third of the film is done with a great sense of style. Additionally, where in so many similarly themed films a chase would be used to show off various techniques or locations, here it actually enhances the satire.

There is a surprising cameo in The Lavender Hill Mob. Very early into the film the beautiful Audrey Hepburn appears as Chiquita, a supposedly good friend of Guinness’ character.

*In 1951, The Lavender Hill Mob was nominated for Golden Lion Award at the Venice Film Festival. In 1953, it won Oscar statuette for Best Writing, Story and Screenplay (T.E.B. Clarke).

The Lavender Hill Mob 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

StudioCanal's release of The Lavender Hill Mob is a 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack. The 4K Blu-ray is Region-Free. However, the Blu-ray is Region-B "locked".

The Lavender Hill Mob made its high-definition debut in 2011 with this Region-B release from StudioCanal. The 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack introduces a new 4K restoration of the film, which was completed at Silver Salt Restoration in London.

UPDATE: I received a 4K Blu-ray screener and viewed the 4K restoration in native 4K. It is the best presentation of The Lavender Hill Mob that I have seen to date, and yes, it is a fine upgrade in quality over the original presentation from 2011, which is still quite impressive. Some inherited density limitations remain, but the film looks healthier and, with the HDR grade, lusher/richer as well. If you have a large screen, the uptick in quality becomes quite obvious. Also, the grayscale is managed very, very well, so the darker areas easily avoid crushing. So, as far as I am concerned, this will be the definitive home video presentation ofThe Lavender Hill Mob.

Please note that some of the screencaptures that appear with this article are taken from the 4K Blu-ray and downscaled to 1080p. Therefore, they do not accurately reflect the quality of the 4K content on the 4K Blu-ray disc.

Screencaptures #1-20 are from Blu-ray.
Screencaptures #23-30 are from the 4K Blu-ray.

Earlier tonight, I viewed the new 4K restoration and then did various comparisons with the previous presentation. There is a noticeable upgrade in quality, which I expect will be even more obvious in native 4K. I still think that the previous presentation is wonderful, but on my system I could easily see improvements that are very easy to appreciate. For example, all visuals, not just select outdoor visuals, have a superior grayscale and dynamic range now. As a result, even the most attractive visuals on the previous presentation look better now. How much better? Well, the new 4K restoration also eliminates the small scratches and blemishes that are present on the previous presentation. I noticed some stability enhancements as well. The 4K restoration boasts a superior grain field that makes a lot of the softer visuals on the previous presentation look stronger, especially on a bigger screen. So, some improvements are smaller, but some are bigger, and because various areas are strengthened by them, I think that the entire film has an even better organic appearance than it did in the past. This being said, you are still going to notice some small density fluctuations, usually before or after transitions, but they are inherited. All in all, I think that if the upgrade in quality is as easy to appreciate in 1080p as it is, then in native 4K, with the expanded dynamic range of the visuals, it would be even more satisfying.

The Lavender Hill Mob 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track: English LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

While viewing the new 4K restoration of The Lavender Hill Mob, I did not notice anything different on this lossless track to make me conclude that it is superior. Of course, I am not surprised because the lossless track from the previous release of the film was very solid. There are a few areas where the fast dialog is a bit difficult to follow, but I still think that clarity is very good.

The Lavender Hill Mob 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K BLU-RAY DISC

• Introduction - a short archival introduction by director Martin Scorsese, a big fan of The Lavender Hill Mob. In English, not subtitled. (4 min).

• Commentary - in this recent audio commentary, film historian Jeremy Arnold, a huge admirer of The Lavender Hill Mob, discusses in great detail the production history of the film, its placement in the Ealing catalog (and how it compares to the other great comedies in it), the specific nature of the humor and the manner in which it is blended with the action that make the film so attractive, some of the key locations where memorable scenes were shot, the perfect chemistry between its leads, etc. The commentary was recorded for Kino Lorber's release of The Lavender Hill Mob.

• Q&A with Paul Merton - this Q&A session with English comedian Paul Merton was filmed after a screening of The Lavender Hill Mob and Merton's short The Suicidal Dog at the LOCO London Comedy Film Festival on May 12, 2003. The bulk of the comments address the brilliance and timeless appeal of The Lavender Hill Mob. In English, not subtitled. (29 min).

• Trailer - a vintage trailer for The Lavender Hill Mob. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Those British Faces: Stanley Holloway - this archival program examines takes a closer look at the life and legacy of Stanley Holloway, who plays one of the crooks in The Lavender Hill Mob. In English, not subtitled. (27 min).

• The Perfect Heist - in this new program, Dr. Benedict Morrison, senior lecturer in literature and film at Exeter University, discusses The Lavender Hill Mob and the evolution of the British comedy film. In English, not subtitled. (25 min).

• Excerpts from BECTU - presented here are excerpts from the BECTU history project interview with director Charles Crichton. The interview was conducted by Sidney Cole on December 15th, 1988. In English, not subtitled. (13 min).

• Good Afternoon: Mavis interviews T.E.B. Clarke - presented here is a wonderful, very informative interview with writer T.E.B. Clarke, who wrote the script for The Lavender Hill Mob and a number of other Ealing Studios films. In English, not subtitled. (26 min).

• Behind the Scenes Stills Gallery - a gallery of stills from the shooting of The Lavender Hill Mob. (2 min).

BLU-RAY DISC

• Introduction - a short archival introduction by director Martin Scorsese, a big fan of The Lavender Hill Mob. In English, not subtitled. (4 min).

• Commentary - in this recent audio commentary, film historian Jeremy Arnold, a huge admirer of The Lavender Hill Mob, discusses in great detail the production history of the film, its placement in the Ealing catalog (and how it compares to the other great comedies in it), the specific nature of the humor and the manner in which it is blended with the action that make the film so attractive, some of the key locations where memorable scenes were shot, the perfect chemistry between its leads, etc. The commentary was recorded for Kino Lorber's release of The Lavender Hill Mob.

• Q&A with Paul Merton - this Q&A session with English comedian Paul Merton was filmed after a screening of The Lavender Hill Mob and Merton's short The Suicidal Dog at the LOCO London Comedy Film Festival on May 12, 2003. The bulk of the comments address the brilliance and timeless appeal of The Lavender Hill Mob. In English, not subtitled. (29 min).

• Trailer - a vintage trailer for The Lavender Hill Mob. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Those British Faces: Stanley Holloway - this archival program examines takes a closer look at the life and legacy of Stanley Holloway, who plays one of the crooks in The Lavender Hill Mob. In English, not subtitled. (27 min).

• The Perfect Heist - in this new program, Dr. Benedict Morrison, senior lecturer in literature and film at Exeter University, discusses The Lavender Hill Mob and the evolution of the British comedy film. In English, not subtitled. (25 min).

• Excerpts from BECTU - presented here are excerpts from the BECTU history project interview with director Charles Crichton. The interview was conducted by Sidney Cole on December 15th, 1988. In English, not subtitled. (13 min).

• Good Afternoon: Mavis interviews T.E.B. Clarke - presented here is a wonderful, very informative interview with writer T.E.B. Clarke, who wrote the script for The Lavender Hill Mob and a number of other Ealing Studios films. In English, not subtitled. (26 min).

• Behind the Scenes Stills Gallery - a gallery of stills from the shooting of The Lavender Hill Mob. (2 min).

ADDITIONAL CONTENT

• Booklet - 64-page illustrated booklet with writings on The Lavender Hill Mob and technical credits.

• Posters - two collectible posters with new and original artwork designed by Matt Griffin.

• Art Cards - four collective pop-art art cards.

The Lavender Hill Mob 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

UPDATE: I received a 4K Blu-ray copy of the new 4K restoration of The Lavender Hill Mob. In native 4K, the 4K makeover looks mighty impressive, so if The Lavender Hill Mob is one of your favorite films, consider investing in what will be the definitive home video release of it. If you have not seen this timeless comedy yet, now is a perfect time to discover it looking as good as it does on 4K Blu-ray.

I do not yet have the 4K Blu-ray disc with the native 4K presentation of the new 4K restoration of The Lavender Hill Mob. However, on the Blu-ray disc, in 1080p, the new 4K restoration looks marvelous. Our review will be updated in a few weeks when the 4K Blu-ray disc arrives, but if you wish to have a definitive release of The Lavender Hill Mob, StudioCanal's combo pack should be on your radar now because I think that the native 4K presentation can only look better. But even if there wasn't a 4K Blu-ray disc, I still would have urged you to pick up the new 4K restoration on Blu-ray. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.