Are heist films moral? The Lavender Hill Mob (1951)

Criteria: The Catholic Film Podcast

The Lavender Hill Mob stars Alec Guinness as Henry Holland, an unambitious London bank clerk — and unlikely bank robber. When he meets the eccentric artist Alfred Pendlebury (played by famous comic/character actor Stanley Holloway), the two together hatch a plot to smuggle gold bullion out of the country in the form of miniature Eiffel towers. What unfolds is a heist-comedy that stands apart as perhaps the most purely entertaining film included on the Vatican Film List.

Are heist films morally problematic? Are British criminals cooler than Italian criminals? What is cockney? Thomas and James are joined by author, actor, screenwriter, and mutual friend Paul Laudiero to discuss these and other questions surrounding the film.

Next on Criteria, filmmaker Nathan Douglas returns to the show to discuss Dekalog 3.

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Theme music: The Duskwhales, “Take It Back”, used with permission. https://theduskwhales.bandcamp.com/