The year after his multi-role tour-de-force in Kind Hearts and Coronets, Alec Guinness starred in Henry Cass’ Last Holiday, a very different British black comedy which, unlike his work for Ealing, received little critical attention. It is time to right this injustice - this alternately sweet and prickly comedy deserves a far wider audience, a semi-romcom with a sharp sting in its tale.
Guinness plays George Bird, a mild-mannered, unmarried and friendless salesman who, upon being told by his doctor he has only a few weeks to live, changes his attitude to life, hands in his notice to his repellent boss and hightails it to a posh Torquay hotel to spend his remaining days. His presence, and his new take on life, touches the lives of his fellow guests, none of whom know about his predicament. While some regard this eccentric, unusually frank gentleman with suspicion, new friendships and potential love blossom - but can there be a happy ending?
The other guests at the hotel are portrayed by an array of marvellous British character actors, including Sid James, Kay Walsh, Wilfrid Hyde-White and Muriel George, all of whom provide comic relief in very different ways (contrast James’ likeable chancer with George’s hideous snob). Guinness himself is superb as Bird, transforming a potentially mundane protagonist into an admirable hero.
The film, remade badly in 2006 starring Queen Latifah, was written by J.B. Priestley - best known for his stagework (both The Good Companions and An Inspector Calls were adapted into films), he rarely wrote original screenplays for cinema. Last Holiday showcases the writer’s brilliant use of irony and wit with its sharp, well-observed script.
Although a critical hit abroad, Cass’ movie bizarrely met with cold indifference in its native UK. Perhaps the film’s frequently scathing satire of British mores was seen as distasteful. Perhaps Guinness’ subtle performance was seen as less showy than his previous triumph. The film’s ending, though smart and apt, was disliked by some critics for reasons that would give away the final twist. Reject the naysayers - this is the kind of witty, biting cinema Britain does best.
Alec Guinness stars in the classic British comedy Last Holiday as a salesman of agricultural machinery who finds out that he hasn't long to live. He decides to take the last holiday of the film's title - and begins to find out that he is a more worthwhile and interesting person than previously he has ever allowed himself to be. From JB Priestley's play.
