That's A Lot Of Stairs

It's always fascinates me what we retain from old movies. An image, a line, maybe a scene. (I suppose it's the same for real life, except we can't re-live old experiences so it's hard to compare.)

I watched The Lavender Hill Mob for the first time in almost 20 years. I thought it still held up. Before I watched it, there were only a few things that truly stuck with me. I remembered Alec Guiness's delightful performance, in general. I remembered, for some reason, the framing device, where an apparently prosperous Guinness narrates the tale, only the be arrested at the end. (Sorry, I don't give spoiler alerts for films over 50 years old. Besides, if you know Ealing Studio comedies, like Kind Hearts And Coronets or The Ladykillers, you know crime does not pay.)

But what I remembered best was Alec Guinness and Stanley Holloway running down the spiral staircase of the Eiffel Tower. I can see why I remembered. It's actually pretty spectacular (and funny), even if it is a process shot.