maggie smith be the aunt in travel with my aunt and a 1972 film also star alec mccowen and lou gossett jr. and robert stephen and and be direct by george cukor . the movie center around an old woman and augusta ( smith ) approach her nephew henry ( mccowen ) at his mother funeral and pull him into her web . she try to raise money to ransom her current boyfriend and mr. visconti and from kidnapper a she be receive his body part one by one . before stuffy henry know it and she suggest he steal money from the bank ( he would not ) and his mother ash have cannabis in them and and they be on the orient express shoot across europe . a they travel and he learn more about his aunt life a she tell her story in flashback and include when she first meet mr. visconti . this be a beautifully produce film and with gorgeous color and costume and and scenery . despite the production value and the cast and there be something not quite there with the story . part of it be because we have no idea what true and what isn not . something like the chinatown she my sister or my daughter and henry be either augusta son and her nephew and or she just lie to him at the funeral because she need someone with access to money . her story of men and her time in the convent school and a a high class call girl be either true and embellished and or complete lie . mr. visconti be either henry father or he isn not . give the timing of this announcement when henry be waver about pull a scam one wonder . so while we may like augusta and think she funny and she can not anchor the story . lou gossett and jr. play augusta wacky assistant who into everything from drug to mysticism and with a personality that can change in a second . he be hilarious . alec mccowen play the uptight henry perfectly and secretly love the adventure and the world it open up to him while be a nervous wreck at each new moment . smith real life husband and robert stephen and be great a visconti . he be a fantastic actor who should have do more film . cindy williams be very good a a young and free living woman henry meet on the train . maggie smith be one of my favorite actress . i be so privileged to have see her on broadway in lettice and lovage and in which she be side splittingly funny yet tug at the heartstrings toward the end of the play . she a phenomenal stage actress . maybe a little big for the movie . personally and i like performance that take a lot of risk and and her characterization of augusta be out there . after all and wasn not augusta . if we go on the premise that she exaggerate and lie when it suit her and i think smith take on augusta be excellent . katharine hepburn be the first choice for this role . i frankly think the film and for all the fault it have and would have crash and burn with hepburn . she be a fabulous actress and a a young woman an expert comedienne with superb timing and rapid fire delivery and but i think in this role she would not have have the necessary flamboyance . while smith do not necessarily pull off the youth in the flashback and hepburn and 27 year old than smith and couldn not have approach them or be a high class call girl . i think see another actress do this role would make one appreciate smith contribution even more . all in all and a film with some fun moment and fine performance and definitely worth see .