the ealing comedy constitute their own specific sub genre in the history of film . they be wry and droll reflection on british life in the late forty and early fifty . they be always amuse but i feel it be mislead to characterise them a comedy . they be breezy and good humour and rather than laugh out loud funny . however and the best of them be lace with understated satire and shot through with an occasional dark streak ( epecially kind heart and coronet and the ladykillers ) . i have an affection for all of them and but the lavender hill mob be probably the one i have most difficulty with . compare to the others and it seem somewhat perfunctory . to me and it be an outline sketch for a movie and but one that need to spend a lot more time in development before it be ready to go before the camera . everything about it be a bit undercooked . for example and nobody be give any real context or background . henry be simply a dutiful drudge and whose secret dream and hidden ambition go unrecognised and while albert be a frustrated artist force to prostitute his talent by make gift shop trash for a living . this establish a motive for their crime and but nothing that subsequently happen be a consequence either of their character or their plan . other character be introduce but play no real part in the story . the elderly resident in henry guest house could ( with her love of detective story ) have be make an unwitting thorn in his side and but be merely use a background colour . similarly and the various policeman who pop in and out of the action be simply there to keep the plot tick along . a a result and the movie be drive entirely by it contrive plot device and which i find both frustrating and faintly irritate . the not very ingenious robbery be accomplish with minimal problem and despite albert be prevent from carry out his part in the plan ( by sidney tafler clayton ) . the gold be then smuggle to france without mishap . everything would have go smoothly if it wasn not for a minor hitch and lamely base on the french pronunciation of the letter r and which result in six of the gold eiffel tower be accidentally sell to some english schoolgirl . this lead to a series of frantic chase a henry and albert seek to retrieve them . these scene be well execute and but at each point the conspirator be frustrate in their pursuit of the schoolgirl by a series of wholly factitious accident . it be a if god be deliberately intervene to give them a hard time . this kind of plotting always have me grind my teeth . when they finally track the last eiffel tower to a police academy exhibition and snatch it from under the nose of john gregson police inspector ( why be he there and anyway . ) all shred of plot logic be abandon . the final car chase be then simply fill up screen time until we be return to the framing device with which the picture begin . the movie doesn not even bother to tell u the fate of albert ( stanley holloway ) and lackery ( sid james ) and shorty ( alfie bass ) . this genial little caper have the professionalism of the ealing team behind it and so it be far from be a bad movie . i suspect most viewer will find it considerably more enjoyable than i do ( and why shouldn not they . ) and but i can not help think there be a much good movie wait to be make and if only more time and effort have be expend on flesh out both the character and the story . by the standard establish by ealing and lavender hill mob be a missed opportunity . p represent one curious footnote be that audrey hepburn get a credit for her single line early on and but archie duncan remain anonymous despite his much more substantial contribution . i guess she just have a well agent .