The Horse's Mouth (1958)

That was an excellent one.

A brilliant film that helped define a genre

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

Rollicking, bittersweet portrayal of an indigent artist in postwar London. Alec Guinness is Gulley Jimson, curmudgeon and would-be lothario who curses his vocation with the same passion he pours into his paintings. The film follows Guinness on a madcap quest to regain some lost artwork, leading to antics worthy of the Marx Brothers. He is joined in his adventures by Kay Walsh as Dee Coker, Gulley's caustic barkeep gadfly who helps him look for the artwork in order to collect a debt. Mike Morgan is Nosey, the starstruck youth who follows Gulley everywhere to learn his painting secrets. Ernest Thesinger (Dr. Pretorius in Bride of Frankenstein) is the long-time benefactor of Gulley who is harassed by crank phone calls from the artist. Renee Houston steals the movie right out from under Guinness' nose in the role of Sara Monday, Gulley's ex-wife who still is sweet on him. Screenplay adapted by Guinness from a book by Joyce Cary, directed by Ronald Neame."Why doesn't it fit...like it does in the mind?"

Alec Guinness plays obsessed artist Gulley Jimson in "The Horse's Mouth," a 1958 film written by Guinness. Gulley is a grizzly-voiced, unkempt, grouchy artist who will paint his vision at all costs. We first see him being released from jail, and then, annoyed by a young man, Nosey (Mike Morgan), who wants to learn at his feet, he attempts to get back into prison.Since the prison doesn't want him, Gulley then returns to what got him into prison in the first place - harassing phone calls to a wealthy man, Hickson (Ernest Thesiger), who was given 18 canvasses by Gulley's ex-wife (Renee Houston) in payment of Gulley's debts to him. Gulley wants the canvasses back because he has a letter from another wealthy man who wants to buy one. But upon going to Hickson's house, Hickson's servant calls the police, and Gulley and his some time friend Dee (Kay Walsh) to whom he owes money have to escape via the kitchen and hijack a cab.Gulley goes to the elegant apartment of the couple (Robert Coote and Veronica Turleigh) who want to buy his painting - a small one, it turns out, for their summer home -- and what does he see but an enormous blank wall. Yes, he decides, that is what I must have for my painting of the raising of Lazurus. The couple leave for Jamaica, and Gulley stays on, commandeering a key from the superintendent. He then starts selling their things in order to buy supplies. The laugh out loud scenes come here, when Michael Gough, a sculptor, arrives and moves in his block of material. Absolutely hilarious.There is a serious undertone to all of this - Gulley Jimson is a man who has given up everything and lives on a houseboat in order to paint. His ideas are unlimited, and throughout the film, he is, in a sense, framing his next canvas."The Horse's Mouth" could be made today, it's just as fresh as it was in 1958. Guinness is sheer perfection as Gulley - nasty, contemptuous of commercialism, completely zeroed in on his vision and his art while he trashes the world around him. And for all that, a serious artist with something to say. The paintings by John Bratby are quirky and look as if someone like Gulley could have done them.It's so sad that the young man who played Nosey died of meningitis during the filming - he was delightful, as is the rest of the cast. Ronald Neame's directing is first-rate.This film is a total triumph.

Ronald Neame is, like Lewis Gilbert, a British film maker who it seems to me has never had the credit due to him, despite producing an impressive body of work, with films such as 'The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie', 'The Card', and 'Tunes Of Glory' to his name.'The Horse's Mouth', made in 1958, was a favourite of mine, and used to play regularly on television, but for some reason or other has not been seen anywhere in years. As soon as I discovered it was on D.V.D., I snapped up a copy. I was a bit fearful of watching though in case my memories did not live up to the reality.I need not have worried. It is absolutely wonderful.Based on a book by Joyce Cary, it stars the brilliant Alec Guinness ( will the person who said he was not one of the world's greatest actors please tell us who they think is better? ) as 'Gulley Jimson', an eccentric artist. Gulley only has to walk past a blank wall for him to be compelled to paint, and often his visions are quite remarkable. He is not a particularly pleasant man, looks as though he has not had a bath in years, is prone to borrowing money ( with no intention of returning it ) and making crank calls to the rich in an effort to secure work. In appearance, he resembles 'Albert Steptoe', right down to the Homburg hat. He lives on a dilapidated house boat, and when let loose in someone's home will think nothing of getting drunk and stealing valuables.If you think all this makes him sound a nasty piece of work, you would be right. But it is a tribute to Guinness that he makes this horrible man not only immensely likable but strangely lovable. The most important thing in his life is art. He uses everyone around him, such as barmaid 'Cokey' ( Kay Walsh ) and stammering youthful admirer 'Nosey' ( Mike Morgan ), but they put up with him because they admire his genius.I thought artists such as Gulley were far fetched, until I read an 'Observer' article about the late Francis Bacon. From all accounts, a brilliant man, but rather dreadful, often prone to drunkenness and openly insulting those he did not like.The plot is episodic; with Gulley involved in one happening after another. I am not going to spoil your enjoyment with detail - watch for yourself. Suffice it to say, it is hilarious, sad and intelligent, with Gulley's observations on art being rather profound. You will feel for him as one of his pictures does not turn out as expected. "Its not the vision I had!", he mutters, echoing those of us who at one point or other in our lives have seen a good idea fail badly.Wonderful supporting cast, particularly Kay Walsh and Renee Houston as Gulley's first wife 'Sal'. Mike Morgan, who plays 'Nosey', sadly died a week before the production ended. He was only eighteen. Guinness was in good company here.Gulley's paintings were by John Bratby, an artist with a distinctive visual style. He never used a brush, preferring instead to squirt tubes of paint onto the canvas. His eye catching pictures are just what you would expect from someone like Gulley.No music was composed specially for the film, but instead classical pieces by Prokofiev were employed, fitting it to a tee.This is a charming, quirky movie, one of a kind. Guinness wrote the script himself, as no-one wanted to make a movie about a painter. One wishes he had done more writing for the cinema. I would say without a doubt that this is his second best movie performance ever, the first being 'Colonel Nicholson' in David Lean's 'Bridge On The River Kwai'.If the hallmark of a good movie is that when it ends, you immediately want to see it again, then 'The Horse's Mouth' qualifies. Be warned though - afterwards you may feel an overwhelming urge to paint the next blank wall you see.

Gulley Jimson (Alec Guinness) is an eccentric, vulgar, misanthropic amateur painter who is struggling to make ends meat. When he divorced his wife (Renee Houston), she took all of his paintings to settle a debt. His former patron, A.W. Alabaster (Arthur Macrae), won't return his calls (to be fair, most of them are vulgar and threatening). Gulley finds a patron in Sir William Beeder (Robert Coote), who commissions him to make a wall mural. Aided by a cast of silly characters - his coarse but loving mistress Dee Coker (Kay Walsh), an obnoxious sculptor (Michael Gough), an air-headed model (Gillian Vaughan) and Nosey (Mike Morgan), a naive admirer of his - Gulley struggles to fulfill his artistic desires in spite of everything."The Horse's Mouth" presents Alec Guinness at the pinnacle of his career. Having built up a career as a star through the early films of David Lean and the quirky, immensely popular Ealing comedies, Guinness had become an international superstar after his Oscar-winning role in Bridge on the River Kwai. Guinness produced, co-wrote, and starred in this film, one of his finest achievements.Attempting to write a plot summary was hard work. Like many if not most great comedies, the plot is secondary to the characters, particularly Gulley. "The Horse's Mouth" continues the anarchic spirit of Guinness's Ealing films, building on and arguably surpasses it. Like Charlie Chaplin's Little Tramp, Jacques Tati's Monsieur Hulot, Peter Sellers' Inspector Clouseau, Rowan Atkinson's Mr. Bean, and other comic figures, Gulley bumbles from one situation to another; however, it is not clumsiness which produces this (for the most part), but deliberate design. Gulley flaunts societal rules and weasels his way into high society, taking advantage of societal politeness to get what he wants. Unlike most such characters, however, he has a goal - to create art. It makes him short-sighted, narrow-minded, and arrogant - as he realizes in a brief moment of clarity - but that hardly matters to him. Even when Gulley becomes recognized for his work towards the end, he remains unsatisfied. Whether Gulley is a great artist is not the point (and he's pretty obviously not) - it's something he has to do, and he'll do much anything to express himself.Alec Guinness shows his full talent as an actor and comedian here. His biggest asset as an actor is his anonymity - he can play any character, regardless of class, position, personality, time period, even race and gender. Witness his eight-way performance in "Kind Hearts and Coronets", his demented Professor Marcus ("The Ladykillers"), the mild-mannered criminal Holland ("Lavender Hill Mob"), the naive idealist Sidney Stratton ("Man in the White Suit"). And that's just his Ealing films. Guinness is an amazing actor, able to alter his appearance, voice, and the most subtle of mannerisms to create a whole new persona. Not only is Guinness a great actor, but also a fabulous comedian - able to use his abilities to create unforgettably amusing characters.Gulley Jimson is a fascinating character. Not every actor could have pulled it off, but Guinness does it brilliantly. Guinness makes full use of his abilities - the raspy voice, which he alters at appropriate moments, his gestures and movements, which range from broad slapstick flailing to subtle facial and hand gestures. The supporting cast is good, particularly Kay Walsh at her Cockney best and Michael Gough's obnoxious sculptor - but it's Alec's show the whole way."The Horse's Mouth" is a film that must be seen to be enjoyed. Its wonderful mix of anarchic, irreverent yet playful humor and one of the best performances by one of cinema's greatest actors will be a treat for any film fan.8/10