This film is the very definition of the word "droll", and is one of my favorite comedies. The three residents of Dame Beatrice's rooming house don't really have a place in the world, and Dame Beatrice herself is upset that she isn't able to bring in the kind of money that she once did for all of her favorite charities. They all feel that the world has forgotten them until Lily, Dame Beatrice's maid, steals a mink from the veranda of a man who has tried to give it to his wife to appease her jealousy and his conscience over his extramarital affairs. Since Lily has a criminal record, Beatrice and her tenants are afraid she will be returned to jail, so they all work together to replace the mink without the owners ever noticing it was missing. When they are successful they realize it would probably be just as easy to steal furs as replace stolen ones and use the proceeds for Beatrice's charities. This gives all concerned a purpose in life, which is all they have been seeking. The unlikely team of thieves makes many mistakes, but usually come away with the furs, and only give up the game when Lily discovers what they've been doing and makes them promise not to steal another fur. However, a call to Dame Beatrice from someone seeking further charitable contributions puts them back in action. However, they can't continue to steal furs due to their promise to Lily. Thus, they turn their attention to even bigger game at the end of the film.
This film is a comedy completely without personal conflict - it is pure comedy and farce from beginning to end. All involved work together for the common good, and no selfish motives are ever seen, other than the desire to be useful. You keep waiting for one of the members of the little band of thieves to get greedy and want to keep at least some of the money for themselves, but it never happens. At a time in American cinema history when film noir was still popular, and crime dramas often had no sympathetic characters, it is strange to watch a film from this period in which all of the characters are sympathetic. This probably has to do with the difference between American and British culture, and also the period in British history in which this film was made. The British had just come through a fifteen year period in history after World War II in which they had attempted to remake British society, and in many ways had fallen short of the mark. The gentry felt displaced, but many of the common people didn't feel the inclusion they expected this displacement to achieve. Thus there were several British films from this period, such as "The Smallest Show on Earth", in which people banded together to fulfill a common goal that achieved nothing more than an affirmation of their own usefulness. This is one of those films, and I find it not only funny, but completely charming.
This film is a comedy completely without personal conflict - it is pure comedy and farce from beginning to end. All involved work together for the common good, and no selfish motives are ever seen, other than the desire to be useful. You keep waiting for one of the members of the little band of thieves to get greedy and want to keep at least some of the money for themselves, but it never happens. At a time in American cinema history when film noir was still popular, and crime dramas often had no sympathetic characters, it is strange to watch a film from this period in which all of the characters are sympathetic. This probably has to do with the difference between American and British culture, and also the period in British history in which this film was made. The British had just come through a fifteen year period in history after World War II in which they had attempted to remake British society, and in many ways had fallen short of the mark. The gentry felt displaced, but many of the common people didn't feel the inclusion they expected this displacement to achieve. Thus there were several British films from this period, such as "The Smallest Show on Earth", in which people banded together to fulfill a common goal that achieved nothing more than an affirmation of their own usefulness. This is one of those films, and I find it not only funny, but completely charming.