Louis is shunned by his family, the noble and snobbish d’Ascoynes, as a result of his mother’s marriage to a foreign commoner. After his mother’s death, Louis becomes determined to avenge her and inherit the family title. Unfortunately, eight relatives must be eliminated before he can do so.

Ealing Studios has given us some of the most enduring British comedies, and this may be their finest offering. Unlike most of the Ealing films that preceded it, the comedy is ink-black, the politics subversive, and the values all-out amoral. Marvel as Alec Guinness deftly plays 8 different roles!