The League of Gentlemen (film)
| The League Of Gentlemen | |
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British quad poster for the film
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| Directed by | Basil Dearden |
| Produced by | Michael Relph |
| Screenplay by | Bryan Forbes |
| Based on |
The League of Gentlemen by John Boland |
| Starring |
Jack Hawkins Nigel Patrick Roger Livesey Bryan Forbes Richard Attenborough |
| Music by | Philip Green |
| Cinematography | Arthur Ibbetson |
| Edited by | John D. Guthridge |
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Production
company |
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| Distributed by |
British Lion Films (UK) Kingsley-International Pictures (US) |
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Release date
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Running time
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116 mins |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | £192,000 |
The League of Gentlemen is a 1960 British crime drama directed by Basil Dearden and starring Jack Hawkins, Nigel Patrick, Roger Livesey, and Richard Attenborough. It is based on the 1958 novel The League of Gentlemen by John Boland and adapted by Bryan Forbes, who also starred in the film.
A manhole opens at night in an empty street and out climbs Lieutenant-Colonel Norman Hyde (Jack Hawkins) in a dinner suit. He gets into a Rolls-Royce and drives home. There, he prepares seven envelopes, each containing an American crime paperback called The Golden Fleece, half of a £5-note and an unsigned invitation from “Co-operative Removals Limited” to lunch at the Cafe Royal.
The envelopes are sent to former army officers, each in desperate or humiliating circumstances. When they all turn up looking for the other half of the £5 notes which are handed out, Hyde asks their opinion of the novel which is about a robbery. They show little enthusiasm but Hyde then reveals each person's misdemeanors.
Hyde has no criminal record but holds a grudge for being made redundant by the army after a long career. He intends to rob a bank using the team's skills, with equal shares of £100,000 or more for each man.
The gang meet under the guise of an amateur dramatic society rehearsing Journey’s End to discuss the plan before moving into Hyde’s house and living a military regimen of duties and fines for being out of line. Hyde knows that a million pounds in used notes is regularly delivered to a City of London bank and has details of the delivery.
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