The Horse's Mouth

"Smart Alec ... Sheer madness and all Guinness! The man's a genius ..."

Nov 11 1958 Approved 1h 37m
Comedy

Gulley Jimson is a boorish aging artist recently released from prison. A swindler in search of his next art project, he hunkers down in the penthouse of would-be patrons the Beeders while they go on an extended vacation; he paints a mural on their wall, pawns their valuables and, along with the sculptor Abel, inadvertently smashes a large hole in their floor. Jimson's next project is an even larger wall in an abandoned church.

Plot

Gulley Jimson is broke, difficult, conniving, uncouth, and a welcher, but an artist. The visions in his head may not really satisfy him when realized, but the quest continues, for the perfect wall. The Beeders leave for six weeks of vacation, and return to find a seven thousand pound committment, and the wall of their living room a national treasure, even though living with a wall mural of feet is not their cup of tea. Then, in a bombed out church scheduled for demolition, THE wall that can become his vision.

Written by

Joyce Cary, Alec Guinness

Directed by

Ronald Neame

Cast

Alec Guinness, Kay Walsh, Renee Houston

Crew

View crew

Production Countries

United Kingdom

Production Companies

Knightsbridge Films

Languages

English

Awards

Nominated for 1 Oscar. 5 wins & 6 nominations total

Trailers
The Horse's Mouth (1958) - original trailer
Scores
# of Votes
4,096
Average Rating
6.9 out of 10
Metascore
NA
Popularity
NA