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'Kind Hearts and Coronets'
Katharina Thalbach reads from
“There is an old saying, 'Murder will out.' I am really unable to see why this should be so…” from Israel Rank
How to become an Earl? Israel Rank can't actually complain: he had a happy childhood, despite his family's modest circumstances, and with his intelligence and charm, he could make something of himself. On the other hand, his situation could also be better, because he is related, albeit only distantly, to the aristocratic Gascoyne family and envies them their villas and mansions. All of this could belong to him, and he himself could be the Earl of Gascoyne, if only he was not merely ninth or tenth in the line of succession. He formulates a plan. The various members of the Gascoyne family suddenly begin to fall victim to bizarre accidents.
Roy Horniman's 1907 novel, which provided the basis for the classic film Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949) starring Alec Guinness, is the confession of a man with impeccable manners and a grim sense of humour, a satirical comedy about snobbishness and hypocrisy. Katharina Thalbach, the inimitable mistress of a tone of voice with an undercurrent, lends the charming murderer and his unsuspecting victims her voice with dry wit and immense enjoyment.
Katharina Thalbach comes from a family of thespians. Her father was the director Benno Besson, her mother the actress Sabine Thalbach. She first performed on stage and in films at the age of five. The actress, who trained under Helene Weigel, has been a widely celebrated theatre and movie star since the 1960s; she has also been a successful director since the 1980s.
