The Horse's Mouth (1958)

Upon being released from jail, a non-conformist and penniless painter (Alec Guinness) attempts to harass friends and acquaintances for money to live on. But despite his genuine talent as a painter, he's also a bit of a con artist and a user which makes others reluctant to help him. Gulley Jimson is one of Guinness's great creations, an eccentric artist cum con man who's both irritating and charming at the same time. The film is relatively plotless as Guinness's Gulley goes on his merry way swindling wealthy art patrons and bilking struggling art students under the guise of teaching them while in reality, they're executing his paintings for him! He's really an appalling rascal yet we can't dislike him. I'm not a fan of British comedies as a rule but its Oscar nominated screenplay written by Guinness (based on the Joyce Cary novel) is engaging and director Ronald Neame (THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE) gives it his cinched touch. The underscore is adapted from Prokofiev's LIEUTENANT KIJE. With Kay Walsh, Renee Houston, Robert Coote, Veronica Turleigh, Michael Gough, Ernest Thesiger, Clive Revill and the delightful Mike Morgan as Guinness's protege (who sadly passed away before the film came out at age 29).