The Captain's Paradise
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Movie Reviews of The Captain's Paradise
Movie Review: A Seamless, Sweetly-Spun, Sly Confection
Summary: 4 Stars
The Captain's Paradise (1953), is another brisk, (94 minutes), silly little black and white classic of English comedy that could, I guess best be classified as a romantic comedy. It's witty, and rather high-concept, with a plot that's a seamless sweetly spun sly confection, and was nominated for a Best Writing Oscar. It stars the uber-talented Alec Guinness. (He was, at this time, rather early in his career, considered a comic actor--see Kind Hearts and Coronets - (The Criterion Collection); but he would win a Best Actor Oscar in the late 1950's for The Bridge on the River Kwai (Collector's Edition) [Blu-ray], and then become internationally famous, as never before, in Star Wars Trilogy.) Here he plays the title part in the movie, a part that might have been tailored just for him: Mediterranean ferryboat captain Henry St. James. The Captain has things nicely organized for himself, thank you very much: He's got a loving, conventional, "veddy" English wife Maud (Celia Johnson, Brief Encounter - Criterion Collection) in the restricted British colony of Gibraltar; and a possessive, hot-blooded mistress Nita (Yvonne De Carlo,McLintock!), in Spanish Morocco. It's a perfect arrangement, as long as he can keep them apart. But what happens when one woman decides to follow him to the other port?
Guinness is said to have respected, and enjoyed working with De Carlo, who is said to have found this one of her best roles. She had supposedly been a professional dancer, and is said to have taught him the tango for their memorable dance scene. Furthermore, this movie allows Johnson a chance to give her hanky a rest: she doesn't cry once. Guinness has also got some strong supporting players in this one. Miles Malleson (KIND HEARTS) plays Lawrence St. James; Charles Goldner plays Chief Officer Ricco; Bill Fraser is Absalom, the taxi driver. Sebastian Cabot (Family Affair: The Complete Series) is Ali, the vendor. The movie was filmed on location at Gibraltar, and at Shepperton Studios; it was not made by Ealing Studios, powerhouse of British comedy in the 1950s. The movie was remade as a mediocre TV entertainment, centered upon an airline stewardess, titled COFFEE, TEA OR ME, in 1973. CAPTAINS PARADISE is a well-known and much-honored movie. It's sexist, of course, but I wouldn't go getting all bent out of shape about that. It's quite entertaining, and surely worth a look, though not necessarily a purchase.
Movie Review: Droll witty Guinness
Summary: 4 Stars
"The Captain's Paradise" is a very droll comedy in which Alec Guinness plays against type as a sophisticated Don Juan with 2 women in his life, each representing the 2 halves, in his words, of the perfect woman. One is Celia Johnson ,the proper little English housewife, drab, unimaginative, eager to please and sexless. The other is continental Yvonne De Carlo, sexy, flamboyant and exciting. The film ran into problems with the censors when it was released in America and it is easy to see why because it covers adultery and suggests bigamy. If the script is full of sexist cliches, who cares.
This is one film where Guinness's renowned versatility is outshone by the woman. Underrated De Carlo is hilarious, beautifully balancing her sex appeal with a very feminine warmth while Johnson's eager attempts to please are a standout. The film is very well made and the story unfolds logically building to a climax but a rather silly denouement. There is a very funny running gag about rissoles.
The DVD print is pristine but the extras are spartan. The original trailer is included plus a brief biographical essay on Guinness. The best is the insert in the DVD case which is a neat summary of interesting background to the the making of the film, particularly the problems with the censor.
The DVD is good value if purchased as part of an Alec Guinness Collection.
Movie Review: Not Quite Ealing But Enjoyable Nonetheless
Summary: 4 Stars
This screwball farce must have been quite provocative in it's day but would be considered tame by today's standards. There's still alot to enjoy here even though the film doesn't attain the classic heights of Alec Guiness' Ealing work. It's kind of a departure for Guiness to play such an amoral heel and he seems to relish it. And he does a mean flamenco as demonstrated in his scenes with Yvonne DeCarlo. Speaking of DeCarlo, she's a revelation here as the saucy Spanish vixen that Guiness' captain has holed up in Tangiers. She not only smolders onscreen but she has a deft comic touch. Celia Johnson is good as well as the proper English wife that Guiness assumes is content with the role he prescribes for her. On the whole a consistently funny film. Watch for a clever twist at the end that took me by surprise because there is no way it would have passed American censors at that time and took me aback that it passed British censors.Movie Review: A cute, crafty, playfully sexist 1950s comedy
Summary: 4 Stars
A deft, charming dark comedy featuring Alec Guinness as a crafty sea captain who has achieved the ultimate male chauvinist dream: the foolproof scheme to cheat on his wife. Wives, actually. He has one in each port -- a dowdy, respectable English frump stowed away in Gilbralter, and a wild, exotic hottie at his love shack in Tangiers. Complications ensue, of course, and while the subtext of sexist humor may be dated or offensive, the script is quite skillful and the performances grand. A lot of attention will go to Yvonne De Carlo, who plays Alec's Latin lady, but the plum comedic role goes to English actress Celia Johnson, who liberates her mousy character with an economical and hilarious transformation. Guinness is great, too... but you knew that already, right? A very funny film.Movie Review: damned if you do & damned if you dont
Summary: 4 Stars
twixt 1949 ("kind hearts and coronets") and 1959 ("our man in havana"), alec guiness made a slew of great comedies. this one is more boulevard farce than the others, wherein he portrays a ferry captain with two lives -- & two wives -- in different ports. with celia johnson, he is the veddy propah englishman, while with yvonne de carlo, he is a gay blade. it works perfectly for a while, but of course, as all good things do, ...