The Captain’s Paradise *** (1953, Alec Guinness, Celia Johnson, Yvonne De Carlo, Peter Bull, Charles Goldner) – Classic Movie Review 5018

Producer-director Anthony Kimmins’s welcome 1953 British black and white comedy The Captain’s Paradise stars Alec Guinness as Henry St James, the ferryboat captain happily chugging between Gibraltar and Tangiers, enjoying the bigamous luxury of different wives in both ports.

This entertaining, lightweight comedy from British Lion is graced with polished star turns. An ideally cast, relaxed Guinness is supported by two equally expert contrasting performances from a typically reigned-in Celia Johnson, as Maud, the real, terribly English, homey wife in Gibraltar, and from a go-for-it Yvonne De Carlo as lovely, hot-blooded Nita, the rhumba-ing, pretend one in Tangiers.

After a sluggish opening section, the London Film Productions film settles down to be pleasantly enjoyable, though it lacks bite and it is perhaps not quite as amusing or clever as Guinness’s classics at Ealing Studios. But, still, it is amusing and clever enough, and the performances are peerless.

Alec Coppel copped a 1954 Oscar nomination for his Best Motion Picture Story, all told in flashback as Guinness’s character Henry prepares to meet his fate with a firing squad. The screenplay is by Coppel and Nicholas Phipps.

Also in the cast are Charles Goldner, Miles Malleson, Bill Fraser, Nicholas Phipps, Ferdy Mayne, Tutte Lemkow, Walter Crisham, Sebastian Cabot, Joss Ambler, Peter Bull, Roger Delgado, Arthur Gomez, Claudia Grey, Henry B Longhurst, Ambrosine Philpotts, Roy Purcell, George Benson and Joyce Barbour.

The Captain’s Paradise [The Captain’s Progress] is directed by Anthony Kimmins, runs 93 minutes, is made by London Film Productions, is released by British Lion Film Corporation (1953) (UK) and Lopert Films (1953) (US), is written by Alec Coppel and Nicholas Phipps, from an original story by Alec Coppel, is shot in black and white by Edward Scaife [Ted Scaife], produced by Anthony Kimmins and scored by Malcolm Arnold, with Art Direction by Paul Sheriff.

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 5018

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