The Captain's Paradise (1953)
The Captain's Paradise Photos
Movie Info
Cast
as Capt. Henry St. James
as Nita St. James
as Maud St. James
as Chief Officer Ricco
as Lawrence St. James
as Principal Dancer
as Kalikan Officer
as Daphne Bligh
as Bob
as Kalikan Policeman
as Shopowner
as Susan Dailey
as Chief Engineer
as Chief Steward
as Sheikh
as Salmon
as Prof. Ebbart
as Customs Official
as 2nd Customs Official
as 3rd Customs Official
as Ali
as Absalom
as Maitre d'Hotel
as Major
as Prof. Killick
as Mr. Wheeler
as Marjorie
as Mrs. Reid
as Officer of the Watch
as Guitarist
Critic Reviews for The Captain's Paradise
All Critics (5) | Fresh (4) | Rotten (1) | DVD (2)
Alec Guinness scores again, this time as a subtle sea dog who believes that civilized bigamy is man's key to happiness. The basic joke seldom runs thin in this roguish British comedy.
Starring Alec Guinness, this mildly entertaining British comedy was nominated for the Motion Picture Story Oscar.
Disappointing lighthearted one-note sexual farce about a bigamist
Lacks something of the charm of the Ealing films -- though it's hard to pinpoint why -- it's an all-too-often-overlooked Guinness film that deserves rediscovery
Audience Reviews for The Captain's Paradise
"The Captain's Paradise" starts with Henry St. James(Alec Guinness) calmly asking the firing squad to please hurry up as he has other places to be, while matter of factly refusing a blindfold. His uncle Lawrence(Miles Malleson), who just missed Henry, is told by Henry's now former Chief Officer, Ricco(Charles Goldner), how he came to be in such a predicament. It may not surprise some that it involved a woman, namely Henry's lover Nita(Yvonne De Carlo), as Ricco recounts happier times like their second anniversary in North Africa. On the other side of the Mediterranean in Gibraltar, where his crew has not been granted British visas to disembark, Henry celebrates his third anniversary with his wife Maud(Celia Johnson). Even though it is more windup than payoff, "The Captain's Paradise" is still a witty and breezy farce that is ahead of its time in exploring gender relations. Here, the joke is on Henry as he underestimates not one but two women which while certainly no record is still very impressive.(Relax, I don't think I'm giving anything away by saying that since we do know he will end up in front of a firing squad but how he gets there might surprise you.) Henry might think of his life as perfect, containing the best of all worlds, including male camaraderie, and, admittedly, it is a rather clever idea. But if he were as smart as he thought he was, then he would have found a cure for cancer.
Super Reviewer
Cute comedy, Guinness is smooth as always, Yvonne DeCarlo besides being stunning proves herself adroit at comedy.
Super Reviewer
The Captain's Paradise Quotes
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