The Captain's Paradise (1953)

Director:

Anthony Kimmins

Writers:

Alec Coppel (story)
Alec Coppel (writer) ...
(more)

Release Date:

28 September 1953 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

He makes two-timing an art...and gets away with it

Plot:

The bigamist captain of a ferry boat between the restricted British colony in Gibraltar and Spanish Morocco has a woman of differing appeal and temperament in each port.

Plot Keywords:

Gibraltar | Morocco | Ferry Boat | Tangiers | Bigamist

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 nomination

Cast

Alec Guinness	...	Captain Henry St. James
Yvonne De Carlo	...	Nita St. James
Celia Johnson	...	Maud St. James
Charles Goldner	...	Chief Officer Ricco
Miles Malleson	...	Lawrence St. James
Walter Crisham	...	Bob
Nicholas Phipps	...	The Major
Bill Fraser	...	Absalom (taxi driver)
Ferdy Mayne	...	The Sheikh
Sebastian Cabot	...	Ali (vendor)
Peter Bull	...	Kalikan firing-squad officer
Claudia Grey	...	Susan Dailey
Ann Hefferman	...	Daphne Bligh
Arthur Gomez	...	Chief steward
George Benson	...	Mr. Salmon
Joss Ambler	...	Prof. Ebbart
Victor Fairley	...	Customs official #1
Michael Balfour	...	Customs official #2
Robert Adair	...	Customs official #3
Jacinta Dicks	...	Flower seller
Alejandro Martínez	...	Guitarist
Tutte Lemkow	...	Principal dancer
Andreas Malandrinos	...	Maitre d'Hotel (as Andre Malandrinos)
Armand Guinle	...	Chief engineer
Paul Armstrong	...	Deck officer
Raymond Hoole	...	Storekeeper
Henry B. Longhurst	...	Prof. Killick
Bernard Rebel	...	Mr. Wheeler
Ambrosine Phillpotts	...	Majorie (with the major)
Catherina Ferraz	...	Shopkeeper
Roger Delgado	...	Kalikan policeman
Joyce Barbour	...	Mrs. Reid (housekeeper)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Pauline Challoner	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
Roy Purcell	...	Officer of the Watch (uncredited)
Robert Rietty	...	Tea Vendor at Market (uncredited)

Directed by
Anthony Kimmins

Writing credits
Alec Coppel		(story)
Alec Coppel		(writer) and
Nicholas Phipps		(writer)

Produced by
Anthony Kimmins	....	producer

Original Music by
Malcolm Arnold

Cinematography by
Edward Scaife		(as Ted Scaife)

Film Editing by
Gerald Turney-Smith		(as G. Turney-Smith)

Art Direction by
Paul Sheriff

Costume Design by
Julia Squire

Makeup Department
Gordon Bond	....	hair stylist
George Partleton	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Sydney Streeter	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jack Causey	....	assistant director
Alec Gibb	....	second assistant director (uncredited)

Sound Department
John Cox	....	sound supervisor
Lee Doig	....	sound editor
Red Law	....	sound recordist
Bert Ross	....	sound recordist

Camera and Electrical Department
Denys N. Coop	....	location camera operator (as Denys Coop)
Peter Newbrook	....	camera operator
Gerry Fisher	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Norman Hargood	....	still photographer (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Bridget Sellers	....	wardrober

Music Department
Muir Mathieson	....	conductor

Other crew
Walter Crisham	....	dance director
Pamela Davies	....	continuity
Tutte Lemkow	....	dance director

Production Companies

• London Film Productions

Distributors

• British Lion Film Corporation (1953) (USA) (theatrical)
• Lopert Pictures Corporation (1953) (USA) (theatrical)
• 5 Continents (195?) (Belgium) (theatrical)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Optimum Home Entertainment (2004) (UK) (DVD)
• Studio Canal (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Thorn EMI Video (198?) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (1990) (UK) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Crest National  DVD coding

Also Known As:

Runtime:

94 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Sweden:Btl | UK:A (original rating) | UK:U (video rating) (1990)

Filming Locations:

Gibraltar

Company:

London Film Productions

Trivia:

Professional dancer Yvonne De Carlo persuaded director Anthony Kimmins to talk Alec Guinness into doing the mambo with her in a night club sequence. Guinness, not usually thought of as a physical actor, consented to a week's worth of dance lessons from De Carlo and the sequence is one of the film's highlights.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: The shots of the ship at night are obviously of a model, as can be seen by the movement of the sea at the bow.

Quotes:

Capt. Henry St. James:Keep an eye on them. They're a wicked lot.

Movie Connections:

Edited into The Clock (2010)

Delightfully sly British comedy

Ship's captain Alec Guinness seems to have a dull life, he's had the same job for years, taking his ship back and forth between Gibraltar and Morocco. Little does anyone know, that the Captain has worked out his idea of a paradise, he has a wife at either end of the line! In British Gibraltar Cecia Johnson gives him all the comforts of domesticity and respectability, and in Morocco sexy Yvonne DeCarlo gives him... you know. Of course, such a life is doomed to complications, and thereby hangs the plot of the film.

A subtly wicked comedy, a lesser "Kind Hearts and Coronets".

Never really belly-laugh funny, but highly witty and great fun. And I love the ending, it's perfect.