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IMDbPro

The Captain's Paradise

  • 19531953
  • ApprovedApproved
  • 1h 34m
IMDb RATING
6.8/10
1.7K
YOUR RATING
Alec Guinness, Yvonne De Carlo, and Celia Johnson in The Captain's Paradise (1953)
The 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.
Play trailer2:06
1 Video
21 Photos
ComedyRomance
The 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.The 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.The 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.
IMDb RATING
6.8/10
1.7K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Anthony Kimmins
  • Writers
    • Alec Coppel(screenplay)
    • Nicholas Phipps(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Alec Guinness
    • Peter Bull
    • Charles Goldner
  • Director
    • Anthony Kimmins
  • Writers
    • Alec Coppel(screenplay)
    • Nicholas Phipps(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Alec Guinness
    • Peter Bull
    • Charles Goldner
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 39User reviews
    • 28Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar
      • 2 nominations total

    Videos1

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 2:06
    Watch Official Trailer

    Photos21

    Alec Guinness and Charles Goldner in The Captain's Paradise (1953)
    Alec Guinness and Celia Johnson in The Captain's Paradise (1953)
    Alec Guinness and Yvonne De Carlo in The Captain's Paradise (1953)
    Alec Guinness and Yvonne De Carlo in The Captain's Paradise (1953)
    Alec Guinness and Yvonne De Carlo in The Captain's Paradise (1953)
    Yvonne De Carlo in The Captain's Paradise (1953)
    Yvonne De Carlo and Celia Johnson in The Captain's Paradise (1953)
    Alec Guinness and Yvonne De Carlo in The Captain's Paradise (1953)
    Alec Guinness in The Captain's Paradise (1953)
    Alec Guinness in The Captain's Paradise (1953)
    Nicholas Phipps in The Captain's Paradise (1953)
    Alec Guinness and Yvonne De Carlo in The Captain's Paradise (1953)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Alec Guinness
    Alec Guinness
    • Captain Henry St. James
    Peter Bull
    Peter Bull
    • Kalikan Officer
    Charles Goldner
    Charles Goldner
    • Ricco
    Miles Malleson
    Miles Malleson
    • Lawrence St. James
    Claudia Grey
    • Susan Daley
    Ann Heffernan
    • Daphne Bligh
    Arthur Gomez
    • Chief Steward
    Ferdy Mayne
    Ferdy Mayne
    • The Sheikh
    George Benson
    • Mr. Salmon
    Joss Ambler
    Joss Ambler
    • Professor Ebbart
    Victor Fairley
    • 1st Customs Official
    Michael Balfour
    Michael Balfour
    • 2nd Customs Official
    Robert Adair
    • 3rd Customs Official
    Sebastian Cabot
    Sebastian Cabot
    • Ali
    Bill Fraser
    • Absalom
    Jacinta Dicks
    • Flower Seller
    Yvonne De Carlo
    Yvonne De Carlo
    • Nita
    Alejandro Martínez
    • Guitarist
    • (as Alejandro Martinez)
    • Director
      • Anthony Kimmins
    • Writers
      • Alec Coppel(screenplay) (original story)
      • Nicholas Phipps(screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Professional dancer Yvonne De Carlo persuaded director Anthony Kimmins to talk Sir 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 this movie's highlights.
    • Goofs
      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

      Maud St. James: I'm 37, Henry, and I think it's time I started to live. I realize that I've missed a great many things, and I want to get them before it's too late. I want to stay up late before it's too late for me to stay up late.

    • Alternate versions
      Some prints of "The Captain's Paradise" run 77 minutes.
    • Connections
      Edited into The Clock (2010)

    User reviews39

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    6/10
    Lucille Toody's Favorite Movie
    I enjoyed this comedy, which demonstrates that one can't have one's cake and eat it too. Alec Guiness has found that he has a perfect recipe for happiness by being a bigamist. He has one wife in Gibraltar (Celia Johnson) and one in Ceuta (Yvonne De Carlo). As his business is running a ferry service between the two cities he has reason to be gone at least a night or two from either wife. He chooses Celia to mirror the perfect domestic spouse, and Yvonne for the perfect excitement spouse. But in truth both women are increasingly unhappy by the uneven state of their marriages. Johnson wants to go out with her husband to night spots, and De Carlo wants to cook him a dinner, and maybe play some bridge or charades with him. Instead of willingly switching the formula, Guiness foolishly prevents both women from getting their desire, and looses them both. Ironically they never discover he committed bigamy.

    It is not as good as "The Lavender Hill Mob", or "The Ladykillers", or "The Man in the White Suit" or "The Horse's Mouth", but it is as good as "The Card". Although admittedly second tier Guiness it is popular. It is also the only film of Guiness's to be mentioned in the television series "Car 54 Where Are You?". Lucille Toody thought it was so romantic. Imagine Gunther with two wives in the Bronx and Queens?
    helpful•16
    4
    • theowinthrop
    • Feb 27, 2005

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 28, 1953 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Languages
      • English
      • Spanish
      • Arabic
    • Also known as
      • Der Schlüssel zum Paradies
    • Filming locations
      • Gibraltar
    • Production company
      • London Film Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 34 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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    Alec Guinness, Yvonne De Carlo, and Celia Johnson in The Captain's Paradise (1953)
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