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.
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Title: The Captain's Paradise (1953)
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| 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 Heffernan | ... | Daphne Bligh (as Ann Hefferman) |
|
|
Arthur Gomez | ... | Chief steward |
|
|
George Benson | ... | Mr. Salmon |
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Plot Summary
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Storyline
Mediterranean ferryboat Captain Henry St. James has things well organized, a loving and very English wife Maud in Gibraltar, and the loving, if rather more hot-blooded Mistress, Nita in Tangiers. A perfect life. As long as neither woman decides to follow him to the other port. Written by Jeremy Perkins <jwp@aber.ac.uk>
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He makes two-timing an art...and gets away with it See more »Certificate:
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Details
Country:
UKLanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
28 September 1953 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Paradise See more »Company Credits
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Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Recording)Color:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1
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Capt. Henry St. James: That's the girl! Man toils and women spins.
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Did You Know?
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. See more »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. See more »Quotes
Maud St. James: [delighted with her new vacuum cleaner] When you go off on your old ship tomorrow, I'm going to plug this in and give this house the biggest spring cleaning it's ever had.Capt. Henry St. James: That's the girl! Man toils and women spins.
See more »
Alternate Versions
Some prints of "The Captain's Paradise" run 77 minutes. See more »Frequently Asked Questions
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Alec Guinness lives "The Captain's Paradise" in this 1953 Ealing light comedy. Guinness plays the captain of a ferry going from the British colony of Gibraltor to Spanish Morocco, who, according to his chief officer Ricco (Charles Goldner), has found the recipe for true happiness. He is, so sayeth the officer, a genius.
His recipe is a simple one, and as we have learned recently, with the news of Charles Lindbergh having another family in Germany, and the book "Pilot" - it's more common that we knew. The captain, Henry St. James, has a wife in each port. Celia Johnson is his British wife, a homemaker and excellent cook. The two lead an orderly life - in bed by 10, and when he comes home, he brings her a gift for the household. His Moroccan wife, who calls him "Jimmy," is Yvonne DeCarlo. She's sexy, a dancer who loves the nightlife. The two drink champagne, take moonlight swims, and go dancing.
Of course, as time goes on, problems ensue. For one thing, the women become bored with their roles.
A very funny film, with an interesting message about roles and how, as people grow older, they want to take on different ones.
Guinness is excellent as the happy and then frustrated man in their lives. The best scene, though, is Celia Johnson dancing with her cousin Bob (Walter Crisham) - hilarious.
Highly recommended