 | Starring: Alec Guinness, Celia Johnson, Yvonne De Carlo, Charles Goldmer, Miles Malleson Director: Anthony Kimmins Format: PAL Released: 28 Mar 2005 RRP: Average Rating:  |
Although I do not rank The Captain's Paradise in the highest echelon of Guinness' comedies, his character is nonetheless a highly entertaining variation on Thurber's Walter Mitty. As the film begins, Captain Henry St. James seems to be having his cake & eating it too. In a word, bigamy. He has Maud in Gibraltar (played by Celia Johnson) & Nita (played by Yvonne de Carlo) in North Africa. This ship's captain has not only a girl but a devoted wife in each port. Working with a script by Alex Coppel-Nicholas Phipps & directed by Anthony Kimmins, Guinness is in fine form as both the prim & proper husband of homebody Maud & the night clubbing companion of the sultry Nita. One of the oldest & most effective of comic devices is the role reversal. In reality, Maud years to be viewed as St. James sees Nita & Nita...you get the idea. That is the basic conceit of this delightful film.
The plot developments accelerate when St. James purchases what he deems to be appropriate gifts for his two wives, only to get them mixed up & inadvertently gives the wrong one to each. Their reactions threaten his paradise. How does he handle the crisis? What is his situation as the film ends? And are there any lessons to be learned from alll this? Judge for yourself. One final point: If you have not already seen this & the other four films in "The Alec Guinness Collection," I envy you. I reallly do.
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