The Captain's Paradise

1953
PG
1h 34m

IMDb RATING

6.8/10

1.8K

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

Comedy Romance

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.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.8/10

1.8K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 2 nominations total

Videos1

Trailer 2:06

Official Trailer

Photos21

+ 14

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The Browning Version

Storyline

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Did you know

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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

Featured review

7/10

delightful

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