Really Surprised!

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

A Disappointing Continuation

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

Screenright Michael Pertwee and helmer Mario Zampi had two bites at the cherry some six years apart and now Talking Pictures have acquired both Laughter In Paradise (1951) and The Naked Truth (1957) and screen both every few weeks. What emerges from this is that Laughter In Paradise retains all its freshness and stands up far better than The Naked Truth (which, nevertheless) is still well worth seeing. As pedants have pointed out here on imdb the plot does nod to Brewster's Millions but if anyone DOES find something new under the sun perhaps they'd be kind enough to share it. The premise is both simple and effective and actually plays fair with the audience inasmuch as Hugh Griffith is identified as a celebrated practical joker from moment one so we shouldn't be surprised when - after bequeathing £50,000 each to four relatives on condition that each performs a bizarre task well out of his or her comfort zone, and they comply - he turns out to have spent the money before he died. The fun, of course, is watching how the legatees deal with the terms of the will. Well written, cast and directed there is still lots of pleasure to be extracted sixty-odd years later.

This movie is one of the wittiest and best sophisticated comedies every written – and ever acted. "Laughter in Paradise" ranks up there with a handful of great "quiet" comedies, such as "It Happened One Night." That 1934 film was the first and only comedy, and one of only three movies to win the big five Academy Awards – for best picture, director, screenplay, actor and actress. This movie probably didn't get much attention in 1951 Hollywood because it is a British film. But it's as good or better than the 1934 Oscar winner.These "quiet" films are not comedies of antics and hijinks that elicit rollicking laughter. Instead, they have clever and witty dialog with scenes in which the humor is as much in the situation and the performances of the actors. Unlike laugh fests, these films evoke chuckles, grins, knowing nods, smiles and other pleasant responses (even an occasional howl or burst of laughter). The screenplay for "Laughter in Paradise" is outstanding. The story is very clever and original. The plot is about four relatives – all Russells, inheriting an estate. But, hidden within are four separate stories of people changing, growing and finding new meaning in life – and new lives. It's all neatly wrapped in a mantle of ingenious comedy. The success of the comedy depends almost as much on the performances of the players. All of the cast excel in their roles. The nuances, insinuations and intimations are performed realistically and with whimsy. And, we viewers revel in the humor of each scene and situation. Top billing in the film goes to Alastair Sim as Deniston Russell. Without a doubt, Sim is one of the best British comedy actors of the 20th century. His character has some of the wittiest dialog exchanges, and some of the funniest situations. Aiding and abetting him in the comedy is Joyce Grenfell who plays Elizabeth Robson, aka "Muffy" to whom Deniston has been engaged for ten years. A.E. Matthews plays her father with aplomb – Sir Charles Robson. Very close to Sims in his role are George Cole as Herbert and Guy Middleton as Simon. Fay Compton is superb as Agnes. Her role is as much serious as comedic, but she shares some wonderful comedy situations with John Laurie who plays Gordon Webb. Other supporting actors are excellent in their roles. Ronald Adam plays the nasty and mean- mannered bank manager, Mr. Wagstaff. Or, as Herbert says, "Mr. Wag-stoff," who refers to Herbert as a bank "clark." There's more than a little exaggeration with some English accents. Eleanor Summerfield plays Sheila Wilcott, the very competent and admiring secretary to Deniston. Mackenzie Ward is Benson, the loyal and clever butler to Simon. Beatrice Campbell is Lucille Grayson, all too ready to be snared by Simon. Several small parts are very good – a couple of police sergeants and constables, Gordon Webb's daughter Joan, the private detective Roger Godfrey and others. One other notable mention is Audrey Hepburn as a cigarette girl. The beginning film credits even draw attention to her: "And introducing Audrey Hepburn." It was just her second film that came out just a month after her debut in a lesser movie, "One Wild Oat."This is a great film and one that should be in every serious movie collector's library. It should be on any list of the funniest movies of all time. The musical score is excellent. The direction and all quality aspects are superb. And there are some scenes with little or no dialog that will have one chuckling if not laughing out loud. Sims has great scenes trying to get caught shoplifting and later in court. Here are some sample lines from the film. The humor of these is magnified greatly by the visuals.Agnes, "It should not be necessary for people to die in order to have their photograph dusted."Herbert, "Oh, no sir. She's not a lady. She's my landlady."Dictating an opening scene of a new crime novel to Sheila, Deniston says, "I walked over and slugged her in the kisser… She certainly was a swell tomato." Sheila (Miss Wilcott), "Not many people can get a book published at all, and look at you. Scores of them and under 15 different names."Elizabeth, to Deniston, "You promised to take me out tonight, and I've had a bath especially."Herbert, "It's impossible. Not even a real gangster would dare to point a gun at Mr. Wag-stoff. Or point anything at Mr. Wag-stoff."Deniston, to Simon, "I couldn't possibly burgle somebody I didn't know."Simon, after stopping to help a stranded motorist (Lucille), "Do you know anything about cars?" Lucille, "Not a thing." Simon, "Fine!" He looks under the hood and turns to Lucille, "Well, if you ask me, circumventer on the ubiquitous praxtile…" Lucille, "What?" Simon, "… seems to be blown."Herbert, "Well, sometimes worms change their spots."Deniston, "Elizabeth, you have no idea what it cost me to be rude to your father. Or, for that matter, what it would have cost me if I hadn't been."

Hugh Griffith, a terribly rich prankster, dies and splits his fortune up between four of his relatives on the condition that they fulfill certain obligations. In general, they must disclose the elements of the will to no one. And then there are specific requirements for each beneficiary.Fay Compton, Griffith's cousin, is a prune-like, bitter woman who dominates her friends and excoriates her maid for slight infractions. Her job is to find work as a maid for one week without being fired. She winds up in the household of the cantankerous, bossy, hypochondriac John Laurie, who does a fine number on the fast-talking sadist. He was the Scottish farmer in "The 39 Steps" who asked, "Do ye eat the herring?" George Cole is the mousy bank teller who must don a mask and pretend to hold up a bank with a water pistol.Guy Middleton is the picaresque moocher and ladies' man who must marry the first woman he talks to after the reading of the will is complete.Alistair Sim, the survivor-in-chief, is a respectable retired Army captain who writes Mickey Spillane novels under various noms de plume in order to preserve his dignity. His job is to commit a crime that causes him to spend 28 days in prison.All four of the beneficiaries undergo complications of one sort or another. Some are funnier than others. Cole earns respect by accident at his bank. Compton's story is meant to be heartwarming. Middleton ends up the victim of a plot himself. All of them learn something about life and about themselves, and find their situations improved, despite the final prank of the great prankster.Sim's story is the funniest and he handles the comedy flawlessly. Like Charles Laughton in that O. Henry story, he can't seem to get himself into jail. His attempt at shop lifting is foiled when the expensive item he steals is stolen from him by pickpockets. The most amusing scene in the film is Sim's trial for breaking a window and bopping a cop with his umbrella. The magistrate turns out to be a friend of his and is reluctant to prosecute him. But Sim prods him mercilessly and offers no defense. Very well, he gets 14 days in the slams. That's not enough. He needs 28 days. So he calls his friend a pompous ass. The sympathetic magistrate becomes insulted and adds another 7 days. That's still only 21 -- not yet enough. Sim affirms his insult and adds that the judge isn't fit to conduct a bus let alone a courtroom trial. Boiled down like this, it probably sounds less amusing that it appears on screen.It's not hilarious. It's not a masterpiece of the sort that Ealing Studios were turning out in the 1950s. It shouldn't even be mentioned in the same breath as a side-splitting comedy like "The L_________s." But you'll find it diverting.

Any film with Alastair Sim is worth watching, but this must rank as one of his best. Here he really displays his comic genius; his scenes can rightly be described as a masterclass in the art of comedy. Not before time, this has now become available on DVD, although, as yet, only part of a box set. Since Alastair Sim appears in the other films offered, this is not a great drawback. The other main characters in the film are also very good, particularly Fay Compton, and the supporting roles are filled well, with the always reliable Joyce Grenfell giving great satisfaction. The plot, too, is a cut above the usual, and it all adds up to a very satisfying experience, and one which I have watched many times, and hopefully will watch many more times.