Lord Loam (Cecil Parker) does his best to be progressive with regard to the equality of man, though his butler Crichton (Kenneth More) will have none of it. When the two of them, along with the lord’s three daughters, Mary, Catherine, and Agatha (Sally Ann Howes, Mercy Haystead, Miranda Connell), two of the girl’s suitors (Jack Watling, Gerald Harper), and a maid (Diane Cilento) are shipwrecked, they stick to social hierarchy, but now with Crichton on top as the governor.
An outlier of the Post-war British Comedy movement, The Admirable Crichton (released with the title Paradise Lagoon in the US) has the movement regulars Cecil Parker and Miles Malleson, involves quirky characters in an unusual situation, and takes shots at class distinctions. But it is also a period piece and lacks the “We can do it” ending that most of the Ealing movies had, instead going for bittersweet.
The humor comes almost exclusively from class conflict. More does a reasonable job, although he’s more at home in dramas such as Sink the Bismarck! The supporting cast, particularly Harper and Cilento revel in the comedy, and Parker steals every scene he’s in, which is almost always the case in any film he’s in. Around the halfway point, class ceases (for a time) to cause conflict, and the film turns into a frothy drama with romantic leanings. It’s still fun but has an insubstantial feel.
In the end, this is an enjoyable way to spend an hour and a half and little more, which is fine.
Cecil Parker’s other Post-war British Comedies include The Man in the White Suit (1951), The Ladykillers (1955), Happy Is the Bride (1958), The Pure Hell of St. Trinian’s (1960), and Heavens Above! (1963)