This Movie Can Only Be Described With One Word.

It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

It is both painfully honest and laugh-out-loud funny at the same time.

An Anthony Kimmins Production for London Films. Released by British Lion in the U.K. (3 August 1953), by London Films in Australia (18 March 1954), by United Artists in the USA (18 December 1953).Copyright in the USA on 18 December 1953 by British Lion Film Corp., Ltd. Registered: June 1953. "A" certificate. Original length: 8,400 feet. Running times: 93 minutes (UK), 88 minutes (Australia), 77 minutes (USA). New York opening at the Paris: 28 September 1953. Sydney opening at the Embassy.SYNOPSIS: This sailor — he's the captain actually — has a wife in every port — well actually just two ports. Needless to say, the ship runs a continuous shuttle service from one port to the other.COMMENT: Takes some time to get under way but emerges as a fairly amusing comedy, thanks to the talents of Alec Guinness and Charles Goldner and despite the lack-luster direction of Anthony Kimmins. Fortunately, the script has a good, basic comedy idea, which Guinness and Goldner exploit to the hilt. The support players do all that is required of them, though one does get tired of Yvonne De Carlo's perpetually fractured English.Production values are up to "A" standard, though it is very obvious that not a single member of the professional cast left the comfort of the studio, as all the 2nd unit shots are poorly matched.

A sea captain conveniently keeps a wife at each of the two ports he shuttles between routinely. As in so many comedies of this period, Guinness is marvelous as the bigamist who concocts the perfect wife out of the two women - plain Johnson (in a rare comedic role) as the demure, devoted British woman and beautiful De Carlo (incredibly hot) as the voluptuous Latina. Of course the two women have a chance encounter, leading to the funniest scenes of the film. Alas, the laughs are few and far between. It's surprising that this film received an Oscar nomination for its writing because it fails to mine the amusing premise for its comedic potential.

This film is a treat! It is the tale of an English sea Captain (Alec Guiness) who thinks he has devised the perfect arrangement for paradise. He has a wife in two ports - each one half his idea of the perfect woman. His English wife (Celia Johnson) is the dutiful, domestic wife, whilst his Latin wife (Yvonne De Carlo) provides the excitement which he craves. All three play their roles well - Alec Guinness is a delight to watch, making you root for him and at times losing sympathy for him. The two wives appear to be stereotypical characters - but neither is quite as they seem! The script is witty and perceptive and the plot always engaging. I can recommend setting sail for the Captain's Paradise!

When Captain Henry James is executed by firing squad, flags all over the region are lowered to half-mast in sorrow. On the day of his execution an old companion comes to look him up but too late to see him before the deed is done. Sitting with James' Chief Officer, the man listens to the story behind his execution and hears a tale of an international ferry, a Mrs James in Algeria, a Mrs James in Gibraltar and a man with very different lives depending on his longitude and latitude.With a simple premise this Ealing-style comedy was never going to be a surprise but when it starts with the main character being executed then it at least offers the audience something they didn't expect and it made it more interesting than another version that I had seen involving Jerry Lewis and airhostesses on different flight paths (forget the name). What is amusing about the subject (James has two wives – one domestic the other a party girl) is that it is still relevant today because men (us) still want a woman to be everything we want (as Ludicrous rhymed recently, "a lady in the street but a freak in the bed") and it is this duality that the film establishes in the two ports to good effect. The plot sets up this "perfect" life and then, predictably, picks it away, crossing the two women well and seeing James frustrated as his perfect set ups start to merge. It is never really hilarious but it is consistently amusing throughout and the script plays with the characters with wit and genuine charm.The actors needed to do well with the script then and they do. Guinness is strong, at times keeping the audience with him, at others letting us see through him and care for his wives. De Carlo is sassy and sexy as required (even if her accent is a bit off) and conversely Johnson is the typical Englishman's wife; both play their roles well but also change well when the script requires. Modern viewers may be a little put off by white actors playing Algerians but it didn't bother me at all and I felt that the support cast did well in support of the lead three.Overall this is a lovely little comedy that is consistently amusing with a nice script and good performances from the main actors. It isn't too surprising or hilarious but fans of Ealing comedies will enjoy it as a light bit of entertainment.