Home | Movies By Year | Movies from 1943
The Demi-Paradise
Buy The Demi-Paradise now from AmazonFirst, read the Wikipedia article. Then, scroll down to see what other TopShelfReviews readers thought about the movie. And once you've experienced the movie, tell everyone what you thought about it.
Wikipedia article
'The Demi-Paradise' (also known as 'Adventure for Two') is a 1943 British comedy film made by Two Cities Films. It stars Laurence Olivier as a Soviet Russian inventor who travels to England to have his revolutionary propeller manufactured, and Penelope Dudley-Ward as the woman who falls in love with him. It was directed by Anthony Asquith and produced by Anatole de Grunwald and Filippo Del Giudice from a screenplay by de Grunwald. The music score was by Nicholas Brodszky and the cinematography by Bernard Knowles. The film was shot at Denham Studios with sets designed by the art director Carmen Dillon.
The film is a gentle satire on the values the English hold so dear. It was designed to encourage sympathy between Britain and the Soviet Union. The film's title is a reference to John of Gaunt's famous speech in 'Richard II' which begins:
:This royal throne of kings, this scepter'd isle,
:This earth of majesty, this seat of Mars,
:This other Eden, demi-paradise
Plot summary
Ivan Kouznetsoff (Laurence Olivier), a Russian inventor, travels to England to introduce the British shipping industry to his newly invented and improved propeller blade. There he meets socialite Anne Tisdall (Penelope Dudley-Ward), and falls for her. Meeting Anne and hearing her views turn his own previous conceptions about the capitalist system and its degenerates upside down. After a lovers' quarrel, Ivan heads back to Russian only to be recalled to England a year later to smooth out imperfections in his design. Despite his efforts, his modifications prove to be unsound and he seems destined to return to the Soviet Union in disgrace.
Anne convinces the local shipbuilders to work around the clock in order to realise the revolutionary propeller. Soon they solve the problem, and there is a very successful launch of the new line of ships. Ivan can return to the Soviet Union to aid the war effort, enriched by Anne's love.
Cast
* Laurence Olivier as Ivan Kouznetsoff
* Penelope Dudley-Ward as Ann Tisdall
* Marjorie Fielding as Mrs. Tisdall
* Margaret Rutherford as Rowena Ventnor
* Felix Aylmer as Mr. Runalow
*George Thorpe as Herbert Tisdall
* Leslie Henson as Himself
* Guy Middleton as Dick Christian
* Michael Shepley as Mr. Walford
* Edie Martin as Miss Winifred Tisdall
* Muriel Aked as Mrs. Tisdall-Stanton
* Joyce Grenfell as Sybil Paulson
* Everley Gregg as Mrs. Flannel
* Jack Watling as Tom
* David Keir as Jordan
* Aubrey Mallalieu as Toomes, the Butler
* Beatrice Harrison as Herself
* Miles Malleson as Theatre Cashier
* John Laurie as Wounded sailor
* Brian Nissen as George Tisdall
* George Cole as Percy
* Harry Fowler as Evacuee
* Marie Ault as Mrs. Jones
* Gladys Henson as Mrs. Frost
* John Boxer as British Sailor
* Alexis Chesnakov as Russian Delegate
* Josephine Middleton as Mrs. Tremlow
* Margaret Withers as Mrs. Elliston
* Charles Paton as Mr. Bishop
* Wilfrid Hyde-White as Nightclub Waiter
* Mavis Clair as Barmaid
References
Buy The Demi-Paradise now from Amazon
<-- Return to movies from 1943