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Alec Guinness, Irene Browne, T E B White, Maurice Denham, Richard Wattis, Lionel Jeffries, Charles Frend, George Rose, Allan Cuthbertson, Victor Maddern, Harold Goodwin, Michael Balcon, Percy HerbertSee more
Classic Ealing comedy starring Alec Guinness. Captain Ambrose (Guinness) has a problem - a serious problem. Despite being descended from a famous seafaring family, he struggles on board ship because of chronic seasickness. At the end of the war, he decides to quit the waves and take a shore command. Buying the amusement arcade on the pier at Sandcastle-On-Sea, he looks for a calm life. But even on shore, he finds the waters rough. Opposition comes in the form of the local town council, which decides that all forms of gambling should be banned. From then on, Captain Ambrose faces stormy seas and all is definitely not plain sailing.
Product details
Is discontinued by manufacturer
:
No
Package Dimensions
:
19 x 13.6 x 1.6 cm; 69 Grams
Manufacturer reference
:
5055201802002
Director
:
Charles Frend
Media Format
:
PAL
Run time
:
1 hour and 27 minutes
Release date
:
2 Feb. 2009
Actors
:
Alec Guinness, Irene Browne, Maurice Denham, Percy Herbert, Victor Maddern
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Technically speaking, this is just another good film but it deserves four stars for it's wonderfully charming, whimsical and yet improbable story. I doubt if it would have worked without Alec Guiness, famed for playing weaselly smart Alecs, yet in a deliciously charming way. Many of his early films were satirical parodies and this is no exception. However, what fascinated me is the almost childish fantasy of pretending that a pier is a cruiser ship - with such a holiday being unaffordable by many people in the 1950s. The film also wins on it's lovable attention to detail, which stops the somewhat limited plot collapsing on its self, details such as Captain Guiness sleeping in an upside-down house on the end of the pier, with all the trappings of a seafarer's cabin. So if you want a nice, quiet, charming old comedy that fills you with chuckles while it parodies the corruption and pettiness of local government and shipping laws, then this is for you !
Another Alec Guiness character taking on ( and deflating) the egos of corrupt small-town officials. After retirement, Captain William Horatio Ambrose dreams of owning a more static command in form of a run-down pier. This can easily become a nightmare if councilors, with their own plans, succeed in blocking any of his attempts to improve things. He finds an unlikely ally in Irene Browne, owner of holiday beach huts, who upon first meeting accuses him of spying. All starch and tweed, his charm, a few nips of rum & betrayal from her greedy fellow colleagues, turn things and both prepare to repel unwelcome boarders. I don't recall having seen this film all the way through before & it was my loss as quite a lot was put into the eighty minutes or so of this Ealing treasure. Also enjoyable, was recognising familiar faces of those supporting actors --- mainly from that 1950s run of war movies.
Saw the end of the film on cable channel and had to buy it. Got it today and watched it straight away. Love this film. Alec Guinness is great in it. I didn't understand the French cheering at the end, but guessed it was for his accomplishment. I won't mention what it is, in case there is someone in the world who hasn't seen it and doesn't want me to spoil the ending. A must see film.
I hadn't seen this movie but had heard about it. A a fan of Alec Guinness I was happy to spend the small amount needed. Both my wife and I thoroughly enjoyed it. We believe it also had 'Mrs Pamphrey' from the 'All Creatures' series in it but not sure without seeing credits for that show
I am an ardent collector of films in which Alec Guinness plays any - even a cameo - role. But I had not seen this one yet. Very pleasant, light but not at all trivial, entertainment. A sobering window on some of the mindless aspects of post-war austerity in Britain. Guinness is as superb as ever.
I well remember watching old Black and White films on the television on Sunday afternoons and this wonderful film reminded me of those bygone days.
The story is about a sea captain (Alec Guiness) who gets terribly seasick and ends up retiring and buying a pier which he turns into a 'ship'. You have to watch the film to understand what I mean. This is typical of the films made by the score in the fifties for cinema hungry film lovers, if that is what you like, then this is most definitely for you.
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