Laughter in Paradise
In the upper storey bedroom of his prestigious London abode, Henry Augustus Russell, unrepentant practical joker extraordinaire, breathes his last, yet he still intends that his laughter should continue beyond the grave as per the explicit provisions governing the four beneficiaries of his last will and testament, his only relatives of whom he was not overly fond.
Gathered by executor Endicott are the pompous Captain Deniston Russell, retired and apparently unoccupied but secretly a prolific novelist under a series of pseudonyms, the bitter spinster Agnes Russell, philandering womaniser and debtor Simon Russell and timid junior bank clerk Herbert Russell; each are told they stand to inherit a sum of £50,000, but only if they complete a specific task and tell nobody why.
For Deniston, he must commit a crime and serve twenty eight days in jail, while Herbert must rob the bank in which he works; Herbert is obliged to marry the first available woman he speaks to, and Agnes must secure and maintain occupation as a domestic servant for a full month. All are shocked and hesitant, but the inheritance is significant if they can force themselves to accede to Henry’s expectations.
Directed by Mario Zampi from a script by Jack Davies and Michael Pertwee, who also has a role as colleague of Herbert’s, Laughter in Paradise is the second classic British comedy starring Alastair Sim to be restored on Blu-ray as part of StudioCanal’s Vintage Classics range in as many months, here appearing as Deniston, mortified at the obligation to behave as though he were a common criminal from one of his own low-brow novels and desperate to conceal his activities from his overly indulgent fiancé, Elizabeth “Fluffy” Robson (Joyce Grenfell).
With an ensemble comprising the best British talent of the era, Oh! What a Lovely War‘s Guy Middleton is Simon while The Cockleshell Heroes‘ Beatrice Campbell is the woman he passes over Audrey Hepburn for, The Green Man’s George Cole is Herbert, cowering behind his mask and toy gun, and Bride of Frankenstein‘s Ernest Thesiger is the wily Endicott, but it is The Haunting‘s Fay Compton whose wonderful performance provides the emotional context upon which the other characters’ comedic journeys depend, believably shifting from frosty maid to empathy and personal sacrifice.
Originally released in 1951 when it was the fourth largest hit of the year at the British box office, the new edition of Laughter in Paradise contains an enthusiastic appreciation by Stephen Fry, a recording of Sim’s address upon accepting the position of Rector of Edinburgh University in 1949, the quality sadly reflecting the vintage source, and an entertaining short wartime public information film starring Sim and Cole urging for the parsimonious usage of fuel.
Laughter in Paradise will be available on Blu-ray and DVD from StudioCanal from Monday 29th June
