Laughter in Paradise

1951 "He sets the whole world laughing ... there's even Laughter in Paradise !"
7.1| 1h37m| NR| en| More Info
Released: 11 November 1951 Released
Producted By: Mario Zampi Productions
Country: United Kingdom
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Synopsis

When an eccentric practical joker dies, he divides his fortune among four heirs. But before they can collect the cash they must each do something which goes completely against their nature. NB: This is the film which introduced Audrey Hepburn.

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Mario Zampi Productions

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Reviews

Exoticalot People are voting emotionally.
CommentsXp Best movie ever!
MoPoshy Absolutely brilliant
ChicRawIdol A brilliant film that helped define a genre
writers_reign Screenright Michael Pertwee and helmer Mario Zampi had two bites at the cherry some six years apart and now Talking Pictures have acquired both Laughter In Paradise (1951) and The Naked Truth (1957) and screen both every few weeks. What emerges from this is that Laughter In Paradise retains all its freshness and stands up far better than The Naked Truth (which, nevertheless) is still well worth seeing. As pedants have pointed out here on imdb the plot does nod to Brewster's Millions but if anyone DOES find something new under the sun perhaps they'd be kind enough to share it. The premise is both simple and effective and actually plays fair with the audience inasmuch as Hugh Griffith is identified as a celebrated practical joker from moment one so we shouldn't be surprised when - after bequeathing £50,000 each to four relatives on condition that each performs a bizarre task well out of his or her comfort zone, and they comply - he turns out to have spent the money before he died. The fun, of course, is watching how the legatees deal with the terms of the will. Well written, cast and directed there is still lots of pleasure to be extracted sixty-odd years later.
moonspinner55 Occasionally likable bit of British whimsy has the four greedy, spineless relatives of a deceased practical joker having to humble or humiliate themselves to get their share of the inheritance; naturally, behaving in a manner they're not accustomed to, they become better individuals. Nicely-cast comedy-drama gives Fay Compton in particular a marvelous role as a shrike who is reduced to working as a maid; small bits by Sebastian Cabot (as a poker player with marvelous eyes) and Audrey Hepburn (as a cigarette girl with a tiny little voice) are also worth noting. Hepburn made brief appearances in several British films of the early-'50s before her breakthrough role in 1953's "Roman Holiday", and it's clear from her cameo here that she had star-charisma but was in need of direction and molding. The picture isn't very funny or fresh, but there are bits and pieces which are successful. ** from ****
Spart-3 One would be hard-pressed not to laugh along with the Russell family in the final scene of this, my most favorite of British post-war comedies. It is a comedy in every sense, albeit one which points up several life lessons as it unfolds. Alistair Sim - whose roles have run the gamut from Headmistress of a girls' public school (the St. Trinian's series)to benign assassin (The Green Man) to the dramatic (the quintessential Scrooge in A Christmas Carol) once again proves here that he is without doubt the best of many comic actors in the English cinema. Surrounded by a cast of equal talents (Fay Compton, George Cole, Guy Middleton, A.E. Matthews, John Laurie, and the irrepressible Joyce Grenfell) Sim leads a Light Cavalry charge through a wonderfully woven plot. There are wonderful morals to be learned here also. If you haven't seen this gem, by all means get the video and fill that gaping void in your filmic experiences.
Stamp-3 This is such a funny film! It's a clever plot which owes more than something to the old "warhorse" Brewster's Millions, and is filled with the eccentric lunacy which characterised so many British films made after WW2.Alistair Sim is THE truly great British comic actor, even more so than Alec Guinness or Peter Sellers. To watch the scene when he tries to get arrested for shoplifting in the department store is to experience sheer comic inspiration.I am no fan of remakes (have you seen the Thomas Crown remake!!), but funnily enough I am amazed that Hollywood hasn't had a go at this. In the right hands it could be made to work again.