It Started in Paradise

The late Bob Baker in 'Film Dope' dismissed British cinema of the fifties as "battleship grey", but that simply made its Technicolor productions glow all the brighter by comparison (even those by the dreaded Herbert Wilcox).

As befits a film based on a novel by a woman (Marghanita Laski), the men are all pretty inert (although all the best lines go to a camp old columnist played by Ronald Squire); while being the fifties the women are of course fabulous. The photography by Jack Cardiff, sets by Edward Carrick and - inevitably - the clothes by Sheila Graham (although the 'working' clothes worn throughout the film by the women look far cooler to modern eyes than the often absurd creations seen paraded on the catwalk) engage throughout this film's duration in an unrelenting assault on the senses that leaves one at the end exhausted but exhilarated.

Martha is a dress designer who is longing for her big break, and finally gets it when she manages to convince her boss (whose designs are stuck in the past) that she needs a holiday. Alison, who is fresh out of school, assists Martha in getting the new company off the ground. The movie starts in 1938 and follows the course of the two girls and their careers over a period of about ten years. A smattering of comedy, a little romance, overall this is a fine drama. Half of it is set on the catwalk, and there are plenty of gorgeous outfits to look at, stylish even fifty years later.

I suppose as a man who thinks a woman's smile is what makes her beautiful, it's hard for me to be impressed by this story set in a haute couture house in London, as Jane Hylton pushes out house founder Martitia Hunt with the connivance of money man Ian Hunter. Nonetheless, I can recognize its ALL ABOUT EVE plot, with Muriel Pavlow as the up-and-coming designer, who's really too sweet for her own good.

There are three fashion shows to demonstrate the beauties of British Technicolor, and a lot of scenes shot in blue-lit darkness. Who better to shoot something like this than Jack Cardiff? In the end, it's a sympathetic look at ambition and a nice portrait of Miss Hylton's character, who is terribly competent at all aspects of her craft.... but knows she lacks true genius.

The best role is that acted by Ronald Squire, the fashion critic known only by his pen name of 'Mary Jane'. Cynical, insightful, and in the end self-mocking, he takes full advantage of his brief scenes to own them utterly.

The memorable aspect of this film is the technicolour photography by Jack Cardiff. This is one of the last films made in the original three strip. Eastmancolour had marketed their monopack which was much cheaper and.which was to be used by Rank in future productions. The clothes in the final fashion show have to be seen to be believed.

"It Started in Paradise" is an okay film. While I didn't adore it, it was an interesting character study and as such it's worth seeing.

The film begins in 1938 and it's set at a fashion salon. The problem is that the woman in charge is way behind the times and no one really wants her creations any more. As a result, ultimately she's forced out by Martha. Unfortunately for Martha, she's a one hit wonder herself and soon her studio is coasting....and WWII intervening didn't help any. Eventually, she, too, is forced out and the film ends.

There really is NOT a lot of plot to this one beyond what I mention above. It was mildly interesting but the film had too many fashion shows and really is not all that interesting. What IS interesting is Martha...a great character study of a particularly nasty piece of work.

By the way, get a load of the Elizabethan fashions that made the designer a star near the end...they are absolutely ludicrous!! I practically laughed when I saw these 'marvelous' designs.