Rires au paradis

After a wealthy eccentric dies, he leaves his very sizable fortune in equal portions to four relatives, but they can only claim the money if they each perform a difficult task. Former military officer and gentleman (and secret crime novelist) Deniston Russell (Alastair Sim) must spend 28 days in prison. Ill-tempered Agnes Russell (Fay Compton), often cruel to her own servants, must herself become a servant. Milquetoast bank teller Herbert Russell (George Cole) must rob his own bank, and his own boss, at gunpoint. And gambler and ladies man Simon Russell (Guy Middleton) must wed the first woman he speaks to. All four struggle to complete their tasks, each with unique and unexpected outcomes.

I wasn't much looking forward to this one, as I only recorded to see Audrey Hepburn's brief turn as a cigarette girl. Depending on the source, this was her movie debut, and it doesn't amount to much although she's very cute. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find this a charming little comedy with some winning performances and enjoyable plot turns. Sim steals the show as a proper gent utterly befuddled at trying to become a criminal, attempting a variety a minor offenses in an attempt to earn the requisite 28 days in the clink. Any fans of British comedy that missed this the last time it was shown would do well to try and catch it on its next showing.

This has got to be a classic of Ealing comedies.

Alistair Sim is at his best, the scene with the window (Fact-he ad-libbed most of the scene too)is proof that actors like him are few in between.

I saw this when I was a nipper as my father said that he enjoyed it when it first came out and even though I've seen it quiet a few times it's still fresh and amusing. Watch it and anything else with Mr Sims, this is British at it's best.

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.

Any film with Alastair Sim is worth watching, but this must rank as one of his best. Here he really displays his comic genius; his scenes can rightly be described as a masterclass in the art of comedy. Not before time, this has now become available on DVD, although, as yet, only part of a box set. Since Alastair Sim appears in the other films offered, this is not a great drawback. The other main characters in the film are also very good, particularly Fay Compton, and the supporting roles are filled well, with the always reliable Joyce Grenfell giving great satisfaction. The plot, too, is a cut above the usual, and it all adds up to a very satisfying experience, and one which I have watched many times, and hopefully will watch many more times.

This is a most excellent example of the comic talents of Alistair Sim. His bungling attempts to get himself arrested had me in stitches. Particularly trying to get the store detective, or indeed anyone, to notice he was trying his hand at shoplifting. And of course finding a crime that would only get him the 30 days in jail as stipulated in the will.

As someone else has mentioned he did have all the best lines, but the remainder of the cast did a great job, the mild mannered clerk who had to rob the bank where he worked, the overbearing snob who had to be a maid, the womaniser who had to marry the first woman he spoke to, all made for the usual mix of farce and comedy.

It was also notable for an early appearance of Audrey Hepburn as the cigarette girl.