The Admirable Crichton (film)
Encyclopedia
The Admirable Crichton is a 1957 British
comedy film
directed by Lewis Gilbert
and starring Kenneth More
, Diane Cilento
, Sally Ann Howes
and Cecil Parker
. The film was based on J. M. Barrie
's 1902 stage comedy of the same name
.
stars as William Crichton, the highly knowledgeable and efficient butler
in the London household of the Earl of Loam and his family. Though Crichton is the true master of the household, he knows his place, honouring the tightly regulated social structure of late-nineteenth century England.
On a trip on the Earl's steam yacht
to the South Seas, the family and its servants are shipwrecked. The family become marooned on a desert island, and only Crichton proves to have the skills and resourcefulness to keep everyone alive. Within a few months, the social order has been reversed: Crichton, who becomes affectionately known as 'Guv', takes control of affairs, while his former employers become his willing and eager servants. Lady Mary (Sally Ann Howes
), assuming that she will never be able to return to her proper fiancé, falls in love with Crichton, but he is also loved by Eliza, the former 'Tweeny' (in-between maid). Lord Loam is known to all as 'Daddy' and happily serves as Crichton's valet.
As Crichton and Mary are about to be married (to Eliza's great distress), a rescue ship is sighted. The group is undecided whether to light the signal fire until Crichton does so.
The castaways are rescued and return to their London home, where the original master-servant status quo is restored. His marriage to Lady Mary now an impossibility, Crichton calmly packs his bags and leaves, in the company of maidservant Tweeny (Diane Cilento
), who has loved him all along. He has however acquired a bag of valuable pearls from the island and plans to set up in business using them as capital.
Barrie's satirical jab at class consciousness (notably in the closing "interrogation scene", conducted by the imperious Lady Brocklehurst, played by Martita Hunt
) were less relevant in 1957; thus, The Admirable Crichton concentrates on the story's farcical and romantic elements.
, Cecil B. DeMille
's Male and Female
(1919), and We're Not Dressing
(1934) with Bing Crosby
. The play was also filmed twice for television, in 1950 and 1968.
Cinema of the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom has had a major influence on modern cinema. The first moving pictures developed on celluloid film were made in Hyde Park, London in 1889 by William Friese Greene, a British inventor, who patented the process in 1890. It is generally regarded that the British film industry...
comedy film
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
directed by Lewis Gilbert
Lewis Gilbert
Lewis Gilbert CBE is an English film director, producer and screenwriter.-Early life:He was the son of music hall performers, and spent his early years travelling with his parents, and watching the shows from the side of the stage. He first performed on-stage at the age of 5, when asked to drive a...
and starring Kenneth More
Kenneth More
Kenneth Gilbert More CBE was a highly successful English film actor during the post-World War II era and starred in many feature films, often in the role of an archetypal carefree and happy-go-lucky middle-class gentleman.-Early life:Kenneth More was born in Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, the...
, Diane Cilento
Diane Cilento
Diane Cilento was an Australian theatre and film actress and author.-Biography:Cilento's parents, Sir Raphael Cilento and Lady Phyllis Cilento, were both distinguished medical practitioners....
, Sally Ann Howes
Sally Ann Howes
Sally Ann Howes is a British actress and singer, who currently holds dual British-American citizenship. Her career on stage, screen and television has spanned over six decades...
and Cecil Parker
Cecil Parker
Cecil Parker was an English character and comedy actor with a distinctive husky voice, who usually played supporting roles in his 91 films made between 1928 and 1969....
. The film was based on J. M. Barrie
J. M. Barrie
Sir James Matthew Barrie, 1st Baronet, OM was a Scottish author and dramatist, best remembered today as the creator of Peter Pan. The child of a family of small-town weavers, he was educated in Scotland. He moved to London, where he developed a career as a novelist and playwright...
's 1902 stage comedy of the same name
The Admirable Crichton
The Admirable Crichton is a comic stage play written in 1902 by J. M. Barrie. It was produced by Charles Frohman and opened at the Duke of York's Theatre in London on 4 November 1902, running for an extremely successful 828 performances. It starred H. B. Irving and Irene Vanbrugh...
.
Plot
Kenneth MoreKenneth More
Kenneth Gilbert More CBE was a highly successful English film actor during the post-World War II era and starred in many feature films, often in the role of an archetypal carefree and happy-go-lucky middle-class gentleman.-Early life:Kenneth More was born in Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, the...
stars as William Crichton, the highly knowledgeable and efficient butler
Butler
A butler is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantry. Some also have charge of the entire parlour floor, and housekeepers caring for the entire house and its...
in the London household of the Earl of Loam and his family. Though Crichton is the true master of the household, he knows his place, honouring the tightly regulated social structure of late-nineteenth century England.
On a trip on the Earl's steam yacht
Yacht
A yacht is a recreational boat or ship. The term originated from the Dutch Jacht meaning "hunt". It was originally defined as a light fast sailing vessel used by the Dutch navy to pursue pirates and other transgressors around and into the shallow waters of the Low Countries...
to the South Seas, the family and its servants are shipwrecked. The family become marooned on a desert island, and only Crichton proves to have the skills and resourcefulness to keep everyone alive. Within a few months, the social order has been reversed: Crichton, who becomes affectionately known as 'Guv', takes control of affairs, while his former employers become his willing and eager servants. Lady Mary (Sally Ann Howes
Sally Ann Howes
Sally Ann Howes is a British actress and singer, who currently holds dual British-American citizenship. Her career on stage, screen and television has spanned over six decades...
), assuming that she will never be able to return to her proper fiancé, falls in love with Crichton, but he is also loved by Eliza, the former 'Tweeny' (in-between maid). Lord Loam is known to all as 'Daddy' and happily serves as Crichton's valet.
As Crichton and Mary are about to be married (to Eliza's great distress), a rescue ship is sighted. The group is undecided whether to light the signal fire until Crichton does so.
The castaways are rescued and return to their London home, where the original master-servant status quo is restored. His marriage to Lady Mary now an impossibility, Crichton calmly packs his bags and leaves, in the company of maidservant Tweeny (Diane Cilento
Diane Cilento
Diane Cilento was an Australian theatre and film actress and author.-Biography:Cilento's parents, Sir Raphael Cilento and Lady Phyllis Cilento, were both distinguished medical practitioners....
), who has loved him all along. He has however acquired a bag of valuable pearls from the island and plans to set up in business using them as capital.
Barrie's satirical jab at class consciousness (notably in the closing "interrogation scene", conducted by the imperious Lady Brocklehurst, played by Martita Hunt
Martita Hunt
Martita Hunt was an English theatre and film actress.-Early life:Hunt was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina on 30 January 1900 to British parents Alfred and Marta Hunt...
) were less relevant in 1957; thus, The Admirable Crichton concentrates on the story's farcical and romantic elements.
Other film adaptations
Other film versions of Barrie's play include a 1918 film adaptation directed by G. B. SamuelsonG. B. Samuelson
George Berthold Samuelson was one of the pioneers of British cinema.Born in Southport, England, Samuelson had an extensive film career and was the creator of Southall Studios, one of the earliest film production companies in the United Kingdom.He was the father of Sir Sydney Samuelson.-Selected...
, Cecil B. DeMille
Cecil B. DeMille
Cecil Blount DeMille was an American film director and Academy Award-winning film producer in both silent and sound films. He was renowned for the flamboyance and showmanship of his movies...
's Male and Female
Male and Female
Male and Female is a 1919 silent film directed by Cecil B. DeMille. Its main themes are gender relations and social class. It is based on the J. M. Barrie play "The Admirable Crichton".-Plot:...
(1919), and We're Not Dressing
We're Not Dressing
We're Not Dressing is a 1934 screwball comedy film starring Bing Crosby, Carole Lombard, Burns and Allen, Ethel Merman, and Ray Milland. Based on the 1902 J. M. Barrie play, The Admirable Crichton, the movie was directed by Norman Taurog.-Synopsis:...
(1934) with Bing Crosby
Bing Crosby
Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an American singer and actor. Crosby's trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation....
. The play was also filmed twice for television, in 1950 and 1968.