The Admirable Crichton (1957)

I livened up Monday morning by watching this film, directed by Lewis Gilbert, on Film 4 yesterday.

Dramas on service and class have always been popular.

Think of Upstairs Downstairs, Downton Abbey and Remains of the Day.  

In many ways the genre all started with the J.M. Barrie play and Lewis Gilbert’s film of it. It’s technically a social comedy but makes more than one interesting point.

Crichton (played by Kenneth More) is the butler of Whig and social reformer Lord Loam (Cecil Parker ) and clearly Crichton is the cleverest member of the household but mired in class prejudice and snobbery.

As are Lord Loam and his daughters.

They are shipwrecked on a desert island after his yacht capsized  in the Southern Seas.

The group comprises Crichton, Lord Loam, his 3 daughters, two soppy male admirers – one of whom is played by Gerald Harper – and a spirited housemaid Liza (Diane Cilento).

They are stuck on the remote island for two years and only Crichton is able to manage them and the situation.

There is love interest between Crichton and Lady Sarah, one of Lord Loam’s daughters, and also Crichton and Eliza.

Kenneth More is often cast as the cheerful jaunty man with an eye for the ladies.

Gilbert and he were united in Reach for the Sky and the former directed three Bond movies as well as Alfie and Educating Rita both starring Michael Caine.

Generally the group are happy on the island where all class barriers disappear but once rescue comes they take it and all revert back to their original positions.

It’s always interesting how sex is dealt with in the more restrained 1950 movies.

As the poet Philip Larkin once observed it was not invented till 1963.

Diane Cilento who married Sean Connery has a superb figure and is filmed swimming underwater and all the women wear flimsy revealing grass skirts.  A large bust was the norm.

Some might call the film dated but I think it wore well