Daily Archives: May 29, 2016

Paradise Lagoon (AKA The Admirable Chrichton)
Directed by Lewis Gilbert
Written by Vernon Harris and Lewis Gilbert from the play by J.M. Barry
1957/UK
Modern Screen Play
First viewing/YouTube

[box] Lady Brocklehurst:  Listen when anyone begins to answer with “The fact is… ”  Because that is, usually, the beginning of a lie.[/box]

This is a pleasant, old-fashioned comedy of manners.

Lord Loam (Cecil Parker) claims to believe in the complete equality of man.  His butler Crichton (Kenneth Moore) does not.  The Lord tries to prove his magnanimity by inviting the entire staff to tea with his wealthy friends.  He only succeeds in making everyone uncomfortable.  The party is such a disaster that Chrichton suggests taking a long sea voyage until it is forgotten.  Loam agrees and invites his three daughters and their fiances to accompany him.

The yacht founders and Lord Loam, his family, Crichton and a between stairs maid end up stranded on a desert island.  The masters expect the servants to continue to wait on them.  But Chrichton is the natural leader and things work out as might be expected. After two long years all the people have changed a lot.  What will happen back in London once they are rescued?  With Sally Anne Howe as the Lord’s eldest daughter, Martita Hunt as an imperious grand dame, and Diane Cliento as the maid.

The film does not move much beyond the confines of the stage play.  I was familiar with the story without actually having seen it before and enjoyed the film very much.

The Brain from Planet Arous
Directed by Nathan Juran
Written by Ray Buffum
1957/USA
Marquette Productions Ltd.
First viewing/Netflix rental

Steve March: Now this is my plan: I want all of your uranium, plutonium, all your atomic resources. I want your factories, railroad shipping, all your industrial facilities. Your workers will labour around the clock day and night, following my blueprints to build a most powerful invasion force ever gathered in the universe.

Just what I am looking for from an giant brain/interplanetary possession flick.

Steve March (John Agar) is a nuclear scientist living in the desert.  He and his assistant Dan pick up unusual flickering signals on their geiger counter.  They trace the source to “Mystery Mountain”.  They head off to the mountain where they find a cave that wasn’t there before and have a frightening encounter.  When Steve returns, he has a strange gleam in his eye.  Dan does not return at all.

Steve’s fiance Sally (Joyce Meadows) notices immediately that Steve’s kisses do not feel the same.  They are unusually lustful and aggressive.  We quickly find out that Steve’s body has been taken over by Gor, a criminal fugitive from Arous. Gor is obsessed with possessing Sally’s body (carnally) and becoming master of the universe.  He plans a big announcement at an upcoming H bomb test. The movie resolves down to a duel of space brains, with Sally allied with the forces of good. There is a super-cool ending involving an axe.

I thought this was great fun.  After his divorce from Shirley Temple, John Agar starred in dozens of these cheesy sci-fi/horror movies.  He gets to act wicked in this one and is better than usual.  This movie provided 71 minutes of non-stop entertainment.

Trailer