Review of The Admirable Crichton (1957) by Stuart K — 30 Dec 2012

Directed by Lewis Gilbert (Alfie (1966) You Only Live Twice (1967) and Educating Rita (1983)), this is an amusing, comedic adventure based on J. M. Barrie's 1902 stage play (there was more to him than Peter Pan).

It's a great little British film with a lovely location too, and a good little ensemble at it's centre. It's tight, focused and to the point, and it makes a nice alternative to something like Swiss Family Robinson.

William Crichton (Kenneth More) is the trusted and loyal Butler to the Earl of Loam (Cecil Parker) and his family. After a potentially damaging scandal involving a suffragette meeting, Loam decides to take his family on holiday on his luxury yacht to get away from it all, taking along Crichton, his daughters Mary (Sally Ann Howes), Catherine (Mercy Haystead) and Agatha (Miranda Connell), clergyman John Treherne (Jack Watling), Lord Woolley (Gerald Harper) and servant Eliza Tweeney (Diane Cilento).

But the yacht goes off course and is shipwrecked, leaving them stranded, but Crichton is on hand to help out and provide the clueless family with food and supplies. The Loam family are so used to having things done for them, but here, the tables turn, and they have to learn to survive.

Gilbert gets the best from his cast, More plays Crichton with a beat deadpan approach, and it's very funny. To see how they survive on the island for so long is great fun to watch, (filmed in Bermuda).

It's a shame you don't get family entertainment like this now, this is a nostalgic look at how entertaining films should be done.