Remarkably racy and non-chauvinist for its period, THE CAPTAIN’S PARADISE is a clever sex farce with an extra kick. Capt. Henry St. James (Guinness in a more caddish role than usual) has engineered a seemingly perfect existence for himself. His ferry boat shuttles between Gibraltar, where wife number one (Celia Johnson of BRIEF ENCOUNTER) provides tea and cozy domesticity, and Morocco, where wife number two (De Carlo) serves up champagne and sultry passion (her mambo scene with Guinness is a hoot). The captain’s little paradise is vulnerable to such farcical triggers as mixed-up gifts and unexpected visits, but a more substantial threat lies in the possibility that his two women might rebel against the stereotypical roles he has assigned to them. Screenwriter Alec Coppel received an Oscar nomination for Best Story, and, although the two films are miles apart in many respects, there are some interesting thematic parallels with Hitchcock’s VERTIGO, which Coppel co-scripted.