From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base

The Demi-Paradise

1943 British film by Anthony Asquith

Summary

1943 British film by Anthony Asquith

Field	Value
name	The Demi-Paradise
image	"The_Demi-Paradise"_(1943).jpg
caption	Danish theatrical poster
director	Anthony Asquith
writer	Anatole de Grunwald
producer	Filippo Del Giudice
Anatole de Grunwald
starring	Laurence Olivier
Margaret Rutherford
Felix Aylmer
cinematography	Bernard Knowles
editing	Renee Woods
music	Nicholas Brodszky
studio	Two Cities Films
distributor	General Film Distributors
released
runtime	114 minutes
budget	$800,000
country	United Kingdom
language	English

Anatole de Grunwald Margaret Rutherford Felix Aylmer

The Demi-Paradise (also known as Adventure for Two) is a 1943 British comedy film made by Two Cities Films. It stars Laurence Olivier as a Soviet Russian inventor who travels to England to have his revolutionary propeller manufactured, and Penelope Dudley-Ward as the woman who falls in love with him. It was directed by Anthony Asquith and produced by Anatole de Grunwald and Filippo Del Giudice from a screenplay by de Grunwald. The music score was by Nicholas Brodszky and the cinematography by Bernard Knowles. The film was shot at Denham Studios with sets designed by the art director Carmen Dillon.

The film is a gentle satire on the values the English hold so dear. It was designed to encourage sympathy between Britain and the Soviet Union. The film's title is a reference to John of Gaunt's famous speech in Richard II which begins: :This royal throne of kings, this scepter'd isle, :This earth of majesty, this seat of Mars, :This other Eden, demi-paradise

Plot summary

Ivan Kouznetsoff (Laurence Olivier), a Russian inventor, travels to England to introduce the British shipping industry to his newly invented and improved propeller blade. There he meets socialite Anne Tisdall (Penelope Dudley-Ward), and falls for her. Meeting Anne and hearing her views turn his own previous conceptions about the capitalist system and its degenerates upside down. After a lovers' quarrel, Ivan heads back to Russian only to be recalled to England a year later to smooth out imperfections in his design. Despite his efforts, his modifications prove to be unsound and he seems destined to return to the Soviet Union in disgrace.

Anne convinces the local shipbuilders to work around the clock in order to realise the revolutionary propeller. Soon they solve the problem, and there is a very successful launch of the new line of ships. Ivan can return to the Soviet Union to aid the war effort, enriched by Anne's love.

Cast

Laurence Olivier as Ivan Kouznetsoff
Penelope Dudley-Ward as Ann Tisdall
Marjorie Fielding as Mrs. Tisdall
Margaret Rutherford as Rowena Ventnor
Felix Aylmer as Mr. Runalow
George Thorpe as Herbert Tisdall
Leslie Henson as himself
Guy Middleton as Dick Christian
Michael Shepley as Mr. Walford
Edie Martin as Miss Winifred Tisdall
Muriel Aked as Mrs. Tisdall-Stanton
Joyce Grenfell as Sybil Paulson
Everley Gregg as Mrs. Flannel
Jack Watling as Tom
David Keir as Jordan
Aubrey Mallalieu as Toomes, the Butler
Beatrice Harrison as herself
Miles Malleson as Theatre Cashier
John Laurie as Wounded sailor
Brian Nissen as George Tisdall
George Cole as Percy
Harry Fowler as Evacuee
Marie Ault as Mrs. Jones
Gladys Henson as Mrs. Frost
John Boxer as British Sailor
Alexis Chesnakov as Russian Delegate
Josephine Middleton as Mrs. Tremlow
Margaret Withers as Mrs. Elliston
Charles Paton as Mr. Bishop
Wilfrid Hyde-White as Nightclub Waiter
Mavis Clair as Barmaid

References

(26 May 1943). "Olivier to Produce, Direct, Star in Henry V".
(11 November 2021). "Movie Reviews". The New York Times.
"Demi-Paradise".

Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

1943-films 1943-romantic-comedy-films british-romantic-comedy-films british-satirical-films british-black-and-white-films universal-pictures-films films-directed-by-anthony-asquith films-with-screenplays-by-anatole-de-grunwald films-produced-by-anatole-de-grunwald films-set-in-london films-shot-at-denham-film-studios two-cities-films-films films-set-in-1941 1940s-english-language-films 1943-british-films films-scored-by-nicholas-brodszky english-language-romantic-comedy-films

Want to explore this topic further?

Ask Mako anything about The Demi-Paradise — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.

Research with Mako

Free with your Surf account

Content sourced from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.

Report