The Demi-Paradise
6.5
114 minutes
11/18/1943
Overview
Ivan Kouznetsoff, a Russian engineer, recounts during World War II his stay in England prior to the war working on a new propeller for ice-breaking ships. Naïve about British people and convinced by hearsay that they are shallow and hypocritical, Ivan is both bemused and amused by them. He is blunt in his opinions about Britons and at first this puts off his hosts, including the lovely Ann Tisdall, whose grandfather runs the shipbuilding firm that will make use of Ivan's propeller. The longer Ivan stays, however, the more he comes to understand the humor, warmth, strength, and conviction of the British people, and the more they come to see him as a friend rather than merely a suspicious Russian. As a romantic bond grows between Ivan and Ann, a cultural bond begins to grow as well, particularly as the war begins and Russia is attacked by Germany.
Cast List
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
Miles Malleson
as Theatre Cashier
Aubrey Mallalieu
as Toomes, the Butler
John Laurie
as Wounded Sailor
Brian Nissen
as George Tisdall
John Boxer
as British Sailor
Johnnie Schofield
as Ernie
Marie Ault
as Mrs. Jones
Alexis Chesnakov
as Russian Delegate
Mavis Clair
as Barmaid
George Cole
as Percy
Harry Fowler
as Small Boy (An Evacuee)
Gladys Henson
as Mrs. Frost
Wilfrid Hyde-White
as Nightclub Waiter
Niall MacGinnis
as Man on Ship-Dedication Stand
Josephine Middleton
as Mrs. Tremlow
Charles Paton
as Mr. Bishop
Marian Spencer
as Mrs. Teddy Beckett
George Street
as Heckler
Ben Williams
as Heckler
Ian Wilson
as Army Bandmaster
Margaret Withers
as Mrs. Elliston
Jack Vyvyan
as Orator in Hyde Park