The Demi-Paradise (1943)
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.
Director: Anthony Asquith
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Laurence Olivier as Ivan Kouznetsoff |
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Penelope Dudley-Ward as Ann Tisdall |
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Marjorie Fielding as Mrs. Tisdall |
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Margaret Rutherford as Rowena Ventnor |
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Felix Aylmer as Mr. Runalow |
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George Thorpe as Herbert Tisdall |
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Leslie Henson as Himself |
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Guy Middleton as Dick Christian |
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Michael Shepley as Mr. Walford |
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Edie Martin as Miss Winifred Tisdall |
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Muriel Aked as Mrs. Tisdall-Stanton |
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Joyce Grenfell as Sybil Paulson |
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Everley Gregg as Mrs. Flannel |
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Jack Watling as Tom |
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David Keir as Jordan |
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Miles Malleson as Theatre Cashier |
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Aubrey Mallalieu as Toomes, the Butler |
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John Laurie as Wounded Sailor |
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Brian Nissen as George Tisdall |
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John Boxer as British Sailor |
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Johnnie Schofield as Ernie |
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Marie Ault as Mrs. Jones |
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Alexis Chesnakov as Russian Delegate |
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Mavis Clair as Barmaid |
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George Cole as Percy |
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Harry Fowler as Small Boy (An Evacuee) |
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Gladys Henson as Mrs. Frost |
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Wilfrid Hyde-White as Nightclub Waiter |
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Niall MacGinnis as Man on Ship-Dedication Stand |
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Josephine Middleton as Mrs. Tremlow |
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Charles Paton as Mr. Bishop |
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Marian Spencer as Mrs. Teddy Beckett |
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George Street as Heckler |
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Ben Williams as Heckler |
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Ian Wilson as Army Bandmaster |
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Margaret Withers as Mrs. Elliston |
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Jack Vyvyan as Orator in Hyde Park |
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George Spence as Shipyard Worker (uncredited) |
| Directing | Anthony Asquith | Director |
| Writing | Anatole de Grunwald | Writer |
| Production | Anatole de Grunwald | Producer |
| Editing | Renee Woods | Editor |
| Camera | Bernard Knowles | Director of Photography |
| Sound | Nicholas Brodszky | Original Music Composer |
