The Admirable Crichton Reviews

Often-filmed James M. Barrie classic (produced on Broadway in 1902, filmed as a silent, MALE AND FEMALE) offers popular British star More in the role of the indefatigable butler who supervises the lives of his aristocratic employers marooned on a tropical island. Here the eldest of three daughters, Howes, falls in love with the newly appointed "governor" of the island, which dashes the hopes of the family maid, Cilento. (Cecil Parker, whose yacht has been wrecked and family tossed to fortune, is marvelous as the helpless lord.) When the family is finally rescued by a passing ship, More resumes his Uriah Heep role and, rather than embarrass his employer by marrying above his station, nobly departs with the joyous maid. The film was shot in Bermuda with lush color; crisp direction brightens an otherwise staid tale.