Miranda (1949)

This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Copyright 14 April 1948 by Gainsborough Pictures Ltd. Presented by J. Arthur Rank. U.S. release through Eagle Lion Films: 16 March 1949 (sic). New York opening at the Little Carnegie: 23 April 1949. U.K. release through General Film Distributors: 23 May 1948. Australian release through G-B-D and 20th Century-Fox: 1 September 1949 (sic). 7,208 feet. 80 minutes.SYNOPSIS: A London doctor on a fishing holiday in Cornwall is caught by a mermaid who forces him to take her back to his home. COMMENT: Stretched rather thin over 80 minutes, this one-joke domestic farce holds the interest chiefly because of the charming performance by Glynis Johns in the title role. You could almost say it's the part she was born to play (and certainly it's the role for which she is most remembered today). Her distinctively husky voice and her oddly beguiling manner seem both eminently suited for a mermaid. (So great was her success in fact that she followed up with a sequel in 1954: "Mad About Men"). Mind you, she has her work cut out for her here as the rest of the players are so weak. With the exception of Margaret Rutherford, of course (though hers is distinctly a supporting role). And we should also except David Tomlinson. He is supposed to be weak. But as for Griffith Jones' boringly lackluster medico, Googie Withers' tediously arch matron-of-the-house and John McCallum's daunting miscasting, the less said the better.Annakin's direction is not only ruthlessly routine, but unmercifully slow.ANOTHER VIEW: Stupefyingly dull, one-joke romantic comedy. Dramatist Blackmore had a promising idea, but failed to develop it along any but the most conventional lines. And as if, thanks to its stage play origins, the script were not already talky enough, the producers hired a Dennis Waldock (never heard of him) to write "additional dialogue"! Admittedly interest perks up when Margaret Rutherford enters. Her characteristic role as an eccentric nurse would appear to offer plenty of comic potential, but simply nothing happens. The part peters out. After exchanging a slight bit of banter with real-life husband Stringer Davis (his usual stiff self as a museum attendant), she is virtually dropped from the action completely. Jones as usual is a complete wash-out as a romantic lead. One's only consolation is that his next movie with Withers "Once Upon a Dream" is even worse. The other players are okay, though the acting as a whole is no great shakes. The script as said above is dull, whilst Annakin's direction is the flattest, most monotonously routine we have encountered for some time. Other credits are competent but totally undistinguished. Production values are very moderate. That the movie proved such an outstanding hit at the box=office must be attributed solely to the novelty of the story and an expensive, cleverly designed advertising campaign.

Miranda is one of those off-beat, charming , little films that manages to stir up some magic despite a story with little real credibility. Much of the film's success must go to the director Ken Annakin and a great cast of British character actors. But for my money, just seeing the truly lovely Glynis Johns as a fetching, flirtatious mermaid was enough for me. Johns was always a beauty with her bouncy, fresh blonde hair, charismatic, almost devilish smile, winsome personality, and that voice - a husky, breathy voice that could charm any man. It is those characteristics that play largely in this film as Miranda, a mermaid - a fish out of water if you will - is "caught" on a fishing trip by a young doctor who brings her back to his apartment and wife. Miranda then charms her way into the lives of two other men. All three men, attached in some way to other women, fall hopelessly in love with Miranda. Johns does a great job but the entire cast is very solid in this type of light comedy very typical of British films of this period. I really enjoyed Googie Withers in the role of Clare(the wife of Griffith Jones - the man who brings Miranda back home). Withers exudes a sardonic smile throughout as she plays through her husband's infatuation. The grand dame of British comedy herself, Margaret Rutherford, has another fine comedic turn as a rather eccentric nurse. David Tomlinson delivers as an efficient chauffeur caught under Miranda's spell. Look for Rutherford's real-life husband Stringer Davis as a museum attendant. Miranda is not a great film by any definition, but it is so charming and relaxed that it is a great deal of fun nonetheless.

I remember seeing this film as a very young boy, and I've never forgotten the mesmerizing magical effect that it had on me. I also saw "Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid", but I think "Miranda" was the better of the two films. Although a black and white production, the "special effects" used for the mermaid's tail are still eerily alive in my mind all these years later. Glynis Johns was really funny as the aquatic sea babe. I fully appreciated the more recent Ron Howard film "Splash", in it's own way. I am not at all sure if "Miranda" inspired this modern story, but it's not important, since both stand on their own humorous cinematic merits. I've been wishing, and praying, and hoping to find "Miranda" in the video classic section of my local film rental establishments for years to no avail. I'm not sure if it is available, but it would be a real kick to see it after all these years!

I haven't seen it in a good 25-30 years. Yet I was so captivated by this movie that, all these years later I still remember it. By my definition that's worth giving it a 10. Think of the hundreds of movies you have seen in your life...how many of them do you remember 30 years later, after, perhaps, like me, only seeing it once? How many movies did you see last year, yet can't describe them...or even remember who was in them? Wonderful films don't have to be epics...they just have to touch something in you and that makes them special. If ever comes the day when this cute little film ever comes on video, you'll find me first in line to buy a copy. That's why it's a 10.