Hotel Paradiso

"Make room for a riot!!!"

1966 1h 38m EN

😐

6.0

MID

★6.0TMDB · 14

Comedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Monsieur Feydeau has writer's block and he needs a new play, so he takes an opportunity to observe his upper class neighbors of 1900 Paris. There is Monsieur Boniface with hard domineering wife Angelique; also, Monsieur Cotte with beautiful but neglected wife Marcelle. Henri Cotte traces architectural anomalies (mostly "ghost" sounds in the drain pipes) and plans a night at the Hotel Paradiso, which happens to be the chosen romantic rendezvous spot of Marcelle and Monsieur Boniface. One wife, two husbands, a nephew, and the perky Boniface maid, all at this 'by the hour' hotel and consummation of the affair is, to say the least, severely compromised (not the least by a police raid). All of this is under Feydeau's eye, and his play is the 'success fou' of the next season.

“Make room for a riot!!!”

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Cast

Alec Guinness
Benedict Boniface
Gina Lollobrigida
Marcelle Cotte
Robert Morley
Henri Cotte
Peggy Mount
Angelique Boniface
Ann Beach
Victoire
Douglas Byng
Martin
Derek Fowlds
Maxime
David Battley
George

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Peter Glenville
Writers: Georges Feydeau, Peter Glenville, Maurice Desvallières
Languages: English, Spanish
Countries: United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

60 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Spanish.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Peter Glenville, shot by Henri Decaë. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Laurence Rosenthal. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Anne V. Coates shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Alec Guinness and Gina Lollobrigida and Robert Morley carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Make room for a riot!!!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Peter Glenville directs. Henri Decaë behind the camera. Laurence Rosenthal scores. Anne V. Coates cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English, Spanish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

160 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Spanish.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Peter Glenville, shot by Henri Decaë. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Laurence Rosenthal. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Anne V. Coates shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Alec Guinness and Gina Lollobrigida and Robert Morley carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Make room for a riot!!!".
9IMDB entry: tt0060520 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 14 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
11Classified under 8 themes, including "adultery", "paris, france", "writer's block", "writer".

The technical file

Cinematography: Henri Decaë
Original score: Laurence Rosenthal
Editing: Anne V. Coates
Production design: François de Lamothe
Makeup / hair: Odette Berroyer
Runtime: 98 min · 1h 38m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Hotel Paradiso (1966)

Also by

Peter Glenville

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2024-09-02
★ 6/10
I really struggled to enjoy this... Despite the great casting, it just seemed to border all to frequently on the wrong side of farce for me. Basically, it all boils down to poor old Alec Guinness ("Boniface") stuck in an unhappy marriage with the formidable "Angelique" (Peggy Mount). This couple are neighbours to "Marcelle' (Gina Lollobrigida) who is married to "Henri" (Robert Morley), a husband who largely leaves her to her own devices. When "Angelique" goes to see her poorly sister and "Henri" has to go away for work - "Boniface" proceeds to confess his long-held, undying, love to "Marcelle" and suggests they decamp to the eponymous establishment for an hour or two's entertainment... What ensues now is a semi chaotic collection of almost slap-stick encounters that are frenetically paced, with relentless dialogue and more parallel themes than I could really be bothered to keep up with. Lollobrigida looks every inch her part, and Guinness is quite engaging as the rather ingenuous "Boniface" but the rest of it is just too shambolic for me. Looks great though, lots of great costumes, sets and vintage cars.

Production companies