Father Goose (1964)

I was totally surprised at how great this film.You could feel your paranoia rise as the film went on and as you gradually learned the details of the real situation.

It isn't all that great, actually. Really cheesy and very predicable of how certain scenes are gonna turn play out. However, I guess that's the charm of it all, because I would consider this one of my guilty pleasures.

If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

A pack of school girls in uniform and caps running around in constant tropical heat? Food and water never a priority and nobody showing a trace of sweat? This movie is so silly and unbelievable the comedy seems to be straining and never hits home.Cary Gant and Trevor Howard put in good performances. But I don't know how these fine actors could have resisted smirking and scoffing at this silly script. With all the alcohol consumption tagged as funny and frivolous by the storyline, no wonder Trevor Howard became a serious alcoholic and later succumbed as a result.The World War 2 setting as backdrop for a situation comedy rivals Hogan's Heroes. If this had been a story about survival on a tropical island during the war, even with some comedy, it might have worked. But the party-like atmosphere and antics under what would really be fear and hardship makes it simply silly, vapid, and uninteresting. A waste of acting talent and energy.

Father Goose is a great film, with a great story, great characters, and great actors. Walter Eckland (Cary Grant) is a man who ran away from society on a boat. He is pretty much aimless and does almost nothing for anyone else's benefit. But during World War 2 Royal Australian Navy Commander Frank Houghton (Trevor Howard) pushes Walter to become a watchman on a desolate pacific island so he just searches for Japanese planes. One day he comes across Catherine Freneau (Leslie Caron) a snobby school teacher and all of her female pupils who inadvertently end up on Walter's island. The writing in this movie is great. All of the characters are fantastic, Walter, Catherine, Commander Houghton are all enjoyable. And all the acting is stellar from top to bottom. I can definitely recommend this movie. You will not be disappointed.

When the film begins, the British commander (Trevor Howard) deliberately strands an 'American'(!), Walter (Cary Grant), on a small island so that he can be an observer for the navy. In order to get his cooperation, bottles of booze have been hidden about the island--and he's told where one is hidden each time he sends them a report on enemy aircraft that is later confirmed. Unfortunately for Walter, this routine is disrupted when he's asked to go on a rescue mission to a nearby island--but when he arrives, he only finds a school teacher and her seven young charges."Father Goose" is an enjoyable family film. However, when I watched it tonight, I noticed that I didn't enjoy it as much as I did the other times I saw the picture. I think it's because this time I noticed things I didn't notice as much the previous times--such as how horribly Miss Freneau (Leslie Caron) and the kids treated Walter. Now, I thought that much of their behavior was rather boorish and mean all for the sake of comedy--such as the kid who kept biting Walter (I would have slapped that brat!) and the one who CONSTANTLY complained about wanting to be home. In hindsight, I wish they'd toned this down a bit--bit it STILL is an enjoyable movie.

Father Goose is directed by Ralph Nelson, has a screenplay by Peter Stone and Frank Tarloff and stars Cary Grant, Leslie Caron and Trevor Howard.Cary Grant plays a character here who is far removed from the suave and immaculate characters he played in the 30's and 40's, but is just as lovable.He and Leslie Caron have a wonderful chemistry and he gets to show his comic abilities, the film is an excellent blend of romance and comedy.Father Goose is set during the Second World War, Walter Eckland(Cary Grant)is happily living alone in the Pacific repairing his boat and boozing. His solitude is shattered when Commander Frank Houghton(Trevor Howard)asks him to stay on one of the islands and radio back any sightings of Japanese air activity.This he agrees to do until his solitude is shattered again by the arrival of young French schoolteacher Catherine Freneau(Leslie Caron)and a group of schoolgirls. They are stranded on the island and need to get back to the mainland.After a failed attempt to take them to the mainland they must stay with him which causes a lot of friction.As he gets to know her better though Eckland grows to like and even love the bubbly Catherine.He even becomes a surrogate father to the girls.Danger comes in the form of Japanese soldiers, bomb threats and poisonous snakes.Father Goose proves once again why Cary is one of the best and most likable actors ever to grace the screen.He himself said this was one of his favourite films and it's easy to see why.For once he's playing someone very unlike himself and it's such a shame that he didn't get a chance to do more roles like this in his long career.