The Admirable Crichton is a 1957 British south seas adventure comedy romance film directed by Lewis Gilbert and starring Kenneth More, Diane Cilento, Cecil Parker and Sally Ann Howes.

The earl insists that all men are equal, and to prove it, he orders his daughters to treat the staff as guests during an uncomfortable afternoon tea.

Crichton, Eliza, the Earl, his daughters Mary, Catherine and Agatha, the clergyman John Treherne and Ernest Woolley land on a deserted island.

After two years, the social order has been completely upended: Crichton, now affectionately known as "the Guv", is in charge, while his former betters are his servants.

Romantically, the situation is in disarray, as everyone waits to see whether Crichton will choose Mary or "Tweeny" (as Eliza is now called), both of whom are deeply in love with him.

Mary begs the others not to light a signal fire, reminding them how happy they have been on the island, but in the end, Crichton does so.

When the Earl offers financial assistance for his plan to start a business, Crichton shows him a bag of valuable pearls acquired whilst on the island.

Korda began attempting to adapt the play in 1952, initially with Sidney Gilliat directing and Rex Harrison starring.

His strengths were his ability to portray charm; basically he was the officer returning from the war and he was superb in that kind of role.

[8] Although Australian composer Douglas Gamley is credited with most of the film's score, Richard Addinsell - who was uncredited, supplied the original dance music, including a waltz, a polka, and a galop.

[9] The Admirable Crichton was the third most popular film at the British box office in 1957, after High Society and Doctor at Large.

[13] The film was turned into a stage musical called Our Man Crichton which debuted in 1964 also starring Kenneth More.

Box office performance was poor - More attributes this in part to the death of Winston Churchill - but it still ran six months.