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.

A smart, modest bauble from Britain's Gainsborough Pictures, with effervescent performances by its cast. Peter Blackmore adapted his play about a man-crazy mermaid off the coast of Cornwall who reels in a fisherman; he's a married doctor on 'bachelor's holiday' who is persuaded by the sumptuous siren to take her back to his home in London as his invalid guest. The intimacy of the stage material works well on-screen, with director Ken Annakin keeping the action moving briskly from room to room; there's also an outrageous outdoor sequence at the zoo which comes off very well. The picture looks sleek in shiny black-and-white, and Glynis Johns is just about perfect as the innocent temptress who has men fawning and women fuming (all except Googie Withers as the doctor's wife--she's too worldly to let another female get the best of her!). Johns put the tail back on for a 1954 sequel, "Mad About Men". **1/2 from ****

Next time I go fishing, skip the worms. I'm taking a bottle of Chanel, maybe jumbo size; that way maybe I'll get lucky like the doc in this movie. With her "upside down" eyes, husky voice, and seductive smile, Johns is a real a deep-sea trophy, though I wish she wouldn't grow her hair so long. But beware, men, just listen to that terrific singing voice. She could be a siren, like the ones that lured those ancient Greek guys to their doom. But I don't think so since she seems really nice. Still, I don't think women would like her much since she's got the kind of roving eye that turns men into mush, married or not. Somehow, though, she gets everyone, on screen and off, to like her in this charming bit of underwater whimsy.Fine cast, especially John McCallum (Nigel) who's really good at getting all discombobulated when Miranda starts cooing his way. And that scene at the zoo is priceless. Those seals must have been surprised as heck when Miranda starts talking back to them in seal language. But then, you don't want to have a well-stocked aquarium if you invite the fish-girl over for dinner. She's not too picky in her choice of entrees, especially if they swim. Plus this may be the only movie on record to credit the maker of a "tail"— I guess Dunlop manufactures more than tires. Anyway, this is the first and, in my book, the best of the mermaid fantasies, with just the right kind of touch. Meanwhile, I'm off to the perfume counter to stock up for my next fishing trip. Wish me luck!

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!