Films Afloat
Part 1

By John Farr

Over the generations, the ocean voyage has provided countless fascinating transitions in our landlocked lives. Not surprisingly, the curious phenomenon of human beings afloat and in transit has also inspired many a great film. This piece focuses on classic dramas, comedies and romances set on the water, with foreign, war and adventure films slated for future installments.

“Captains Courageous” (1937), based on a Kipling story, concerns young Harvey Cheyne (Freddie Bartholomew), pampered son of a wealthy widower and tycoon (Melvyn Douglas), who falls overboard on a posh cruise to Europe with his father and gets rescued by a boatful of fishermen, including kind-hearted, Manuel (Spencer Tracy). As Harvey’s official rescuer, Manuel undertakes to teach the obnoxious brat about real life and the ways of humble men who work the seas. This heartwarming saga follows Harvey’s transformation into a decent young man under the tutelage of Tracy’s gentle Portugese fisherman. Bartholomew is a natural playing a child of privilege, and really clicks with Tracy, who won his first Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of Manuel (though he hated doing the Iberian accent). Absorbing for viewers of any age, “Captains” is a rousing tale whose bittersweet climax will not leave a dry eye on deck.

In Preston Sturges’s uproarious comedy “The Lady Eve” (1941), a chic ocean liner brings together one of the more unlikely love matches. Colonel Harrington (Charles Coburn) and daughter Jean (a stunning Barbara Stanwyck) are skilled card sharks who ply their lucrative trade on board, while fellow passenger Charles Pike (Fonda) is the shy, naive heir to a brewery fortune. Charles is the perfect mark, of course, but soon enough, the normally impervious Jean starts to fall for him. Infectiously entertaining complications ensue, as Sturges’ crazy comic genius jumps right off the screen, reflecting an off-the-wall sensibility well ahead of his time. Stanwyck is at the peak of her appeal here, and Coburn is incongruously cuddly as her wily father. Fonda is also a hoot in a rare comedic turn, along with gruff William Demarest (from TV’s “My Three Sons”) as Charles’ protective but hapless valet.

Perhaps the quintessential on-board screen romance, Irving Rapper’s “Now, Voyager” (1942) concerns a perpetually stifled young woman who finally comes out of her shell when she meets a man on a cruise. Bette Davis plays Charlotte Vale, a young spinster, who finally discovers happiness when she’s able to break away from her controlling mother (Gladys Cooper), and blossom under the spell of an on-board romance with the dashing Jerry Durrance (Paul Henreid, whose very next role was Victor Laszlo in “Casablanca”). But can Charlotte maintain her confident new persona once back in her mother’s orbit? Sentimental, often to the point of soapiness, this film still tugs at your heartstrings. Given the full-blown Warner Brothers treatment, with both Henreid and Claude Rains supporting Miss Davis, how can you lose? Also, Cooper’s icy turn as a mother from hell is one for the ages, and Henreid’s cigarette-lighting routine is also a classic, along with that incredible wind-up. Bring the Kleenex!

In John Huston’s biting “Key Largo” (1948), real-life sailor Humphrey Bogart gets to show his sea legs. Just ahead of a violent tropical storm, WWII vet Frank McCloud (Bogart) arrives at a run-down hotel in the titular island town to pay his respects to Nora (Lauren Bacall), the widow of a deceased war buddy. Run by Nora’s father James (Lionel Barrymore), the hotel is playing unwilling host to infamous mobster Johnny Rocco (Edward G. Robinson) and his gang, who’ve slinked back into the country by boat and seized control of the place. Though Frank must humble himself to Rocco on land, with the waning of the typhoon he draws the gangster out to sea, and there turns the tables on him. “Largo” is a classic 1940s noir, with taut direction and indelible performances from both Bogart and Robinson as the menacing Rocco.

By far the best movie made about the Titanic tragedy, Roy Ward Baker’s riveting “A Night To Remember” (1958) brings us closer to knowing what the journey must have been like than any version before or since. Told from the point of view of heroic second officer Herbert Lightoller (Kenneth More), this ultra-realistic film re-enacts the fatal maiden voyage of the “crown jewel of the industrial age.” In this superb British production, we follow diverse groups of passengers and crewmen, including the ill-starred Captain Smith (Laurence Naismith) and American heiress Molly Brown (Tucker McGuire), many of whom never saw shore again. Unlike other takes on the story, director Baker sticks to real-life details, crafting an intelligent, suspenseful re-enactment of the fateful night, while glimpsing many human stories behind the disaster. Featuring lavish costumes and exquisite production design, as well as a cast of more than 200 actors, “Night” is a high-seas outing you’ll always remember.

Set in 1933, a tragic turning point in Germany’s history, the peerless “Ship Of Fools” (1965) trails a disparate group of passengers sailing from Vera Cruz right into the heart of Fascism. The ship’s a kind of purgatory, holding a washed-up baseball player (Lee Marvin), a faded beauty (Vivien Leigh, in her last film), two combative young lovers (George Segal and Elizabeth Ashley), and assorted other motley characters. Based on Katherine Anne Porter’s acclaimed novel, producer/director Stanley Kramer creates a mesmerizing, emotionally gripping film with a conscience. “Ship” stays afloat thanks to Abby Mann’s sharp screenplay and memorable ensemble playing, including Simone Signoret as a Spanish activist and Oskar Werner as the on-board doctor. And Marvin was never better.