Atlantic Ferry (1941)

In 1840 two rival steamship companies race to see who should have the best cargo between England and America. Two brothers are involved, one on each ship.

Director:

Walter Forde

Writers:

Derek MacIver (story), Wynne MacIver (story),

Stars:

Michael Redgrave, Valerie Hobson, Griffith Jones

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michael Redgrave	...	Charles MacIver
Valerie Hobson	...	Mary Ann Morison
Griffith Jones	...	David MacIver
Hartley Power	...	Samuel 'Sam' Cunard
Margaretta Scott	...	Susan Donaldson
Bessie Love	...	Begonia Baggot
Milton Rosmer	...	George Burns
Frederick Leister	...	James Morison
Henry Oscar	...	Josiah Eagles
Edmund Willard	...	Robert Napier
Charles Victor	...	Tim Grogan
Frank Tickle	...	Mr. Donaldson
Leslie Bradley	...	Horatio Stubbs
Felix Aylmer	...	Bank president
Joss Ambler	...	Dr. Lardner

Storyline

In 1840 two rival steamship companies race to see who should have the best cargo between England and America. Two brothers are involved, one on each ship.

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Plot Keywords:

brother | steamship | ship | liverpool | contract | 

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Genres:

Drama | History | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 February 1942 (USA)

Also Known As:

Sons of the Sea

Filming Locations:

Teddington Studios, Teddington, Middlesex, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Brothers-First National Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min 91 min (Turner library print)

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film ends with archive footage of the launching of the Queen Elizabeth in 1938, with Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother shown walking with her children, Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret.

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Goofs

All of the newspaper references to the ship Britannia misspell its name as "Brittania."

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Soundtracks

"Tales from the Vienna Woods"
(1868)
Written by Johann Strauß
Played at the ball in Boston

User Reviews

Steam, The Way Of The Future

Atlantic Ferry, made by Warner Brothers in Great Britain celebrates the conglomerate that formed the Cunard line which inaugurated steam powered travel across the ocean. Of course this film was made at a time when Great Britain was trying ever so hard to get the United States involved in the second World War on their side and Warner Brothers was the studio most involved in that. The year before in America they had done The Sea Hawk and before that Confessions Of A Nazi Spy.

The emphasis here is on shipping magnates Charles and David MacIver who joined with Samuel Cunard to provide regular passenger and cargo service across the Atlantic. The brothers are played by Michael Redgrave and Griffith Jones with style and conviction. These two don't always see eye to eye and there's a rivalry going between them for Valerie Hobson.

Naturally the folks who are heavily invested in sail not thrilled with what the brothers propose. That scene where one self styled 'expert' says that the real problem is storage of fuel and there's no place to refuel in the middle of the ocean. Americans felt even stronger about that put their faith in sail for years longer than the British. It's also way we and the British acquired such odd places as the Falkland Islands for them and Midway for us to serve as coaling, later diesel refueling stations for our cargo, passenger, and most important, our military naval fleets. That 'expert' is voicing real concerns.

American Hartley Power is playing Sam Cunard who was Canadian from Halifax and was already operating successfully in steam before doing the Transatlantic run. He acts as a steadying influence between the sometimes contentious brothers MacIver.

Atlantic Ferry is a good historical and biographical film about a singular development in transportation. The sailing scenes are handled well by the special effects department and as a hands across the sea propaganda film, Atlantic Ferry holds up well today.