The Ghost Ship (1943)

Director:

Mark Robson

Writers:

Donald Henderson Clarke (screenplay)
Leo Mittler (story)

Release Date:

27 July 1944 (Australia)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

MYSTERY TERROR! (original print ad - all caps)

Plot:

Tom Merriam signs on the ship Altair as third officer under Captain Stone. At first things look good...

Plot Keywords:

Ship | Captain | Authority | Murder | Merchant Marine

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Richard Dix	...	Capt. Will Stone
Russell Wade	...	Tom Merriam, 3rd Officer
Edith Barrett	...	Ellen Roberts
Ben Bard	...	First Officer Bowns
Edmund Glover	...	Jacob 'Sparks' Winslow, Radioman

Also Known As:

Ghost Ship (USA) (poster title)

Runtime:

69 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | German

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

USA:TV-PG | UK:A (original rating) (passed with cuts) | Finland:K-16 (1986) | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (PCA #9567) | Spain:13

Company:

RKO Radio Pictures

Trivia:

Very shortly after its theatrical release in December of 1943, producer Val Lewton was sued for plagiarism by Samuel R. Golding and Norbert Faulkner, who claimed that Lewton based his script on a play which they had written and submitted to Lewton's office at the time "The Ghost Ship" was being developed. Although Lewton had the opportunity to settle out of court, he chose to have the case tried. Despite Lewton's claims that their manuscript was returned unread, the court ruled against Lewton and RKO (a decision upheld at appeal), and "The Ghost Ship" was withdrawn from circulation. It remained unavailable for viewing for the next 50 years.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: One shot of the boat traveling toward camera shows the name of the boat on the bow is backwards. The backwards name reads Venture, indicating it's a shot reused from King Kong (1933) that has been horizontally flipped.

Quotes:

Finn, the Mute: [voiceover] The man is dead. With his death, the waters of the sea are open to us. But there will be other deaths, and the agony of dying, before we come to land again.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Val Lewton: The Man in the Shadows (2007) (TV)

Lewton Does It Again

The title of this film is misleading as it implies a ghost story.....but of course, it isn't. In fact it isn't even a horror film in the general sense. It is more a psychological thriller, surrounding the personality of the ship's captain, played by that old war horse, Richard Dix. And he does a terrific job of letting the viewer glimpse the madness beneath his controlled exterior. His byword is "authority" and he goes to unbelievable lengths to assert that authority.

Russell Wade, with whom I am unfamiliar, plays the Third Officer, who sees through the captain in short order and vainly attempts to convince the crew of Dix's insanity......but to no avail. The only person who is aware of the problem is a mute played by probably one of the most unattractive and busiest character players in Hollywood, Skelton Knaggs and he becomes somewhat of a hero in the final few minutes of the film. Edith Barrett, who was used by Lewton in other films, makes a limited appearance as the captain's inamorata. Look for Lawrence Tierney, future Hollywood bad boy, as a target of the captain's revenge.

Val Lewton was the master of atmospheric films made on a limited budget and he doesn't miss with this one. It's a dandy!!