Ship of Fools (1965)

Director:

Stanley Kramer

Writers:

Katherine Anne Porter (novel)
Abby Mann (screenplay)

Release Date:

October 1965 (Austria)

Genre:

Drama | Romance | War

Tagline:

EXPLORER, MISTRESS, VAGRANT, LOAFER, ARTIST, TRAMP ... THEY ARE ALL AT THE CAPTAIN'S TABLE!

Plot:

Passengers on a ship traveling from Mexico to Europe in the 1930s represent society at large in that era...

Plot Keywords:

Traveling | Ship | Ship's Doctor | 1930s | Racism

Awards:

Won 2 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 13 nominations

Cast

Vivien Leigh	...	Mary Treadwell
Simone Signoret	...	La Condesa
José Ferrer	...	Rieber (as Jose Ferrer)
Lee Marvin	...	Tenny
Oskar Werner	...	Dr. Schumann
Elizabeth Ashley	...	Jenny
George Segal	...	David
José Greco	...	Pepe (as Jose Greco)
Michael Dunn	...	Glocken
Charles Korvin	...	Capt. Thiele
Heinz Rühmann	...	Lowenthal (as Heinz Ruehmann)
Lilia Skala	...	Frau Hutten
Barbara Luna	...	Amparo
Alf Kjellin	...	Freytag
Christiane Schmidtmer	...	Lizzi

Runtime:

149 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | German | Spanish

Color:

Black and White

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Canada:PG (Ontario) | UK:12 (2007) | UK:A (1965) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | Spain:7

Company:

Stanley Kramer Productions

Trivia:

Vivien Leigh's last film.

Goofs:

Continuity: As the passengers disembark at the end, Johann pauses on the steps to watch Amparo walk by, when Tenny appears walking down the steps behind Johann. Immediately the film cuts to a shot of the gangplank above, where Tenny is seen just leaving the ship.

Quotes:

Bill Tenny: I was in Vercaruz trying to teach them greasers to play ball. Man, they tried to poison me. You know, I had the runs for three weeks.
Mary Treadwell: How interesting. I'd like to hear more about it.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Bob Newhart Show: Ship of Shrinks (#3.9)" (1974)

Soundtrack:

Heute abend geh'n wir bummeln auf der reeperbahn

An Imperfect Gem

A grim long voyage with an earnest script by the remarkable Abby Mann and a respectful Stanley Kramer at the helm. Assorted desperate characters makes the sailing a gripping one. When the extraordinary Simone Signoret, Oskar Werner and Vivien Leigh are on, we're there with them one hundred per cent. Simone Signoret's addicted Countess and Vivien Leigh's bitter and disillusioned middle age Southern woman touch and dominate the highest, most powerful moments. Their stories have an immediate resonance and their faces, wonderful, beautiful faces, carry a truth that is as pungent as it is undeniable. Painful yes, very painful but, as it happens with the best kind of drama, entertaining, compelling, cinematic. Jose Ferrer's German bore, George Segal and Elizabeth Ashley and even the wonderful Michael Dunn will make you sea sick at times but I will recommend it nonetheless just to admire and enjoy Vivien Leigh's Charleston or Simone Signoret looking at Oskar Werner with a mixture of love, lust, compassion and need. For collectors of imperfect gems.