Despite the producers attempts to make a film with some semblance of a budget and cinemascope and bright, pretty colors, the film just seems to be an extraordinary cheat on all levels. Unlike "M*A*S*H," also from 1969 but from 20th Century Fox, "The Extraordinary Seaman" clearly uses stock newsreels as a cheap crutch and as a substitute for advancing action - and when that wasn't enough, they further padded its meager 80 minute running time by manipulating the footage. The attempt throughout to blur the line between newsreels and the film's own footage is clumsily handled. For contrast, try the way this same line was more deftly and more trippily blurred by Richard Lester in 1967's "How I Won the War" with John Lennon. As others here have observed, the breaking of this film into six named "parts" was a pointless exercise. Hell, it didn't work any better when "Frasier" did it on TV years later, did it? Major comedic talents - in particular Mickey Rooney and Jack Carter - are simply wasted in subservient roles, and are allowed to disappear before the film's ignominious conclusion. The casting of the secondary leads, Alda and Dunaway, was just really strange, considering that neither actor projects any kind of romantic vitality. (I would insert that Alda has clearly never developed as an actor, and from that day to this - and as many have observed - he just plays himself in role after role, and merely runs his lines without adding either depth or nuance to characterizations.) I'd say it was astounding how Paddy Chayefsky used Dunaway's reputation as an on screen ice-bitch to monumental advantage in 1976's "Network," with perhaps the most hilarious sex scene ever filmed: the one with William Holden in which she never stops yammering about work for a second. In "The Extraordinary Seaman," there's no clear reason why her character is even there. In fact, the only actor who projects any warmth or depth is David Niven, who makes it all look easy as befits a grand actor of his caliber. However, the role he makes look easy is itself a stupid cheat - a gimmick role that I feel most people in the audience would have figured out long before Alda's character did, due to their 1960's training with twist-ending TV shows such as "The Twilight Zone" and "The Outer Limits." Niven's ever-refilling bottle is the only decent throwaway gag in the entire proceedings, and thankfully John Frankenheimer displayed the judicious restraint to keep the gag from filling the center of the frame as a hack director might have. Alda's character made sure to point each! and! every! other! facet! of Niven's character's quirks to the audience... several times. Even his attempt at mutiny and his repeated man overboard gags are ineptly handled. As a further "goof," one reaction shot of Alda in full face (Part V or VI) is quite clearly reversed and is as painfully obvious as some shots of William Shatner you find in the miserable last year of "Star Trek" in which the same thing was repeatedly done. And by the way, didn't some of those overturned trees in the run-aground sequence look awfully fake? Before TCM ran this film, I had never even heard of it, and now it's clear I know why. It never should have been made.
27 Reviews
It's Quite below ordinary
bkoganbing28 December 2010
The Extraordinary Seaman finds David Niven once again carrying the burden of a really botched film concept with his extraordinary charm. No actor was ever asked to work with less material than Niven did in his whole career.
The film is best described as a combination of The Ghost And Mrs. Muir, The Canterville Ghost and The African Queen all taking place in the Pacific Theater during World War II. Four American seaman Mickey Rooney, Jack Carter, Mana Tupou and their Lieutanant Alan Alda are on a life raft after their ship was sunk. They drift to a small island in the Phillipines and find a beached craft from the previous war with its captain David Niven who looks positively immaculate in his dress whites from the British Navy considering the heat and humidity of the tropics.
With a battery borrowed from plantation owner Faye Dunaway who would like some transport to Australia for her efforts, the American sailors set sail with Niven who will take them, providing he gets the opportunity to sink a Japanese warship. Trust me, Niven's got some really good reasons for wanting this so badly.
This dud of a film is a surprise coming from someone like John Frankenheimer who did such things as Birdman Of Alcatraz, The Train, Grand Prix, and Seven Days In May to name a few. Frankenheimer comes up so short in The Extraordinary Seaman as compared to those masterpieces and others. The situations are forced and labored and the comedy falls flat. Not enough use was made of Mickey Rooney and Jack Carter, both of them extraordinarily funny people.
But there's nothing extraordinary about The Extraordinary Seaman.
The film is best described as a combination of The Ghost And Mrs. Muir, The Canterville Ghost and The African Queen all taking place in the Pacific Theater during World War II. Four American seaman Mickey Rooney, Jack Carter, Mana Tupou and their Lieutanant Alan Alda are on a life raft after their ship was sunk. They drift to a small island in the Phillipines and find a beached craft from the previous war with its captain David Niven who looks positively immaculate in his dress whites from the British Navy considering the heat and humidity of the tropics.
With a battery borrowed from plantation owner Faye Dunaway who would like some transport to Australia for her efforts, the American sailors set sail with Niven who will take them, providing he gets the opportunity to sink a Japanese warship. Trust me, Niven's got some really good reasons for wanting this so badly.
This dud of a film is a surprise coming from someone like John Frankenheimer who did such things as Birdman Of Alcatraz, The Train, Grand Prix, and Seven Days In May to name a few. Frankenheimer comes up so short in The Extraordinary Seaman as compared to those masterpieces and others. The situations are forced and labored and the comedy falls flat. Not enough use was made of Mickey Rooney and Jack Carter, both of them extraordinarily funny people.
But there's nothing extraordinary about The Extraordinary Seaman.
Not really.
Auntie_Inflammatory22 April 2016
Warning: Spoilers
This film isn't as dire as the one-star reviews claim. That said, it isn't very good either. It's just...odd and doesn't really go anywhere.
David Niven is his urbane, David Niveny self as a sort of British version of The Flying Dutchman who has to redeem himself through an act of war-time valor instead of an act of love. Alan Alda is Alan Alda. Faye Dunaway is the girl with moxie (sporting 1960's hair-dos during WW2). Mickey Rooney has very little to do.
The conceit of inserting old newsreel footage into the film didn't bother me, I thought the clips were interesting.
I did learn two things while watching this;
1) I had forgotten the difference between flotsam and jetsam and Faye Dunaway was nice enough to explain it.
2) Before Milton Bradley released Battleship as a plastic board game, you could apparently play it on graph paper.
Something more interesting could have been done with Niven's character and the whole concept. With a better script this could've been a pretty good film.
David Niven is his urbane, David Niveny self as a sort of British version of The Flying Dutchman who has to redeem himself through an act of war-time valor instead of an act of love. Alan Alda is Alan Alda. Faye Dunaway is the girl with moxie (sporting 1960's hair-dos during WW2). Mickey Rooney has very little to do.
The conceit of inserting old newsreel footage into the film didn't bother me, I thought the clips were interesting.
I did learn two things while watching this;
1) I had forgotten the difference between flotsam and jetsam and Faye Dunaway was nice enough to explain it.
2) Before Milton Bradley released Battleship as a plastic board game, you could apparently play it on graph paper.
Something more interesting could have been done with Niven's character and the whole concept. With a better script this could've been a pretty good film.
An unconventional 1960s war comedy from John Frankenheimer
jimjo121618 August 2014
John Frankenheimer directed some truly great films in the 1960s, including BIRDMAN OF ALCATRAZ (1962), THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE (1962), SEVEN DAYS IN MAY (1964), and THE TRAIN (1964). THE EXTRAORDINARY SEAMAN (1969) is a rare foray into comedy for the director, who'd found such success with dramas and thrillers.
THE EXTRAORDINARY SEAMAN is one of those sloppy experimental comedies from the 1960s. An anti-"war movie" (rather than an "anti-war" movie). Irreverent, satirical, but a bit messy and undercooked. It's certainly not a great film, but it has its merits. The stylistic conceit of incorporating vintage newsreel footage (with faux newsreel narration) into the story is an interesting touch. The patriotic newsreel montages create an ironical juxtaposition with the decidedly unheroic circumstances of the main characters. Maurice Jarre's bouncing score adds a quirky edge to the wartime setting and keeps things lively.
The plot: A motley group of shipwrecked American sailors (led by a young Alan Alda) comes across a dilapidated British naval vessel and its eccentric and mysterious captain, played by David Niven. The lovely Faye Dunaway joins the crew as they pull out of the Philippines and head out to sea during the final days of WWII. Hijinks ensue.
Mickey Rooney plays one of the sailors and suspects that everyone is a Jap spy. Despite a rather weak script, David Niven gives an enjoyable performance. I liked the casual way he'd report that Alda fell overboard.
During the '60s filmmakers liked to experiment with unconventional storytelling. THE EXTRAORDINARY SEAMAN is an atypical film from John Frankenheimer. The novelty of the newsreel footage gives the film a unique personality, but the madcap editing comes off as messy sometimes. There are some good creative ideas, but the finished movie lacks focus. The result is a little-known curiosity with some recognizable names attached. A mediocre movie, perhaps, and certainly not up to the director's standard, but I think the IMDb community is being too harsh on it (a 2.5 rating?!).
THE EXTRAORDINARY SEAMAN is one of those sloppy experimental comedies from the 1960s. An anti-"war movie" (rather than an "anti-war" movie). Irreverent, satirical, but a bit messy and undercooked. It's certainly not a great film, but it has its merits. The stylistic conceit of incorporating vintage newsreel footage (with faux newsreel narration) into the story is an interesting touch. The patriotic newsreel montages create an ironical juxtaposition with the decidedly unheroic circumstances of the main characters. Maurice Jarre's bouncing score adds a quirky edge to the wartime setting and keeps things lively.
The plot: A motley group of shipwrecked American sailors (led by a young Alan Alda) comes across a dilapidated British naval vessel and its eccentric and mysterious captain, played by David Niven. The lovely Faye Dunaway joins the crew as they pull out of the Philippines and head out to sea during the final days of WWII. Hijinks ensue.
Mickey Rooney plays one of the sailors and suspects that everyone is a Jap spy. Despite a rather weak script, David Niven gives an enjoyable performance. I liked the casual way he'd report that Alda fell overboard.
During the '60s filmmakers liked to experiment with unconventional storytelling. THE EXTRAORDINARY SEAMAN is an atypical film from John Frankenheimer. The novelty of the newsreel footage gives the film a unique personality, but the madcap editing comes off as messy sometimes. There are some good creative ideas, but the finished movie lacks focus. The result is a little-known curiosity with some recognizable names attached. A mediocre movie, perhaps, and certainly not up to the director's standard, but I think the IMDb community is being too harsh on it (a 2.5 rating?!).
How anyone connected with this turkey ever worked again is beyond me
dbborroughs18 August 2007
TCM recently ran the legendary EXTRAORDINARY SEAMAN with David Niven Alan Alda and Faye Dunaway, not to mention Mickey Rooney and a few other great character actors.
This is a really bad movie, not fun, just bad. The premise has Niven as a dead sea captain haunting a boat until he does a heroic act (Its WW2 and he's been dead since WW1). He's always in white and constantly drinking and never eats. Eventually he confesses his state to Alda who is a high strung CPA who can't figure out whats wrong with the Captain. Intercut with the funny footage is newsreel material cut mixed with witty lines and odd music. Its almost like MASH in some technical ways (the camp announcements say relating to the newsreel narration) but the effect is a stone faced silence. I kept going on with the film to see what was wrong, and its purely the fault of the direction which treats the material too realistically, and Alda who's patented shtick and mannerisms are completely wrong (think MASH at his silliest). How Alda survived this horrible miscasting amazes me, but then weirder things have happened.
Not quite one of the all time stinkers that the Medveds once dubbed it in their 50 Worst Films book, but its bad
This is a really bad movie, not fun, just bad. The premise has Niven as a dead sea captain haunting a boat until he does a heroic act (Its WW2 and he's been dead since WW1). He's always in white and constantly drinking and never eats. Eventually he confesses his state to Alda who is a high strung CPA who can't figure out whats wrong with the Captain. Intercut with the funny footage is newsreel material cut mixed with witty lines and odd music. Its almost like MASH in some technical ways (the camp announcements say relating to the newsreel narration) but the effect is a stone faced silence. I kept going on with the film to see what was wrong, and its purely the fault of the direction which treats the material too realistically, and Alda who's patented shtick and mannerisms are completely wrong (think MASH at his silliest). How Alda survived this horrible miscasting amazes me, but then weirder things have happened.
Not quite one of the all time stinkers that the Medveds once dubbed it in their 50 Worst Films book, but its bad
Extraordinarily BAD
ptb-826 January 2005
What seems like a good idea and with a very talented cast and good timing (Faye Dunaway was a huge star after Bonnie and Clyde) this appalling waste of everything has not improved with 25 years of many equally bad films becoming the norm. No wonder poor old MGM was dying. I would like to know the budget because it looks reasonably low, given most of the 'action' is aboard Niven's leaky old boat. I saw this film in 1969 in Sydney at MGM's own Liberty Theatre and even then as a 15 year old I thought it pretty bad. Seeing it again last night I know how and why it is a sad waste. It even commits the major cardinal sin of showing stock footage of the old tub 'sinking' at the climax of the film...NOT newsreel footage of WW2 which is splattered throughout, but obviously just cheap tinted crap of some other bow going down. MGM did this before with THE LAST VOYAGE, inserting stock at a crucial moment, infuriating and cheating everyone watching, and I was equally irritated with it happening here. Alan Alda was a surprise, as I had forgotten he was in this film and often photographed here quite like Elvis...don't laugh, it struck me several times that if Elvis had an acting male relative the same age he would look a lot like like Alan Alda in this film.
It's amazing Alan Alda's career survived this mess.
Momcat_of_Lomita23 February 2011
Long ago, in a galaxy far, far away, before there was the direct-to-video market, people who made howlingly bad films had just one way of mitigating the financial loss. That was to send bad movies to small towns where people would pay to see ANYTHING at a movie theater, because there was nothing else to do. (We're talking about the pre-cable, pre-VHS, just 6 channels on TV days, folks!)
This is how I came to see "The Extraordinary Seaman" in a double-bill with "Krakatoa East of Java" in Lancaster, California in 1969 when I was 13 years old. This has to rank as one of the most awful pairings of movies of all time.
It's funny, because for all that I can recall this movie as being incomprehensible, boring to the point of inducing numbness, and funny only in unintentional ways, Alan Alda stood out in it as the only bearable element. (I know Faye Dunaway and Mickey Rooney are credited in the movie, but I cannot for the life of me remember anything about what they did, which is probably a good thing.) This is not to say that his performance was good. It wasn't, that was impossible, this movie was so bad. This movie's most redeeming feature was that it inspired practically the whole theater to throw popcorn at the screen and to add an audience soundtrack of groans and hisses and boos and hoots, and that was fun.
What it left me with is an indelible memory of what a backwater Lancaster, California was in the days before the Antelope Valley Freeway was built: we were the kind of small town where bad films were sent to eke out a little revenue for the people involved. I think about that every time I see some direct-to-video movie in the rack at the supermarket check-out stand.
And I'm devoutly thankful for all the options we have now to avoid seeing movies like "The Extraordinary Seaman."
This is how I came to see "The Extraordinary Seaman" in a double-bill with "Krakatoa East of Java" in Lancaster, California in 1969 when I was 13 years old. This has to rank as one of the most awful pairings of movies of all time.
It's funny, because for all that I can recall this movie as being incomprehensible, boring to the point of inducing numbness, and funny only in unintentional ways, Alan Alda stood out in it as the only bearable element. (I know Faye Dunaway and Mickey Rooney are credited in the movie, but I cannot for the life of me remember anything about what they did, which is probably a good thing.) This is not to say that his performance was good. It wasn't, that was impossible, this movie was so bad. This movie's most redeeming feature was that it inspired practically the whole theater to throw popcorn at the screen and to add an audience soundtrack of groans and hisses and boos and hoots, and that was fun.
What it left me with is an indelible memory of what a backwater Lancaster, California was in the days before the Antelope Valley Freeway was built: we were the kind of small town where bad films were sent to eke out a little revenue for the people involved. I think about that every time I see some direct-to-video movie in the rack at the supermarket check-out stand.
And I'm devoutly thankful for all the options we have now to avoid seeing movies like "The Extraordinary Seaman."
"Laugh away...love away...fun away...with Dunaway!"
moonspinner558 April 2002
Faye Dunaway may be many things, but "fun" rarely comes to mind. She was seductively clever in Richard Lester's "Musketeers" pictures, she had a squirrelly fashionista presence in "The Thomas Crown Affair", and she projected a loose, warm personality in "Don Juan DeMarco". Here, in her younger years, she's a cool blonde shiver, calculating and aloof. The film, barely released by MGM, involves a group of military personnel circa World War II who are stranded on an island in the Pacific, coming upon a mystical sea captain and his creaky barge. Separated--for no apparent reason--into SIX acts, and interspersed with actual newsreel footage from the period, one has to assume the final cut was taken out of director John Frankenheimer's hands. Most of the actors look positively baffled. As for the placid Ms. Dunaway, she remains shockingly unruffled by the inane plot and the silly dialogue. NO STARS from ****
Behind the scenes
makaii20 January 2006
I can't recommend this movie however to get a better perspective I do recommend to one and all to read Alan Alda's comments regarding this disaster of a movie in his book, (NEVER HAVE YOUR DOG STUFFED and other things I've learned). In the chapter titled Yes to Everything he describes the chaos of making this movie and sums up by saying: "We finished the picture, and it was released directly into obscurity. I've heard that it played on an airplane over Pittsburgh, and I imagined people strapping on parachutes and jumping to get away from it." That last line made me laugh out loud, in fact many lines in this book will have you laughing aloud and enjoying his view on the world.
Could it be any worse?
MOscarbradley20 May 2015
John Frankenhimer made "The Extraordinary Seaman" in 1969 and it was one almighty flop; hardly surprising considering it was an extremely unfunny comedy set in the Philippines during the Second World War. If it showed us anything it was that Frankenhimer couldn't do comedy and watching this you might assume that David Niven, Alan Alda and Mickey Rooney couldn't do comedy either or maybe the war with Japan just wasn't that funny or maybe it was the continual cross-cutting from the movie to newsreel footage that killed it. The female lead was Faye Dunaway, who already had "Bonnie and Clyde" behind her; that she survived this muck is testament to her abilities both as an actress and as a star. Extraordinary indeed, but for all the wrong reasons.
Middle-aged, pompous, reactionary, nationalistic, chess-playing Blimps, but no hawk-eye perception
jgcorrea25 December 2008
This absolutely absurd movie was supposedly intended as a message against the War in Vietnam, which was then on the wake. It tried hard to convey the good, old message that any war, including WWII, was as wasteful as stupid. Alan Alda plays a kind of pre-Hawkeye of "MASH" fame, while David Niven is a loony ghost who believes in duty and honor. Decades after the Allies saved the world for the rest of us ungrateful, it became OK for MGM to poke fun at those clumsy Colonel Blimps. Somehow, the POlish Corridor, Auschwitz, Pearl Harbor and the germ warfare experiments conducted in Manchuria by the Japanese became forgotten by the director who had magnificently brought us "The Manchurian candidate", "The train" and so forth. I especially loath the chess game, at the ending. After WWII had taken perhaps 50 million lives, opposing admirals sat down for a game of chess! How would all those buddies who never came home before 1945 have seen this movie? We don't deserve it, Mr. Frankenheimer.
A very pleasant surprise!
HotToastyRag15 February 2018
At first, I hated this movie. I almost turned it off, but there stood David Niven, in a white captain's uniform and in Technicolor. I kept watching. By the end of the movie, I loved it! Thank goodness for David Niven in a white captain's uniform in Technicolor.
The entire movie is interspersed with real WW2 footage and promotional films to help men enlist. It's a little strange, and to be honest, I could have done without the constant cuts, but if you can get used to it early on, that will help you. Screenwriters Phillip Rock and Hal Dresner must have wanted the entire film to feel satirical, but I think it would have been even better without the stock footage. Now to the plot: Alan Alda, Mickey Rooney, Jack Carter, and Manu Tupou are shipwrecked on a deserted island during WW2. They come across an abandoned, wrecked ship, but quickly find that it's not quite abandoned! David Niven, the ship's captain, is still aboard, drinking, making whimsical remarks no one seems to understand, and far from anxious to help with the war effort. But together, and with a random appearance by Faye Dunaway, they patch up the boat and try to help fight the Japanese.
Without David Niven's character, the movie would be terrible. And without David Niven cast in the role, it would have devolved into a silly 70s comedy with no class or charm. Everything funny and lovely in the film is due to The Niv's splendid comic timing and suaveness. After watching this film, I dare you not to wish he'd been cast in The Ghost and Mrs. Muir. He's infinitely more likable than Rex Harrison. For that matter, why wasn't he cast in My Fair Lady? Well, I guess that's an issue for another time. For now, if you'd like a silly war comedy, give The Extraordinary Seamen a try.
The entire movie is interspersed with real WW2 footage and promotional films to help men enlist. It's a little strange, and to be honest, I could have done without the constant cuts, but if you can get used to it early on, that will help you. Screenwriters Phillip Rock and Hal Dresner must have wanted the entire film to feel satirical, but I think it would have been even better without the stock footage. Now to the plot: Alan Alda, Mickey Rooney, Jack Carter, and Manu Tupou are shipwrecked on a deserted island during WW2. They come across an abandoned, wrecked ship, but quickly find that it's not quite abandoned! David Niven, the ship's captain, is still aboard, drinking, making whimsical remarks no one seems to understand, and far from anxious to help with the war effort. But together, and with a random appearance by Faye Dunaway, they patch up the boat and try to help fight the Japanese.
Without David Niven's character, the movie would be terrible. And without David Niven cast in the role, it would have devolved into a silly 70s comedy with no class or charm. Everything funny and lovely in the film is due to The Niv's splendid comic timing and suaveness. After watching this film, I dare you not to wish he'd been cast in The Ghost and Mrs. Muir. He's infinitely more likable than Rex Harrison. For that matter, why wasn't he cast in My Fair Lady? Well, I guess that's an issue for another time. For now, if you'd like a silly war comedy, give The Extraordinary Seamen a try.
Laughless absurdist satire; the first disaster from a director capable of so much more.
barnabyrudge10 May 2012
Warning: Spoilers
John Frankenheimer's run of consecutive '60s classics comes to a rather undignified end with The Extraordinary Seaman, a universally panned flop that even the director himself couldn't defend. "The only movie I've made which I would say was a total disaster" was his somewhat honest verdict. It's hard to pinpoint exactly what goes wrong with this one – it's based on a decent story by Philip Rock, features an exceptionally talented cast and comes from a director on a winning streak. However, despite all this promise, the film emerges a hugely disappointing affair, lacking the necessary vitality and barely generating a smile during its entire running time.
Shipwrecked in the Phillipines during WWII, four American seamen are desperate to find help before the Japanese invasion force arrives. Cook Oglethorpe (Mickey Rooney), gunner's mate Orville Toole (Jack Carter), silent giant Lightfoot Star (Manu Tupou) and their inexperienced senior office Lt. Morton Krim (Alan Alda) stumble across a rundown ship called the Curmudgeon, beached on a sandbank beside a river in the jungle. They board the ship and discover the only other person on board is eccentric British Navy captain John Finchhaven (David Niven), who claims that the ship belongs to him. Eventually they manage to refloat the vessel and set off toward the ocean, hoping to make for Australia. They also pick up a passenger in the attractive form of Jennifer Winslow (Faye Dunaway), a tough and resourceful trading post entrepreneur who wants out before the Japanese arrive. During their voyage, it becomes more and more obvious to the group that Captain Finchhaven is not at all what he seems. He drinks continually yet never gets drunk; he never sleeps; he never leaves the bridge; he doesn't even duck or dive for cover under enemy gunfire. Only later does the "ghostly" truth about Finchhaven become clear, as he reveals his whimsical past and the fact that he is cursed to roam the seas forever until he puts right an ancient wrong .
Thankfully, The Extraordinary Seaman is at least brief with its nonsense. At a mere 80 minutes (a good 15 of which are taken up with stock newsreel footage) the film is over before it becomes an ordeal on the backside. It is, however, an ordeal on the intellect, with its intentionally absurd yet horribly flat narrative. Characters come and go without amounting to anything (Dunaway especially) and the story never seems to go anywhere. Alda tries hard in one of his earliest movie roles and Niven manages to convey his random eccentricities quite nicely, but there the positives end. The film's satirical edge is totally blunt, while the crude inter-cutting of newsreel footage, presumably to add 'comic irony', really doesn't work at all. There's a dispirited air hanging over the whole movie, as if everyone realised early on that they were involved in a disaster and decided to get it over with as quickly and indifferently as possible.
Shipwrecked in the Phillipines during WWII, four American seamen are desperate to find help before the Japanese invasion force arrives. Cook Oglethorpe (Mickey Rooney), gunner's mate Orville Toole (Jack Carter), silent giant Lightfoot Star (Manu Tupou) and their inexperienced senior office Lt. Morton Krim (Alan Alda) stumble across a rundown ship called the Curmudgeon, beached on a sandbank beside a river in the jungle. They board the ship and discover the only other person on board is eccentric British Navy captain John Finchhaven (David Niven), who claims that the ship belongs to him. Eventually they manage to refloat the vessel and set off toward the ocean, hoping to make for Australia. They also pick up a passenger in the attractive form of Jennifer Winslow (Faye Dunaway), a tough and resourceful trading post entrepreneur who wants out before the Japanese arrive. During their voyage, it becomes more and more obvious to the group that Captain Finchhaven is not at all what he seems. He drinks continually yet never gets drunk; he never sleeps; he never leaves the bridge; he doesn't even duck or dive for cover under enemy gunfire. Only later does the "ghostly" truth about Finchhaven become clear, as he reveals his whimsical past and the fact that he is cursed to roam the seas forever until he puts right an ancient wrong .
Thankfully, The Extraordinary Seaman is at least brief with its nonsense. At a mere 80 minutes (a good 15 of which are taken up with stock newsreel footage) the film is over before it becomes an ordeal on the backside. It is, however, an ordeal on the intellect, with its intentionally absurd yet horribly flat narrative. Characters come and go without amounting to anything (Dunaway especially) and the story never seems to go anywhere. Alda tries hard in one of his earliest movie roles and Niven manages to convey his random eccentricities quite nicely, but there the positives end. The film's satirical edge is totally blunt, while the crude inter-cutting of newsreel footage, presumably to add 'comic irony', really doesn't work at all. There's a dispirited air hanging over the whole movie, as if everyone realised early on that they were involved in a disaster and decided to get it over with as quickly and indifferently as possible.
The extraordinary stolidness
Poseidon-31 August 2007
Warning: Spoilers
What if they made a movie and no one could watch it? Perhaps it's not quite THAT bad, but it's close. Alda, Rooney, Carter and Tupou play four naval crewmen during WWII who become shipwrecked on a south sea island and who stumble upon a beached, old ship called the Curmudgeon. On board is mysterious and old-fashioned Niven, who guzzles scotch from a never-ending bottle and who wishes to get his rust bucket back in order and on to Australia. While looking for applicable supplies, the men are joined by gun-toting Dunaway, who winds up boarding the ship as well. The motley crew works on getting the ship seaworthy and heads off to Australia, but not before encountering the enemy and not before Alda discovers some "shocking" secrets about Niven. All through the film, old newsreels and classic footage from the 30's and 40's is inserted for comedic and/or ironic effect. Sometimes, the footage is more interesting or entertaining than any of the strained, dull or pointless new material that makes up the bulk of the film, though none of it is very arresting, in any case. Niven gives a laid back performance, to say the least. Alda is his typical self, which will appeal to some viewers more than others. Dunaway looks great, despite the lack of fashionable clothes or glamour and she also has a bit of spunk, at least at first. However, she's not given a lot to do and the part ends up as thankless. Rooney claims to have no memory of making the film at all according to his auto-bio and despite the reportedly trying conditions where it was filmed. Carter mostly hollers and eats baked beans. It's a bad film with very little to recommend it. If it were just a bit worse, it could count as campy or unintentionally funny, but it's just plain bad. Misguided, choppy and banal are other words that could be used to describe it. It's not the jewel of anyone's resume, but it's got to be one of the least notable films on Dunaway's, especially for this time period.
The Anemic Comedy
JasparLamarCrabb28 December 2010
Warning: Spoilers
An anemic comedy directed by John Frankenheimer. David Niven commands a broken down ship through the Philippines during WWII, drinking whiskey, flirting with Faye Dunaway and verbally sparring with American sailor Alan Alda. This slim film (just over 70 minutes long) seems a lot longer than it is. Frankenheimer reportedly didn't film enough footage so he padded the proceedings with stock footage and old MGM newsreels. Some of them are actually funnier than the film itself (e.g. Bess Truman trying repeatedly to christen a ship with an unbreakable champagne bottle). Mickey Rooney and Jack Carter play Alda's fellow sailors. They get no laughs. On the plus side, there is some nice photography by Lionel Lindon and terrific editing by Fredric Steinkamp.
Seaman A Waste Of Talent
CitizenCaine19 May 2014
Warning: Spoilers
The Extraordinary Seaman directed by John Frankenheimer is puzzling in the sense that how could a film directed by Frankenheimer, which includes performances by David Niven, Faye Dunaway, Alan Alda, Mickey Rooney, and Jack Carter, and music by Maurice Jarre not be entertaining? After a string of successes from the beginning of his career in the 1950's with television drama through the 1960's with several film classics, Frankenheimer failed miserably with this film. Due to the short running time of 80 minutes compared to the usual much longer running times for his previous films, one wonders whether the film was taken out of Frankenheimer's hands at one point.
Niven is an old sea captain who has a secret, later discovered by the over-acting Alda, who nearly sleepwalks through his role. Dunaway starts out promising as a woman who can help a crew or hinder it, but shortly after boarding ship, Dunaway's role becomes forgettable. Alda overacts his way through the film progressively more as the film unfolds, and his forced romance with Dunaway makes her seem uncomfortable in the film. Rooney and Carter, who can both be very funny when given something to work with, are completely wasted with little or nothing to do.
The film purports to be an adventure/comedy but it's neither interesting nor funny, and the non-existent story just falls flat long before the revelation, which occurs an hour into the film. The denouement is a preposterous letdown. The most interesting parts of the film are the archival footage edited in to the film for what was probably intended to be comedic/ironic effect. However, the old clips took up almost a quarter of the film, which means there wasn't much to watch to begin with. A huge waste of talent considering those involved. 0 of ****.
Niven is an old sea captain who has a secret, later discovered by the over-acting Alda, who nearly sleepwalks through his role. Dunaway starts out promising as a woman who can help a crew or hinder it, but shortly after boarding ship, Dunaway's role becomes forgettable. Alda overacts his way through the film progressively more as the film unfolds, and his forced romance with Dunaway makes her seem uncomfortable in the film. Rooney and Carter, who can both be very funny when given something to work with, are completely wasted with little or nothing to do.
The film purports to be an adventure/comedy but it's neither interesting nor funny, and the non-existent story just falls flat long before the revelation, which occurs an hour into the film. The denouement is a preposterous letdown. The most interesting parts of the film are the archival footage edited in to the film for what was probably intended to be comedic/ironic effect. However, the old clips took up almost a quarter of the film, which means there wasn't much to watch to begin with. A huge waste of talent considering those involved. 0 of ****.
Just Awful
mrb19803 January 2011
Warning: Spoilers
Director John Frankenheimer's films always had pretty good batting averages. Classics such as "The Manchurian Candidate", "Seven Days in May", and "Birdman of Alcatraz" have all stood the test of time. ("Prophecy" is pretty substandard, but we'll forget about that one.) However, "The Extraordinary Seaman" is just abysmal. Despite the presence of Frankenheimer and a big-name cast (David Niven, Alan Alda, Faye Dunaway, Mickey Rooney) the film has very little plot, fairly atrocious acting, and no point at all.
During World War II, Morton Krim (Alan Alda) finds himself aboard an old military ship in the Pacific. Besides the crew (including Rooney) the ship is manned by an eccentric British captain (Niven). After the ship picks up Jennifer (Dunaway), Krim begins to notice that the captain drinks constantly from a whiskey bottle that always seems full, is impervious to bullets and shrapnel, and keeps his uniform immaculately clean, no matter the circumstances. It appears that the captain is a ghost destined to skipper the ship forever until he redeems himself in battle. The crew has various nonsensical and unconnected adventures (including interaction with island natives that is painful to watch), before the captain finally redeems himself by sinking a Japanese ship, in a climax that is supposed to be humorous but instead is just dumb.
Lots of WWII newsreel footage is included, but it's so unrelated to the film's so-called plot that it seems way out of place. Niven, Dunaway, Alda, and Rooney are usually worth watching, but they can't rise above the ridiculous story and haphazard direction. In particular, the Japanese airplane attack on Niven's ship is somehow supposed to be funny (I guess) but instead it's just excruciating. Although it is interesting to see a pre-MASH Alda, his performance isn't really believable at all, since he looks very late-1960s in a mid-1940s setting. Frankenheimer was a very capable director, but he wasn't good enough to salvage this dud. If there are worse ways to pass the time than watching this movie, I can't think of any. This may be the biggest star-studded turkey of 1969.
During World War II, Morton Krim (Alan Alda) finds himself aboard an old military ship in the Pacific. Besides the crew (including Rooney) the ship is manned by an eccentric British captain (Niven). After the ship picks up Jennifer (Dunaway), Krim begins to notice that the captain drinks constantly from a whiskey bottle that always seems full, is impervious to bullets and shrapnel, and keeps his uniform immaculately clean, no matter the circumstances. It appears that the captain is a ghost destined to skipper the ship forever until he redeems himself in battle. The crew has various nonsensical and unconnected adventures (including interaction with island natives that is painful to watch), before the captain finally redeems himself by sinking a Japanese ship, in a climax that is supposed to be humorous but instead is just dumb.
Lots of WWII newsreel footage is included, but it's so unrelated to the film's so-called plot that it seems way out of place. Niven, Dunaway, Alda, and Rooney are usually worth watching, but they can't rise above the ridiculous story and haphazard direction. In particular, the Japanese airplane attack on Niven's ship is somehow supposed to be funny (I guess) but instead it's just excruciating. Although it is interesting to see a pre-MASH Alda, his performance isn't really believable at all, since he looks very late-1960s in a mid-1940s setting. Frankenheimer was a very capable director, but he wasn't good enough to salvage this dud. If there are worse ways to pass the time than watching this movie, I can't think of any. This may be the biggest star-studded turkey of 1969.
"Extraordinary" my bum
Boyo-214 July 1999
This movie (I use the expression loosely) has been on television recently as part of a Mickey Rooney tribute. Well that's some tribute! I couldn't even begin to describe how awful this movie is. With a director like Frankenheimer, stars like Niven, Dunaway, Rooney and Alan Alda, this might have looked good on paper, but the movie itself is indescribable.
What a piece of Crap
skt17127 July 2007
I don't know, maybe it started with "The Americanization of Emily", a great movie which I loved then and still love except for the message. The message? That all wars and even WW II are wasteful, useless, stupid, dumb and that there is really not that much difference between them and us. In this case, "The Extraordinary Seaman", Alan Alda is prematurely playing the role of Hawkeye Pierce from "Mash". David Niven is a slightly loony ghost who believes in duty and honor. I guess that's why he's loony. In this farce (in the bad sense) the ghost is trying to do the right thing as he sees it while Alda knows he's wrong. Somehow, twenty-two years after the Greatest Generation saved the world for the rest of us ingrates, it became OK to poke fun at them and what they believed. They were apparently all Colonel Blimps.
Somehow, The rape of Nanking, the Bataan Death March, the real Bridge on the river Kwai and the notorious vivisection and germ warfare experiments conducted in Manchuria by the Japanese either went away or became lost in some crazy moral equivilency drug haze by the folks who brought us this trash. Yeah, we flattened their cities but after they started it. Freshman logic, if A then B.
And yes, what a zinger of an ending, it was all for naught. I especially liked the chess game. A war just ended that took perhaps 50 million, yes that's million lives and our admirals and their admirals sit down for a game of chess. I wonder how Bull Halsey liked the movie? More than that, I really , really wonder how all those buddies of my father, who never came home in 1945 would have liked this movie? We don't deserve what those guys gave us.
To anyone who actually enjoyed this thing, I recommend mandatory viewing of "The Cruel Sea" until they finally "get it".
Somehow, The rape of Nanking, the Bataan Death March, the real Bridge on the river Kwai and the notorious vivisection and germ warfare experiments conducted in Manchuria by the Japanese either went away or became lost in some crazy moral equivilency drug haze by the folks who brought us this trash. Yeah, we flattened their cities but after they started it. Freshman logic, if A then B.
And yes, what a zinger of an ending, it was all for naught. I especially liked the chess game. A war just ended that took perhaps 50 million, yes that's million lives and our admirals and their admirals sit down for a game of chess. I wonder how Bull Halsey liked the movie? More than that, I really , really wonder how all those buddies of my father, who never came home in 1945 would have liked this movie? We don't deserve what those guys gave us.
To anyone who actually enjoyed this thing, I recommend mandatory viewing of "The Cruel Sea" until they finally "get it".
do movies get any worse?
sanookdee6 January 2018
I am amazed that a talents like David Niven and Faye Dunaway signed on to act in this turkey. It is just BAD in every way. Mickey Rooney is the only redeeming factor at all, hence the 1 star. Alan Alda, in my opinion, has never been more than mediocre as an actor. He is to one dimensional. Mix that with a bad story and you just have a bad, bad movie. Shame on your John Frankenheimer. I am surprised you signed on for this movie too.
Taking place during the same week . . .
oscaralbert3 February 2019
Warning: Spoilers
. . . of August, 1945, when Real Life sharks seemingly ate half of the U.S Navy (inspiring a main subplot in the movie JAWS), THE EXTRAORDINARY SEAMAN milks World War Two for millions of yuks (or at least tries, pretty half-heartedly, in a totally brainless way). As PATHS OF GLORY pointed out, War is how the infamous Military/Industrial Complex gets its jollies. These amoral Fat Cat One Per Center demons watch their version of the Super Bowl from luxury boxes nowhere near the Front Lines. That's why their pet movie studio cranks out a steady stream of "War Comedies," such as GWTW and EXTRAORDINARY SEAMAN, while working class studios like Warner Bros. release sobering Docu-Dramas including HEROES FOR SALE. SEAMAN's "Finchhaven" character is a Dead Soul, oblivious to how many True Blue Loyal Patriotic Normal Average 99 Per Center Silent Majority Progressive Union Label Working Stiff Citizens such as "Lt. J.G. Krim" he gets killed. These 99 Per Centers are interchangeable widgets to the Fat Cat Warmongers, so it's no skin off Finchhaven's spectral nose how many of them die. As the Evil Axis Dictators--all pictured laughing it up through Archival Footage here--proved in Real Life WWII, We "Little People" can ALL die, as far as they're concerned. If I'm not mistaken, "Andy Hardy" also appeared in SEAMAN's sequel, COOKING WITH GAS.
A man seeking redemption for past mistakes.
Bronco4629 January 2019
I don't understand all the really bad reviews for this film. I don't understand why
it attracted such venom.
It's a quirky, poorly written, well cast film.
This is not a film warranting a 4 or worse. There are some good and a few really
good actors turning in fairly good performances with material that's just so-so.
material.
It's not a bad movie, but it isn't great either. It's an interesting story line that's been
done before in movies like "A Connecticul Yankee in King Arthur's Court" and a few
others. It's not done anywhere near as good. But just having David Niven and Faye Dunaway in the film makes it worthy of more that a four.
A Frankenheimer dud?! Believe it or not...yes!
planktonrules12 May 2023
During his career directing movies, John Frankenheimer had an amazing record of great films to his credit. Think about it...he directed "Seven Days in May", the first (and best) "Manchurian Candidate", "The French Connection II", "Seconds", and "The Train" among others. So, it's very surprising when you see "The Extraordinary Seaman"...a bad film actually directed by this great man. According to IMDB, he needed to pay for a divorce...and so he took this slight film. Thankfully, the movie was soon forgotten and Frankenheimer's legacy managed to survive this!
A group of four American sailors are stranded on a lonely island during WWII. Their chance to escape arrives when they come upon a boat that's stuck in the lagoon and a lone British officer (David Niven) gets them to help him dislodge the ship and promises to take them to Australia...back to their forces. However, over time, it seems that the British officer just ain't right....and I'll say more because I don't want to spoil the plot..as if anyone would really care.
The basic story idea is not bad at all. But the problem is the style of movie...and Frankenheimer, sadly, would be to blame for the look of the film. Again and again, to show the audience how funny and clever the picture is, they intercut stock footage of all sorts of WWII era stuff...stuff that is very awkwardly inserted and simply isn't funny. In fact, it's really annoying...especially when they played these clips backwards and forwards again and again for added fun(??). Additionally, the supposed laughs are punctuated with 'funny' sound effects or music. In each case, it feels as if the filmmakers are trying to get us to laugh by telling us when to laugh...almost like inserting a laugh track into the movie. But the problem is that none of these moments are the least bit funny! As a result, it seems as if the film knew it was a turkey and thought adding these things would somehow make audiences howl with laughter...which they didn't. Overall, a desperately bad job of direction make this a sad addition to Frankenheimer's long list of accomplishments. Sadly, it's a grating film...not a great film.
My aunt watched it with me and summed it up well with "It might be a decent film IF they didn't constantly interrupt with all that old footage!".
A group of four American sailors are stranded on a lonely island during WWII. Their chance to escape arrives when they come upon a boat that's stuck in the lagoon and a lone British officer (David Niven) gets them to help him dislodge the ship and promises to take them to Australia...back to their forces. However, over time, it seems that the British officer just ain't right....and I'll say more because I don't want to spoil the plot..as if anyone would really care.
The basic story idea is not bad at all. But the problem is the style of movie...and Frankenheimer, sadly, would be to blame for the look of the film. Again and again, to show the audience how funny and clever the picture is, they intercut stock footage of all sorts of WWII era stuff...stuff that is very awkwardly inserted and simply isn't funny. In fact, it's really annoying...especially when they played these clips backwards and forwards again and again for added fun(??). Additionally, the supposed laughs are punctuated with 'funny' sound effects or music. In each case, it feels as if the filmmakers are trying to get us to laugh by telling us when to laugh...almost like inserting a laugh track into the movie. But the problem is that none of these moments are the least bit funny! As a result, it seems as if the film knew it was a turkey and thought adding these things would somehow make audiences howl with laughter...which they didn't. Overall, a desperately bad job of direction make this a sad addition to Frankenheimer's long list of accomplishments. Sadly, it's a grating film...not a great film.
My aunt watched it with me and summed it up well with "It might be a decent film IF they didn't constantly interrupt with all that old footage!".
What Were They Thinking?
Piper1213 October 2000
That's just about all you can say about this film that is so bad you simply have to gape in wonderment. Although just 80 minutes long, the film features an extraordinary amount of padding via moronic file footage of such events as Bess Truman trying unsuccessfully to break a bottle of champagne across an aircraft's nose. The plot has something to do with a ghost (David Niven)whose old scow of World War I vessel is discovered by some American sailors in the final days of World War II in the Pacific. The producers probably thought that with Alda, Rooney, Dunaway (just off her "Bonny and Clyde" fame, recall) and Frankenheimer helming the whole thing, it couldn't miss. Well, it did.
Misunderstood comic storyline on wartime at WWII, far away to be labeled as bad!!
elo-equipamentos18 December 2023
The man itself must follow its principles above all, its means your conscience, starting this premise nothing will hit you or change your mind whatsoever, it applies in this hard beaten picture The Extraordinary Seamen, looking carefully for you own, keeping aside any noises from the haters around, you find out so many qualities, instead just points out blemishes, the plot is clever and amusing, when four American soldiers adrift at pacific ocean find out stranded in an island, looking around they finding an old British vessel stuck at seaside by dead batteries, strangely just the Captain on board, they looking around on a farm brand new batteries to start vessel's engine also supplies to forthcoming long voyage, however the female owner just allowed the supplies if she coming along.
Not so fast the British Captain follow his Navy's rules no woman is allowed at Royal Navy, in other hand the Americans embark her anyway to head to Australia, in the middle of journey they bump into a cannibal natives, they weirdo Captain has some unusual behaviors, he doesn't eat, doesn't sleep, also his uniform always is keep cleaner, worst they just saw he drinking all the time without be drunken, along the movie is split in many chapters according the subject at moment, by inserting many newsreel footage from WWII, a sort of satirical picture.
The casting has greatest names as David Niven as quintessential British pompous character, Alan Alda on Mash's trademark, the shorty Mickey Rooney quite amusing cook, the young Faye Dunnaway in sexy outfits, Jack Carter as gunner among others funniest ones, surely this picture directed by John Frankenheimer has many flaws and holes, although far away to be labeled as bad!!
Thanks for reading.
Resume:
First watch: 1984 / How many: 2 / Source: TV-Youtube / Rating: 6.
Not so fast the British Captain follow his Navy's rules no woman is allowed at Royal Navy, in other hand the Americans embark her anyway to head to Australia, in the middle of journey they bump into a cannibal natives, they weirdo Captain has some unusual behaviors, he doesn't eat, doesn't sleep, also his uniform always is keep cleaner, worst they just saw he drinking all the time without be drunken, along the movie is split in many chapters according the subject at moment, by inserting many newsreel footage from WWII, a sort of satirical picture.
The casting has greatest names as David Niven as quintessential British pompous character, Alan Alda on Mash's trademark, the shorty Mickey Rooney quite amusing cook, the young Faye Dunnaway in sexy outfits, Jack Carter as gunner among others funniest ones, surely this picture directed by John Frankenheimer has many flaws and holes, although far away to be labeled as bad!!
Thanks for reading.
Resume:
First watch: 1984 / How many: 2 / Source: TV-Youtube / Rating: 6.
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