For veteran actor Louis Wolheim, directing himself men putting himself in a leading romantic roll, although it is a dark one. He is a veteran ship's Captain, Cold and unromantic until he meets the beautiful Mary Astor, companion of phony preacher Ian Keith. In a sense, this is close to the previous year's film version of "Anna Christie", and as talented as she would become, Mary Astor was no Greta Garbo at this time. She was young and beautiful and certainly filled with potential, but the film itself is directed in a very creaky manner.
What I noticed is that it is very difficult to hear much of the dialogue of leading actor Wolheim, making me wonder how close the microphone was to his mouth which made it muffled. Wolheim's character is disgustingly dirty when Astor first meets him and she tells him off in a scene which allegedly makes him change. If Astor is emulating Greta Garbo in this film, Wolheim is close to Walter Huston in the following year's "Rain" as far as how he is changed by a woman he can't have.
In a smaller role, there is Hugh Herbert, nothing at all like the character he would be typecast as later on at Warner Brothers. He plays the role straight and thus is quite surprising as one of the crew members. It is Ian Keith who plays the major villain in this, a character so vile while pretending to preach the gospel that his hypocrisy makes him all the more disgusting. An abusive scene with Astor is filmed in shadow and thus all the more disturbing. The film is dated in its extreme melodrama and some audiences may find it difficult to get through. I can watch anything with Mary Astor in it, but I much prefer her tougher girls even though as Keith indicates here, she's got an easy reputation which keeps her under his thumb.
What I noticed is that it is very difficult to hear much of the dialogue of leading actor Wolheim, making me wonder how close the microphone was to his mouth which made it muffled. Wolheim's character is disgustingly dirty when Astor first meets him and she tells him off in a scene which allegedly makes him change. If Astor is emulating Greta Garbo in this film, Wolheim is close to Walter Huston in the following year's "Rain" as far as how he is changed by a woman he can't have.
In a smaller role, there is Hugh Herbert, nothing at all like the character he would be typecast as later on at Warner Brothers. He plays the role straight and thus is quite surprising as one of the crew members. It is Ian Keith who plays the major villain in this, a character so vile while pretending to preach the gospel that his hypocrisy makes him all the more disgusting. An abusive scene with Astor is filmed in shadow and thus all the more disturbing. The film is dated in its extreme melodrama and some audiences may find it difficult to get through. I can watch anything with Mary Astor in it, but I much prefer her tougher girls even though as Keith indicates here, she's got an easy reputation which keeps her under his thumb.