This worthy 1953 noir transfers the action from the familiar urban landscape to a large luxury liner, fleetingly depicted on screen by stock footage of the Queen Mary.
Even before land is out of sight newly-wed Crain is distraught over the mysterious disappearance of her husband. Her frantic attempts to locate him are greeted with the brick wall treatment. His name does not appear on the passenger list and nobody recollects seeing him board the vessel. Consequently she finds herself accused of being delusional and unstable.
Suspicious characters are in no short supply: The gaunt, sullen steward, who appears to play every scene with a mouth full of lemon juice, the butter wouldn't melt stewardess and the curt, dismissive captain. Also thrown into the mix is the eerie tapping stick of the man with the pronounced limp, (That's L- I -M- P pronounced limp) who emerges variously from the shadowy bowels beneath the decks and through the thick, swirling mist, which seems to permanently engulf the ship.
Owing to these adverse conditions, the foghorn blares relentlessly. It's a wonder anyone on board managed a wink of sleep amidst that incessant racket. Personally, I'd have been at the front of the queue demanding a refund, or at the very least free beer for the entire voyage !
The above, however, is an observation rather than a criticism. Clocking in at 75 minutes, this is a taut, economical, well-crafted mystery, with a few subtle plot twists, which require a second viewing to be fully appreciated. A well above average' B' movie and a pretty decent sea movie, which poses just one question. Did Crain's repeated desperate cries of 'No! no! no!' during the ballroom scene inspire Neil Young to write 'Last Dance' on his 'Time Fades Away' album?
Even before land is out of sight newly-wed Crain is distraught over the mysterious disappearance of her husband. Her frantic attempts to locate him are greeted with the brick wall treatment. His name does not appear on the passenger list and nobody recollects seeing him board the vessel. Consequently she finds herself accused of being delusional and unstable.
Suspicious characters are in no short supply: The gaunt, sullen steward, who appears to play every scene with a mouth full of lemon juice, the butter wouldn't melt stewardess and the curt, dismissive captain. Also thrown into the mix is the eerie tapping stick of the man with the pronounced limp, (That's L- I -M- P pronounced limp) who emerges variously from the shadowy bowels beneath the decks and through the thick, swirling mist, which seems to permanently engulf the ship.
Owing to these adverse conditions, the foghorn blares relentlessly. It's a wonder anyone on board managed a wink of sleep amidst that incessant racket. Personally, I'd have been at the front of the queue demanding a refund, or at the very least free beer for the entire voyage !
The above, however, is an observation rather than a criticism. Clocking in at 75 minutes, this is a taut, economical, well-crafted mystery, with a few subtle plot twists, which require a second viewing to be fully appreciated. A well above average' B' movie and a pretty decent sea movie, which poses just one question. Did Crain's repeated desperate cries of 'No! no! no!' during the ballroom scene inspire Neil Young to write 'Last Dance' on his 'Time Fades Away' album?