Mare Nostrum (1926)

The story of a female German spy who willingly sacrifices her life for her country.

Director:

Rex Ingram

Writers:

Vicente Blasco Ibáñez (by), Willis Goldbeck (scenario)

Stars:

Apollon Uni, Álex Nova, Kada-Abd-el-Kader

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Apollon Uni	...	The Triton (prologue) (as Uni Apollon)
Álex Nova	...	Don Esteban Ferragut (prologue) (as Alex Nova)
Kada-Abd-el-Kader	...	Don Esteban's Son - Ulysses (prologue)
Hughie Mack	...	Caragol (prologue)
Alice Terry	...	Freya Talberg
Antonio Moreno	...	Ulysses Ferragut
Mademoiselle Kithnou	...	Ferragut's Wife - Dona Cinta (as Mle. Kithnou)
Mickey Brantford	...	Ferragut's Son - Esteban (as Michael Brantford)
Rosita Ramírez	...	Ferragut's Niece - Pepita
Frédéric Mariotti	...	Toni - the Mate (as Fredrick Mariotti)
Pâquerette	...	Doctor Fedelmann (as Mme. Paquerette)
Fernand Mailly	...	Count Kaledine
Andrews Engelmann	...	Submarine Commander (as André von Engelman)

Storyline

German spies, using Freya Talberg as bait, convince neutral Spaniard Ulysses Ferragut to navigate a ship to refuel German U-boats, telling him they would never fire on passenger ships. But one torpedoes the ship his son, Esteban, was on, killing him and many others. He sets out to punish the ones responsible.

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Plot Keywords:

infidelity | femme fatale | possessive female | manipulative female | female jealousy | 

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Taglines:

Undersea Warfare! The Girl Before the Firing Squad! At the Octopus Tank! The Spy System! Inside a Doomed Submarine! (Print Ad- Daily Star, ((Long Island City, NY)) 9 October 1926)

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Genres:

Drama | War

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Certificate:

Passed

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film was considered "lost" for many years, until it was finally reconstructed from surviving, but incomplete material in various archives. Some resultant editing glitches have been observed by modern day eagle eyed enthusiasts, and, apparently, a scene in an aquarium, represented by a well known often published still, a two color version of which has been posted on IMDb, is apparently still missing.

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Quotes

Title Card: The Triton had chosen Ulysses' profession. Ulysses' parents had chosen his wife, Doña Cinta.

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Alternate Versions

Turner Classic Movies showed a version with an uncredited piano score that ran 102 minutes.

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Connections

Featured in Hollywood (1980)

User Reviews

Tragic Tale Of The Sea

A young Spanish sea captain learns about life & death, great love & passionate hatred, while sailing the waters of MARE NOSTRUM - ‘Our Sea.'

Brilliant & disturbing, this was the last important film from acclaimed silent director Rex Ingram. Produced to great effect on location in the Western Mediterranean, this was one of Metro's biggest films of the 1920's. Returning to the author who had already given him enormous success with THE FOUR HORSEMEN OF THE APOCALYPSE - Vicente Blasco Ibáñez - Ingram would once again produce a film of exceptional high quality. Today, it is all but forgotten...

Antonio Moreno gives a vivid performance as the Captain who is used so harshly by fate. His doleful eyes linger in the imagination of the viewer long after the end of the film. Alice Terry - Mrs. Rex Ingram - is sultry & beautiful as the Austrian spy who seduces Moreno. Her firing squad scene is considered a classic of pacing & composition, and she is magnificent in it.

Uni Apollon is very effective in his few minutes as an old Spanish sea dog. Madame Pâquerette, as a large, mannish German spy master is formidable. Hughie Mack, as an absolutely loyal, grossly obese Spanish servant, is especially satisfying. (This excellent character actor would die from heart disease the year after MARE NOSTRUM's release, at the age of only 42.)

The unfortunate use of obvious models for some of the scenes at sea is more than mitigated by the presence of real ships & submarines in others. The filming among the ruins in Italy's Pompeii & Paestum, as well as the spy chase along the waterfront in Marseille, add tremendously to the overall ambiance of this remarkable film.

The underwater sequences with Amphitrite, goddess of Mare Nostrum, are absolutely haunting.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

None English

Release Date:

29 August 1926 (USA)

Also Known As:

Our Sea

Filming Locations:

Madrid, Spain

Box Office

Gross USA:

$620,079

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn Pictures Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min (TCM print)

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1