Lord Jim (1965)

After being discredited as a coward, a 19th century seaman (Peter O'Toole) lives for only one purpose: to redeem himself. Based on Joseph Conrad's novel written in 1900.

Director:

Richard Brooks

Writers:

Joseph Conrad (novel), Richard Brooks (written for the screen by)

Stars:

Peter O'Toole, James Mason, Curd Jürgens

Nominated for 2 BAFTA Film Awards.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Peter O'Toole	...	Lord Jim
James Mason	...	Gentleman Brown
Curd Jürgens	...	Cornelius (as Curt Jurgens)
Eli Wallach	...	The General
Jack Hawkins	...	Marlow
Paul Lukas	...	Stein
Daliah Lavi	...	The Girl
Akim Tamiroff	...	Schomberg
Jûzô Itami	...	Waris (as Ichizo Itami)
Tatsuo Saitô	...	Du-Ramin
Andrew Keir	...	Brierly
Jack MacGowran	...	Robinson
Ric Young	...	Malay (as Eric Young)
Noel Purcell	...	Captain Chester
Walter Gotell	...	Captain of Patna

Storyline

James Burke, after distinguishing himself as a midshipman in the British merchant marine, rapidly rises to the rank of executive officer, second in command of a ship. A broken foot necessitates that he be put ashore to heal. After his recovery, the very proud Jim - his pride rooted in his competence, which had made him a highly respected and admired naval officer - signs on as the executive officer of the Patna, a rusty tub manned by a third-rate crew overseen by a barbarous captain, that is transporting a group of Moslem pilgrims to Mecca. During a severe storm that causes the unseaworthy ship to founder, Jim abandons ship with the rest of the white crew without even lowering the other lifeboat for the passengers. The fleeing crew are prepared to swear they saw the Patna sink with all its passengers; however, in what Jim believes is a cosmic joke upon himself, it is revealed when they get into port on their lifeboat that the Patma did not sink but had been salvaged by a French vessel...

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Plot Keywords:

merchant marine | lifeboat | warlord | naval officer | gunpowder | 

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Taglines:

Filmed in the far corners of the Far East...High Adventure that reaches across the world!

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Movie Channel [United States]

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 February 1965 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dödens djungel

Filming Locations:

Cambodia

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia British Productions, Keep Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

154 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System) (35 mm prints) 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

During the making of Touch of Evil (1958), Orson Welles discussed filming this with Charlton Heston.

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Goofs

When Jim is going up river, one of his companions throws a knife into another's back, but the knife is already in his back as he turns to warn Jim.

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Quotes

Stein: You must face the truth.
Lord Jim: Truth? What is the truth? I've been a so-called coward and a so-called hero, and there's not the thickness of a piece off paper between them. Maybe cowards and heroes are just ordinary men, who for just a split second do something that is out of the ordinary. That's all.

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Connections

Referenced in The Exorcist III (1990)

User Reviews

Conrad's treatise on fear, heroism, cowardice and death

I have seen the film three times over the past thirty years and each time I loved it. The subject of the film must have attracted director Richard Brooks who was essentially a screenplay writer who later became a director. He knew the merits of a strong script with philosophical lines from Conrad. Coppola was to use the related original material (Conrad's) in his "Apocalypse Now" for the Brando scenes several decades after this film was made and mostly forgotten.

What Brooks does not realize is that lines like "it only takes a split second to make a coward a hero or turn a hero into a coward" and "every sinner wants a second chance at redemption, without realizing he is damned for ever" are philosophical lines that one expects to hear from very literate individuals. Here, in "Lord Jim," the lines are often spoken by the dregs of society. Jim, of course, we are told by the narrator (Jack Hawkins' Marlowe) was philosophical, dreamed of heroism, and was a gentleman.

The film is made up of three distinct segments: 1. the "sinking" of SS Patna 2. The liberation of Patusan ("Patna" + "us" make up the name Patusan, remarks Jim to his love) and 3. The battle with a group of scoundrels (led by James Mason's 'Gentleman' Brown) with some fine speeches on honor, death, and fear.

Each segment could stand alone but together the film adds considerable worthiness that exceeds the action and plot, the elements that most viewers use to judge a movie. The lesser characters in the film add color and counterpoints to the script. Christian Marquand's French Captain who defends Jim's "cowardice" with the words "fear can make us do strange things" or Paul Lukas' Stern who compares his dead butterfly collection with the "wonderful, perfect human beings that God created" or the native who wonders why some pray to one god instead of a host of Gods are a few examples of dialogs that force you to reflect on what you heard.

The film's subject covers several religions. The fervent Muslims on the way to Haj survive the storm. The Christian Jim prays to his God. The Buddhists pray to Buddha. And the natives pray to their array of gods (a touch of Hinduism?). Yet, the film is not a religious film. But faith in God is underlined at every stage.

Conrad was Polish and a seaman before he became a writer. Brooks is an American. O'Toole leads a cast that is predominantly British. Daliah Lavi is Israeli, Marquand is French, Jurgens is German...The film is truly international.

Brooks not only wrote and directed the film but this was the first film that he produced. The film proved to be ideal for O'Toole reprising his roles of "Lawrence of Arabia" and "Becket", roles that draw thin lines between cowardice and heroism and consequent attempts to redeem oneself. The film is not great cinema--but will remain for me cinema based on related major literary works ("Lord Jim" and "Heart of Darkness", both narrated by the fictional Marlow) adapted for the screen with some delightful performances from O'Toole, Mason, Wallach, and Marquand and commendable photography by Freddie Young.