Martha

Why sailors hate stokers? Watch this film and come out a lot wiser.

What makes a man great? A secretary with a long list of "friendships" behind her (sheiks, scout leaders, gardeners even a rear admiral). Behind every great man there is......

Everybody in the Danish maritime society know this film - some even know the dialogue by heart.

It hits the mark brilliantly and to correct the former commentator; the actors were not acting drunk - they were completely s...faced during the shooting of the party scene. The proud owner of the ship Mr. O. P. Andersen is a polite parody of the founder of Maersk Line Mr. A. P. Moeller. Especially the scene where the unfortunate crew is forced to eat porridge for breakfast is a loving comment to the food on board Mr. Moeller's ships.

The film is a treasure when it comes to the little details in life on board a real steamship, where the difference in attitude between deckhands and grease monkeys makes for some real gems.

Martha is even an integral part of any Danish naval ship's battle equipment - damn the torpedoes; Martha's on the video!!

Just to give an idea of how important the film is among the Danish seagoing society the owners of a bar i Svendborg - a town with proud maritime traditions - have made it a tradition to show Martha (original copy - no video here) to all the students from the different maritime schools in the area at a local cinema once a year. In order to give just the right feeling, the stokers sit to port and the sailors take up the starboard side of the cinema - in the middle you'll find the beer, because as the Mr. Watson so rightly utters: "You don't want us to starve?"

In short, they don't make 'em like that anymore.