Gefährliche Überfahrt

This taut atmospheric mystery-at-sea gets great performances by Jeanne Crain, Michael Rennie, Max Showalter, and Carl Betz. The pacing is fast, and the characterizations are well-crafted. I have seen this movie six times, and I never tire of it. Everything is handled so professionally. I highly recommend it.

This movie is a nice, tense little b/w thriller, set aboard a transatlantic passenger liner headed to England. Jeanne Crain plays a new bride; her husband immediately goes missing after boarding the ship in New York, leaving her in a state of panic as she can not convince the ship's crew or passengers that he even exists. Suspicions rise as a hint of her mental unstability comes to light, and bits of her past are made known. Questionable characters lurk around every dark corner of the ship during the fog-enshrouded crossing, offering an atmosphere of doubt and danger. Jeanne Crain portrays the sheltered, distressed young woman with an ideal sensitivity, and Britsh actor Michael Rennie is especially effective as the ship's doctor who treats her with thoughtful compassion. I enjoyed the shipbound suspense of this movie, particularly the scenes where the young lady tries to conduct her own investigation, searching the darkened decks in spite of her overwhelming fear and despair. The cast is good, the direction tight, and the mystery unravels without any dead spots to cool your interest. As a side note, did any actor ever look better in uniform than tall Michael Rennie?

Wow! What a great little noir. Apparently made utilising sets from 'Titanic' and 'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes', films made the same year, this is a great example of fast (three weeks shooting) low budget film making. Not a wasted frame, this spooky, thrilling mystery, looks good all the time and many shots are exceptional. Lots of shadowy, foggy or against the light close-ups and a sensational sequence in the ballroom. All menace and subterfuge as we begin to feel that Jeanne Crain's character is surely going to break down despite the restrained and reassuring Michael Rennie, who doesn't even get a kiss. The film races along and has your attention all the time. Set on an ocean liner we do not get the dark streets and lamplight shadows but Newman certainly makes the most of what he's got; the drone of the foghorn, the swirling fog itself and a slew of fellow travellers Crain is not too sure about. And nor are we! Splendid.

"Dangerous Crossing" is based on a story (actually a radio play) by John Dickson Carr, the master of the locked room mystery. But there's no locked room and the mystery is more in the vein of Cornell Woolrich, arguably the "father" of film noir. As in some of Woolrich's best tales, the story begins with a sudden twist of fate. Moments after Jeanne Crain as a new bride boards a luxury liner on her honeymoon, the groom vanishes. No one has seen him. Their stateroom is listed as unoccupied. Even Michael Rennie as the sympathetic ship's doctor (who's clearly smitten by her) suspects that her missing husband is a figment of her imagination. Still, there are some very odd people skulking the boat's fog-shrouded decks -- and when the answer comes, it's ingenious. Thankfully, the movie was made in the early 1950s so there was no problem bringing it in at a swift 75 minutes. Today, it would be padded out to the requisite two hours and the suspense would escape like air from a punctured tire. Credit Joseph Newman with smart direction (including an opening dockside scene worthy of Michael Curtiz,) making maximum use of the sets Fox built to serve as the Titanic. In short, a thoroughly entertaining grade B thriller.

Have always loved films with mystery and suspense, so 'Dangerous Crossing' immediately had me sold. Was also very encouraged seeing a lot of favourable reviews for 'Dangerous Crossing', as well as some that weren't so much. The setting sounded very atmospheric and a great location for this type of story. The cast was also a selling point, Michael Rennie is always dependable and Jeanne Crain impressed me hugely in 'Pinky', enough to make me want to see more of her work.

While 'Dangerous Crossing' didn't strike me as a great film and could have been better than it was, especially considering that its potential was hardly small in the first place, a lot works in its favour and far outweighs the not so good. And if asked as to whether to recommend 'Dangerous Crossing', my answer would be a solid if not quite enthusiastic yes. There are a lot better films of this type and there are also worse, if this is the sort of film that appeals to you there should be plenty to like even if it doesn't reach masterpiece level.

'Dangerous Crossing' has its flaws. The melodrama does get a little much in the latter stages and Crain's character as others have said is pretty one-dimensional and could have done with more subtlety in the writing.

Also found the ending somewhat abrupt, although to me it actually wasn't a predictable one. Although the use of the foghorn is creepy and leaves one feeling unsettled, it could have been used less and not emphasised as much as it was.

On the other hand, 'Dangerous Crossing' looks great. Very beautifully and atmospherically photographed with effective use of fog and the setting has class and creepiness. Although there are reservations with its overuse, the foghorn does give one the creeps. The dialogue on the most part is thoughtful and tightly structured until getting overwrought towards the end. The direction keeps the film moving at a crisp clip.

The story is intriguing and suspenseful generally, the mystery not routine or implausible. Rennie is admirably restrained and sympathetic and Crain does more than credibly and is fully committed in a difficult role of this nature to pull off. The rest of the cast are solid.

Concluding, good if not great. 7/10