El buque maldito

This film is great for the era it was filmed in! The cast is awesome, with Dana Andrews and Claude Rains as the two main characters. I liked it, and had never seen it before the "Memorial Day" War movie weekend on TCM. This film will have you guessing and once you think you have it figured out, __________________!!! I liked it and I usually get tired of the same old..... but, this is a good movie. I recommend viewing this film even if you aren't a WAR film buff. It has an element of film noir, lighting and spooky, lots of tension. Keep an open mind. Watch it! You might learn some things you didn't know. I sure did! This film is good viewing, great special effects, remember it was in the 50's so don't confuse it with any of the special effects that are available now. I don't especially like WAR films, but this is not just a 'shoot everyone, ask questions later' type of film. Quite enjoyable!

Dana Andrews as a fisherman captain and Claude Rains as another captain on an abandoned ship - what could go wrong? Of course everything goes wrong by calculation. Dana Andrews is honest enough as always, while Claude Rains, as usual, has quite some hidden agenda. What's impressing about this war film at sea is the almost expressionistic cinematography - Claude Rains' ship like the "Mary Celeste" floats around at sea without any crew and with a cargo of rum, and it's a beautiful schooner with terrific rigging, although they have all been blown to rags and pieces, like on a ghost ship. Captain Andrews tows the mysterious ship to a small fishing village in Newfoundland, where the war barges in with a vengeance. The test of strength and war of nerves between the two captains is the main human asset of the film, while it is mostly worth watching for the spectacular cinematography, added to by the dramatic music.

Massachusetts fishing boat captain Pat Bannon (Dana Andrews) and his crew come across a derelict Danish sailing ship in the North Atlantic. The only person on board is the ship's captain Skalder (Claude Rains). He claims that a German u-boat attacked his ship in rough weather, and that the rest of his crew were either killed or abandoned ship. Bannon agrees to tow Skalder's boat back to port, but is there more to his story than he's letting on?

This is an entertaining wartime suspense film, with the first half playing like a whodunit mystery as Bannon (and the audience) tries to figure out what's really going on and who is on whose side. The second half is a well-executed thriller as those in the know try to evade detection and solve their new-found problems before it's too late. I'm being purposely vague, as the revelations are a big part of the movie's appeal. The cast is good, with the standout for me being Philip Dorn as a suspicious new crew member on Bannon's ship. This movie also marked the only time real-life brothers Dana Andrews and Steve Forrest appeared together.

While out on a fishing trip off Nova Scotia, a fishing crew (and some guests) come across a damaged Danish schooner which has apparently been damaged by an attack from a German U-Boat. The captain, Pat Bannon boards to find only the captain of the schooner (Capt Skalder) alive on board. However Bannon suspects something is wrong.

I love Dana Andrews and will often watch films simply because he is in them, however I got stung here because this film isn't very good. The plot is a little muddled and lacking logic, preferring a bit of `beat the Germans' flag waving instead. The sense of mystery isn't sustained towards the end of the film and is replaced by a bit of action. The action works reasonably well with Bannon in cat and mouse games with U-Boats, but it isn't great.

Andrews does OK work here, just really playing a straight, strong-jawed leading man. Balenda is an unnecessary leading lady who has little to really do. Rains is alright, adding another strong actor to the film didn't hurt even if he wasn't really well served at any point. The support cast didn't really grab me and none of them stood out either as characters of actors.

Overall this was passable for a cold, wet Saturday afternoon but no more than that. The story isn't really gripping and it doesn't have a flow to it. That said there is enough in the way of semi-mystery and thrills to make it watchable.

Enjoyed this 1951 Black & White film starring Dana Andrews,(Pat Bannon),"The Best Years of Our Lives",'46, where he stars as a fishing boat Capt. in a rather small boat and manages to take along a very young female as a passenger. The gal has to sort of live in a closet on the boat that was filled with all kinds of kitchen junk. Pat Bannon experiences a great storm at sea which causes many problems and then out of the blue, he runs into an abandoned sailing ship. It is War time with the Nazi's and the ocean is filled with submarines. Claude Rains, (Capt. Skalder),"The Greatest Story Ever Told",'65( King Herod), appears as the Captain of a Danish vessel and is like a sheep in wolf's clothing. Enjoyed this mysterious film and the hidden secrets which are revealed in this film.