Voyage of the Yes

This is one of those movies that left you wanting more. Desi Arnaz Jr. puts in a surprisingly good performance and pretty much steps out of the shadow of his famous parents. Michael Evans also showed how good an actor he was. This film pretty much dealt with a lot of issues from race relations to trust. You really see that close to the end as Cal (Arnaz's character) tries to keep Orlando (Evans' character) alive after the encounter with the shark. I often felt that this could have made a great series with the two youths traveling from port to port and showing the different encounters they had with people they met along the way. Too bad this film is rarely, if ever, shown on television anymore. This is one film that is definitely a lost treasure of the 1970's.

This is a bit of a hidden gem. Not a master piece, but a very good film that didn't look like it needed a large budget. If it had a large budget, some one got a lot more than usual.

It is almost solely about two young men on a small craft in the ocean, on a long Odyssey. The reason for the trip isn't as important as the trip. It's the trip that is the film.

The perils of the shark were not as down played as they are today. The shark in this movie makes an attack, and we get the all too real peril of being in the wilds, away from any help, trying to doctor a shark attack.

The perils of gangrene aren't mentioned enough in films, even today, and I hope it isn't a spoiler to say that this film is about that peril, as well as the drama between the two young men.

More over, it is a vehicle for a song made popular by Simon and Garfunkel, EL CONDOR PASA. This song is an easy listening song that requires minimal instrumentation. One of the young men, and you can guess which one probably, sings this song on the boat. The film is worth seeing for this, as well as all the other reasons stated. There is just enough to keep your interests throughout.

It's a timeless piece that should be as enjoyable today as it was then, with a stage drama air about it.

The first time i saw "The Voyage of the Yes" I was a freshman in high school in 1972 It was a Made for T.V. Movie of the week. I new nothing of sailing or boating for that matter.The movie and plot are simple I agree but it introduced me to the Magick and freedom of sailing And I never forgot it,Mow some 29 years later I am a sailor and own the same modle of Sailboat that was used in the movie a Columbia 26 MKII Named GHOST "EL Condor Pasa" The latter being my link to the movie. Thank you Paul. I sail out of ThunderBay in Alpena Mi.And when I pull in the sails and lean into the wind And my Sailboat glide's across the bay i think to myself "YES" and I know it dosent get any better than this! The movie changed my life and will always be a part of me. Thank you Desi and Michel Don Dingee "GHOST"

I won't recant the plot, as that is listed here in the summary.

This film played on TV back in 1973, and at the time got some great reviews and created a little stir. Mercifully, the movie didn't just completely vanish in a vault, left only to memories, but has been saved and now can be found on DVD (Amazon, eBay, etc.) If you saw the film before, you are likely like me and when the title appeared again, want to again be touched as you once were. In that regard, you won't be disappointed. Oh, the film is dated, certainly. Some of it might make you chuckle here and there, and they obviously didn't have much of a budget back then, but that won't detract you at all, because the meaning in this story holds up extremely well. Even over 30 years later. The simply story of complex characters, and how they develop and grow is still as true today as it was then, and probably forever will be. The core of this film is very well written, and surprisingly well acted. I can't imagine anyone watching this film and not caring about the characters and being moved by their situation, their growth and friendship.

As to the DVD (when you find it) is no frills. The picture quality is not bad for the time, 4:3 TV aspect ratio, looking like a good VHS tape, or good old TV broadcast. The audio is mono, and generally good. Around 50 minutes in there is a slight buzz that might annoy you, but soon disappears. There are no trailers, no commentary, nothing like that. The DVD is coupled with a Johnny Cash/Eli Wallach film, "The Pride of Jesse Hallum", if that interests you, or if you can't find the title under Voyage of Yes, you may try it under that name instead.

A worthwhile dramatic effort by two actors known primarily for their work in situation comedies. Desi Arnaz Jr. (from, of course, his mother's series "Here's Lucy") and Mike Evans (Lionel Jefferson on "All in the Family" and "The Jeffersons") battle both the elements and their own mistrust of one another on what starts out as a pleasure cruise in a sailboat from California to Hawaii; look quickly for future "angel" Della Reese in a small role. The movie also makes effective use of Paul Simon's song, "El Condor Pasa" (adapted from an Andean folk melody).