Les marins de l'Orgueilleux

This film, not Captains Courageous, is the best boy becomes a young man film ever made. Tracy was great, in the latter, but Dean Stockwell blows away Freddy Bartholomew in the former. Barrymore is also better in this film. Although I thoroughly enjoyed Captains, this film is a full level above it. It is more authentic, and the scenes pursuing the whale are electric. I learned about whaling from Melville in his classic Moby Dick, but seeing the process makes it all the more impressive, despite its barbaric and politically incorrect status today. Let's not condemn a film because it is not PC today, otherwise we would lose a good one third of all films ever made before the enlightened 21st century. A must see for all young boys.

This is one of the all-time greats. Its brilliance is largely due to Lionel Barrymore. Usually seen in supporting roles (he & Frank Morgan being the two greatest character actors of the golden age), he carries this film as star. There are many electrifying scenes, especially his confrontation with Dean Stockwell, a worthy match for the star, not to mention murdering a whale. On shore, the leads sparkle in a high-stakes testing scene. It also documents an industry that is long gone. You can learn a lot about whaling here. (For example, the captain never speaks to the crew once the boat sails; all communication is through the first mate, who can, however, give a crewman permission to approach the captain.)

I know it's not the most winning title in the world, but wow: what a picture! I think it's safe to say it's a pretty obscure film - I know I'd never heard of it, and I think that it might have even slipped into the public domain. It has not much more than a stub on Wikipedia in spite of the high pedigree: released by 20th Century Fox, starring Lionel Barrymore, Dean Stockwell and Richard Widmark and directed by Henry Hathaway.

I figured I'd hang around for the first few minutes and then turn it off, but I found myself utterly hooked and on the edge of my seat by the really exciting and tense finale. It is just an excellent, compelling, really well-made (in spite of the obvious studio confines which tend to show up in all sea pictures of the era- rear projections and such) picture with unexpected acting honors going to Lionel Barrymore, an actor I've always been somewhat iffy on- I think some of his early work (esp. A Free Soul ) can be really hammy, but as he aged into a genuine old man (he played old way before his time) an endearing quality works its way into his performances- and I think the one he gave in this film was the best I've seen from him thus far.

I don't know if the film was a box office disappointment, but seriously: Barrymore deserved an Oscar nomination for Best Actor, especially since there were some really weak entries in the race that year, and frankly, I preferred Ships to most of the films nominated for Best Picture that year. It could not have been an easy picture to make, write, or act- but everyone pulls it off. I found it very touching and, quite frankly, I liked it better than Captain's Courageous (a film to which it does bear undeniable similarities.)

A sentimental tale about an elderly captain who wants to bring his grandson to sea with him, but refuses to compromise his duty to his ship and crew even though it costs him everything he loves. Lionel Barrymore plays Captain Bering Joy as a sometimes-foolish old man vying for his grandson's affection with his first mate. Dean Stockwell plays the grandson who loves the sea and his grandfather, but is failing academically. Richard Widmark plays the young first mate who has been assigned the onerous task of teaching the boy his schoolwork. The beauty of this film for me is the way it celebrates wisdom, courage, fairness, and honesty in life. In the end, it is the log of a person's life and actions that matter more than their ability to fit any prevailing standard of knowledge or trendiness. Barrymore's character is old, ignorant, autocratic, and uncompromising, but he is also an example worthy of respect that the grandson can value for the rest of his life if he is wise enough to do so.

In one of his final film appearances Lionel Barrymore dusted off his crusty sea captain character from Captains Courageous in playing Bering Joy, master of a whaling ship in the late 19th century.

Bering Joy is a whole lot like Disko Troup from the earlier film. He's a man immensely proud of his profession and the knowledge he's acquired over decades to be the best at what he does. His other love is his grandson, Dean Stockwell.

But the lad for want of a better term isn't doing so good with home schooling being provided on board a whaling vessel. And Barrymore isn't real happy with the new younger first mate being imposed upon him. That would be Richard Widmark who's college educated. But he solves a problem with the New Bedford educational system by giving Widmark the additional duties of tutoring Stockwell.

Down to the Sea in Ships is a generational clash of three generations with all three developing real affection for each other during the long whaling voyage.

This was Richard Widmark's first film with first billing and the first film in which he wasn't a bad guy. I'm sure that this was a role he wanted and fought for. How many little old ladies can you throw down a flight of stairs and maintain a maniacal giggle in every film? In many ways this film made him a star more than Kiss of Death.

Henry Hathaway directed some really good action sequences involving whaling, a search for a lost long boat, and the finale when the vessel gets stuck on an ice flow. And he assembled a fine group of players like Jay C. Flippen, Harry Morgan, John McIntire as the ship's crew. I particularly like the performance of Cecil Kellaway as the ship's cook who is both Barrymore's confidante and offers some sage advice to Widmark on the voyage.

Barrymore's chemistry with Stockwell is similar to what he had with Freddie Bartholomew and Mickey Rooney in Captains Courageous with Richard Widmark being at first a most reluctant Manuel. Young Stockwell gets quite an education on this whaling voyage and the viewers will get a lot of enjoyment out of it.