L'Albatross - Oltre la tempesta

Well, maybe it isn't that bad. Some moments are touching, others genuinely harrowing. And Jeff Bridges always comes up with something surprising. But, "true story" though it may be, "White Squall" is overwhelmed by its obvious schematic and Ridley Scott's signature gloss. Each young crewmember has a stamped-on singular defect, Scott Wolf's tomcruisy precociousness is particularly grating, and for all the magnificent ocean scenery and blather about boys being forged into men, we're shown precious little of the day-to-day grunt/teamwork that's at the core of the whole business. Add to this the greatest assemblage of immaculate white t-shirts and bronzed, hairless torsos since Abercrombie met Fitch, and a potentially gritty, moving story lies trapped in amber.

With masterpieces like Alien, Blade Runner and the underrated, but superb, 1492: Conquest of Paradise, I am quite a big Ridley Scott fan. White Squall is something of a let down in comparison, but it certainly deserved more than a measly $10 million US gross at the box office. As you would expect from a Scott film it boasts his trademark lavish production quality and stunning photography. The sequences at sea at some of the most spectacular ever filmed as Scott revels in the rolling waves and lurching ship, convey the ferociousness at sea, even in fairly calm conditions like no other film I can recall. The story however is less successful and is essentially (and unusually unoriginal for a Scott movie) a Dead Poets' Society at sea, as a motley crew of young boys, played by a talented and convincing set youngsters, do a lot of growing during the course of the voyage under the watchful eye of an Ahab-esque but eventually sympathetic Jeff Bridges. The final scene most definitely resembles that of Dead Poets' Society. (Captain. My Captain). However the film as a whole never bores and makes for compulsive viewing at times particularly the superb storm of the title, that is both moving as well technical tour de force.

I quite agree that it is a Dead Poets Society set at sea. It is a mistake to classify it as an Action Movie. It's about building trust and group reliance with some action scenes. The development of mutual respect between the boys is quite believable The acting is excellent in all cases. As a Jeff Bridges fan, I was surprised I'd never heard of it before it appeared on late night TV. The last looks exchanged between the captain and his wife are about as good as they get. Not a really great movie but I found it well worthwhile as a non-fan of action movies.

I am sure many people who rated this poorly would rate "Bad Boys" a phenomenal work of art. This movie, if watched with more than just an eye for special effects, tells the story of people finding themselves and becoming a family of sorts. The world in which we live has far too little depth of character. Yes the movie was condensed in a few parts but unless you intended it to be a 3 month long movie some parts had to "wind up on the cutting floor" as one poor soul commented. People just watch movies nowadays rather than "live" them, understand them, try to find out what the message was. This movie showed soul, it moves me every time I watch it.

I saw this film on TV for the first time last week. Although the story line was a little weak, the film sequences at sea were excellent, particularly the final storm (white squall) in which the boy actors portrayed the reality of the tragedy.

Jeff Bridges gave a good performance as the captain whose task was to instil discipline and develop the characters of the boys in his charge. However, some members of the crew were miscast.

I highly recommend this film.