Meurtre à bord

"Husbands can get lost so easily," someone tells Jeanne Crain's character in the 1953 Fox thriller "Dangerous Crossing," and boy, do those words ever prove prophetic! Here, Crain plays Ruth Stanton, a wealthy heiress who departs on a honeymoon cruise after a whirlwind courtship. When her husband (Carl Betz, who most baby boomers will recognize as Dr. Alex Stone from the old "Donna Reed Show") disappears from the ship before they even leave the NYC harbor, Ruth becomes distraught...especially since no one on board, including the ship's doctor (sympathetically played by Michael Rennie), will believe the story that her husband ever existed! What follows is a tale of escalating suspense and paranoia, with no one on the ship seemingly worthy of Ruth's--or our--complete trust. While not precisely a film noir, "Dangerous Crossing" certainly does have its noirish aspects, and the scene in which Ruth searches the boat for her husband at night, in a dense mist, the only background sound being the intermittent blare of the ship's foghorn, is one that all fans of the genre should just love. Jeanne, very much the star of this film and appearing in virtually every scene, looks absolutely gorgeous, of course (the woman had one of the most beautiful faces in screen history, sez me), and her thesping here is top notch. She is given any number of stunning close-ups by veteran cinematographer Joseph Lashelle, who years before had lensed that classiest of film noirs, 1944's "Laura." In one of the DVD's surprisingly copious collection of extras, it is revealed that the picture took only 19 days to produce, at a cost of only $500,000; a remarkably efficient production, resulting in a 75-minute film with no excess flab and a sure-handed way of delivering shudders and suspense. Very much recommended.

Well I understand by reading the reviews this film is not everyone's cup of tea. I however enjoyed it very much.

The lovely, vivacious Jeanne Crain plays, Ruth Stanton, now Ruth Bowman after a whirlwind courtship with Carl Betz set off for Europe on a luxury passenger liner for their honeymoon.

I love these old gem's which are not too long, full of thrills and mystery but at the same time, not too taxing on the brain.

Quick synopsis, Mr Bowman vanishes shortly after the ship sets sail and seemingly nobody is aware of his existence. Ruth, spends most of the film helped considerably by the ship's doctor, played admirably by Michael Rennie, searching for clues to his whereabouts.

Anyway without giving anything away the film reaches a very satisfactory conclusion.

Great way to spend a leisurely hour or so.

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?

I love this movie so much!! One of, in my opinion, the best mysteries ever!! Great acting by everyone involved and a pleasure to watch--believe me, you won't fall asleep watching this one. It is very atmospheric in some scenes, especially the night shots on board.

All about a bride who boards a ship for her honeymoon and her husband disappears while on the ship!! Not until the last few minutes do we finally know what happened to him!! Be sure and see this film and you won't be disappointed!! I only wish this great film would be released on DVD. I would be among the first to buy it!! I love this film so much I bought an original poster for the film and had it framed and it now hangs in my bedroom!!

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.