Les Marins de l'Orgueilleux

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.)

Down to the Sea in Ships is a grand sea adventure in the tradition of Captains Courageous, Moby Dick, and Treasure Island, full of great actors playing interesting characters, with decent special effects for it's time, and an intelligent, sometimes profound, script. Lionel Barrymore plays Captain Joy, the Master of a whaling ship about to be retired. He wants his young grandson (Dean Stockwell) to carry on the family tradition and eventually become master of the ship. But the boy lacks the appropriate education and seems unable to learn. On his last voyage, Joy appoints the new first mate, Lunceford (Richard Widmark) - also his tentative replacement - to the job of educating his grandson. It takes Lunceford a while to win the boy's confidence, and when he finally does, the old Captain seems to become jealous. Then when a boat is lost in the fog with the boy aboard, Lunceford launches a second rescue boat against regulations, and the Captain must discipline him. This dilemma between duty and personal devotion develops a tense situation between the three of them, with dramatic impact that makes Down to the Sea In Ships one of the most poignant films of it's kind, fully in league with those mentioned above. I don't want to giving away any more of the plot, but rest assured that the tension carries through suspense-fully to a perilous climax. The great supporting cast includes Gene Lockhart, Cecil Kelloway, Harry Morgan, Harry Davenport, and Jay C. Flippen.

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.

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 film reminds me of another great Lionel Barrymore classic, "Captains Courageous-" another "boy comes of age on the sea" film. If you enjoyed this one, you'll like that one, too. Leonard Maltin gives this film three stars and "Captains" four, but I prefer this one, probably because I had a hard time getting past Spencer Tracy's laughable attempt at a Portuguese accent in "Captains."

Although I'm not a sailor, this film seems pretty authentic, as though they paid attention to their technical adviser. Less Hollywood than you might expect from a 1949 film.

A previous reviewer described the ships in this film as Bluenose Schooners; actually, all the vessels in "Down to the Sea" are square-rigged whaling ships In my opinion, few things made by Man are as magnificent as a square-rigger under full sail.