Ship of Fools | Vivien Leigh, Simone Signoret

Ship of Fools | Vivien Leigh, Simone Signoret | haunting character study of pre-war Germany

DVDs:

Ship of Fools

	Ship of Fools Vivien Leigh, Simone Signoret Columbia Pictures Corporation, 2003 average customer review:based on 35 reviews view larger image
	for more information click here

highly recommended

Studio: Sony Pictures Home Ent Release Date: 05/27/2008 Run time: 149 minutes Rating: Nr

"S * O * S"

This is a great little obscure film--full of wonderful character actors, a stellar performance by Michael Dunn, little person. If you have wondered about Vivien Leigh as Scarlet O'Hara, well this proves that the lady could truly act, was a master at her craft. Lee Marvin is great, as always, though this is an unusual role for him to play. The movie is basically about the characters--the people on the ship, their internal dramas that are breaking to the surface. Giant results from a low budget. It CAN be done.

for more information click here

haunting character study of pre-war Germany

Based on the book by Katherine Anne Porter, SHIP OF FOOLS features Vivien Leigh in her final movie role, plus a star-studded international cast. This fascinating drama, set in 1933 on a cruiseliner from Mexico to Germany, presents a haunting allegory of the impending Holocaust.

On a ship bound for the port of Bremerhaven in Germany, we meet a colourful selection of passengers. Among them, disenchanted divorcee Mary Treadwell (Vivien Leigh); "La Contessa" (Simone Signoret), a drug-addicted political prisoner; and anti-semite Herr Rieber (Jose Ferrer). A vacationing American couple (Elizabeth Ashley and George Segal), and a group of money-minded flamenco dancers (led by Barbara Luna) are also on board. The story is dark and disturbing as we slowly become overwhelmed by the lives of the characters, who create a cross-section of Germany's citizens (and the political climate which helped give rise to the Third Reich).

As a metaphor of pre-war Germany, SHIP OF FOOLS hits the mark superbly. The characters are totally unaware that as their boat sails closer into Germany, they will ultimately enter a storm from which many will never return. That inner-storm is most evident in the monstrous character of Rieber, and Jose Ferrer plays the role with a megalomaniacal fervor which is frightening to witness.

Playing the emotionally expired Treadwell, Vivien Leigh invests her performance with an almost Chaplinesque fragility. The scene where she breaks into a frenzied Charleston was a throwback to her showstopping turn in the Broadway musical "Tovarich"; she's simply magical to watch in this movie, and although she's billed first in the credits, by no means is she the "star" of this ensemble piece. Simone Signoret and Oskar Werner provide the wounded center of the film, with the thwarted affair between "La Contessa" and the ship's Doctor, plagued with heart trouble. Michael Dunn is completely charming as Carl, a dwarf who acts as the audience's guide into the story. Elizabeth Ashley and George Segal are memorable too, playing a couple who clearly aren't meant to be together, but remain so out of a mutual need and pity. There are so many great characters to like (and hate) in SHIP OF FOOLS that you'll find your own favourites.

This is a haunting and emotionally-involving drama you'll want to revisit again and again. I was greatly-impressed by SHIP OF FOOLS. (Single-sided, dual-layer disc).

for more information click here

A Four Star Movie

There certainly are enough fools to go around on this ship that sailed from Mexico to Germany in 1933. Based on the novel of the same name by Katherine Anne Porter,and directed by Stanley Kramer with a screenplay written by Abby Mann, "Ship of Fools" has a stellar cast including Vivien Leigh, Lee Marvin, George Segal, Elizabeth Ashley, Jose Ferrer, Simone Signoret and Oskar Werner.

Even though the film was released in 1965, it would certainly still be worth watching for what it says about the evils and supidity of racism, anti-semitism and xenophobia alone. Heinz Ruhmann plays a gentle man who is forbidden to sit at the captain's table because he is Jewish and must sit at a table with only Michael Dunn, who is a cigar-smoking humorous dwarf, another outsider. Ruhmann in a particularly poignant scene speaks of his love for Germany and reminds us that there are a million Jews in Germany. "What are they going to do? They can't kill us all."

In addition to the anti-semitism thread that runs through the film, unhappy people in both love and life abound, and at times the plot looks like a precursor to the television series "Love Boat." A lot of things happen aboard ship that stays on the ship. Vivien Leigh is the divorced Southern belle on the wrong side of 40 in a role reminiscent of Blanche in "A Streetcar Named Desire." I for one am glad that, since this was her last movie, that she laid that character to rest permanently. The film ultimately belongs to Simone Signoret and Oskar Werner in particular who meet on the ship and become involved in an ill-fated relationship. When I do not see Werner in a film for a long time, I forget just what a magnificent actor he is.

Since it is impossible to change a star rating once you have previewed your review, I cannot change the error I made of giving this film three stars without deleting my review and starting all over. The film, in my humble opinion, certainly deserves four (4) stars.

for more information click here

Sailing in a Time Capsule

I've never read the original novel but I'm absolutely sure that this film adaption would never be made today: the forces of Hollywood's dogmatic political correctness would totally destroy it!

The Germans aren't evil enough for Hollywood. The Spanish family that forces its daughters into prostitution aboard the ship is too unflattering to remain, so that would be completely changed. The Mexican workers below deck are too surly and bitter to be in a movie so they would have to be changed into, say, the wise, benevolent Koreans from TV's "MASH" series. And the only little person to survive Hollywood's crusading equalizing view of the world is Yoda, so use that beloved animated puppet to replace the great Michael Dunn.

As it is, there is a passing interest in watching these stereotypes sail into the coming oblivion of World War II...even though I sense there are much more powerful stories going on elsewhere in the world at the time. This movie came out in the mid-Sixties, with the Second World War a fairly fresh memory, so audiences then could remember that worldwide horror. Now people probably wonder, "Who did we fight in World War Two? Why did that happen?"

I suspect what will last about this film (and itself may be a sad commentary on our society) is the weird juxtaposition of casting for movie buffs to enjoy: Scarlett O'Hara (Vivien Leigh in her final role) being wooed by Colonel Klink from "Hogan's Heroes," Lee Marvin getting wasted with Dr. Loveless from "The Wild, Wild West," etc.

for more information click here

reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

products you might be interested in