Ford's adaptation of four plays by Eugene O'Neill (adapted by Dudley Nichols) about the merchant seafaring life. Starting in the Caribbean, a ship must carry a cargo of ammunition across the Atlantic and through the war zone to England. It's successful in understanding the life of these strange folk who are happier at sea than on land. Scenes in the storm are incredible.
The principal players: Thomas Mitchell, Ian Hunter, Barry Fitzgerald, John Wayne, Wilfred Lawson (captain), John Qualen, Ward Bond, Arthur Shields (Fitzgerald's younger brother: How Green Was My Valley, The Quiet Man), Mildred Natwick. We didn't really take in that Wayne was Swedish until the end!
The highlight is undoubtedly when Hunter is suspected of being a spy, but when his wife's letters are read aloud...
Very striking lighting from Gregg Toland - most unusually he and Ford share the same credits screen.
An independent Walter Wanger production.
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| Fitzgerald, Wayne, Bond, Mitchell, Qualen |
It was nominated for six Oscars - Picture, Screenplay, Photography, Special Effects, Editing (Sherman Todd) and Music (Richard Hageman).
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