Down to the Sea in Ships

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.

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.)

This is one of the all-time greats. Its brilliance is largely due to Lionel Barrymore. Usually seen in supporting roles (he & Frank Morgan being the two greatest character actors of the golden age), he carries this film as star. There are many electrifying scenes, especially his confrontation with Dean Stockwell, a worthy match for the star, not to mention murdering a whale. On shore, the leads sparkle in a high-stakes testing scene. It also documents an industry that is long gone. You can learn a lot about whaling here. (For example, the captain never speaks to the crew once the boat sails; all communication is through the first mate, who can, however, give a crewman permission to approach the captain.)

It's unusual to see a film with as impressive a cast of supporting actors. Helping Richard Widmark and Dean Stockwell tell this story are the likes of Lionel Barrymore, Cecil Kellaway, Gene Lockhart, Harry Davenport, Jay C. Flippen and other fine supporting actors. Now this was NOT an easy task, as some of the folks were on loan from MGM--and it's obvious that Twentieth Century-Fox put a lot of care and effort into making this seafaring film. Also, be aware that despite the same titles, this 1949 film has no relation to the 1922 Mary Pickford movie.

"Down to the Sea in Ships" is a story about an aging grandfather (Barrymore) and his young grandson (Stockwell). The old man raised the boy at sea, as he's a whaling sea captain in the 19th century. He is conflicted--part of him wants to put the boy ashore to get an education and part of his looks down on formalized learning, as he never went to school and is a master sailor. Eventually, to solve the problem, he takes on a First Mate who is highly educated (Richard Widmark)--with his plan being that the Mate teach the boy on his off hours. However, there is a problem--the Captain and Mate are BOTH very strong-willed men who think they are right--or at least they won't allow themselves to admit that they are not right. The Captain behaves as if education is of limited value--though WHY did he arrange for this tutor? And, the Mate is convinced that the Captain is an idiot! Not surprisingly, both change their opinions as this sweeping saga progresses.

Most of the film was shot in a sound stage. Yet, surprisingly, the footage is usually excellent and is integrated very well with actual footage. It makes for a very impressive looking film and director Henry Hathaway did an admirable job. Also admirable is the acting and script. Together, they make for a terrific film with lots of great messages about life, maturity and what it is to be a man. Quite impressive and enjoyable.

By the way, there are two things I'd like to point out. Despite what they said in the film, the Mississippi River is NOT the longest river in the world (just the US). Also, watch Harry Morgan--he forever seems to be getting squished in the movie! Poor Harry!

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.