Le bateau à soupe

Like the dogs ,every director has his day ; "le bateau à soupe"is probably the best of Gleize's mediocre filmography .

A seefaring melodrama,where the heroine ,an unwed mother born in a slum , whose alcoholic parents unwittingly killed her child , won't escape from the cruel fate life has in store for her ;no one will save her ,neither the surly captain who takes her on his ship and who passes her off as his god daughter, nor the lieutenant with whom she will enjoy her rare moments of pleasure .Moreover,the lecherous quartermaster and the sex-starving crew covet the unfortunate girl.

Although almost entirely filmed in studio , there are excellent scenes,something seldom in Gleize's movies : the wedding in the West Indies, where the heroine may think that some day she'll be the bride, feted by all ; but the peak of the film is the mutiny : the crew takes over the ship ,ties their captain to the mast and rape his so-called granddaughter , while the winds are raging on a dark sky streaked with lightning ; the ending , which imitates Gance's 'Venus aveugle" imaginary situation , avoids the usual clichés of mawkish melodramas.

Charles Vanel is true to himself,namely excellent ,as an aging sea dog , also in love with destitute child Marie-Douce (=sweet Mary) who got a raw deal.

Good use of the shanty "nous irons à Valparaiso".