A story of immigrants in New York, it follows a family of five from about 1912 through to 1917/18. The father (Rudolph Schildkraut - father of Joseph) is an enthusiastic fellow, keen to assimilate and 'get on'. After making friends with a local amateur fellow musician, he finds a job as janitor, and soon becomes anxious to attain US citizenship. Meanwhile, a disgruntled fellow-European (Fritz Feld, playing an Anarchist / Communist / Socialist - wasn't clear) plans an attack on the judge in charge of citizenships, and takes the opportunity to use Schildkraut as his cat's paw...
Although the film is not always clear at times (when Schildkraut is sent to prison we don't know if he is on Death Row), and some of the events are telescoped a bit, this may be due to missing footage. As with the same year's FOUR SONS, the mother is the centre of the film, even when events threaten to disintegrate the family. Louise Dresser was nominated for an Oscar for this film. Also Feld's character is too obvious a troublemaker, even before he opens his mouth, and the business with the bomb in the cake-box is not altogether convincing.
These problems aside, A SHIP COMES IN holds the attention pretty well and is a worthwhile, if sentimental drama. One hopes a better copy survives, as the cast also includes Robert Edeson and Lucien Littlefield. Schildkraut, too, seems to have been a distinguished stage actor in Vienna, before making films for UFA and going to America. Sadly he died only two years after this film was made, although whether he would have done well in talkies will never be known.
Although the film is not always clear at times (when Schildkraut is sent to prison we don't know if he is on Death Row), and some of the events are telescoped a bit, this may be due to missing footage. As with the same year's FOUR SONS, the mother is the centre of the film, even when events threaten to disintegrate the family. Louise Dresser was nominated for an Oscar for this film. Also Feld's character is too obvious a troublemaker, even before he opens his mouth, and the business with the bomb in the cake-box is not altogether convincing.
These problems aside, A SHIP COMES IN holds the attention pretty well and is a worthwhile, if sentimental drama. One hopes a better copy survives, as the cast also includes Robert Edeson and Lucien Littlefield. Schildkraut, too, seems to have been a distinguished stage actor in Vienna, before making films for UFA and going to America. Sadly he died only two years after this film was made, although whether he would have done well in talkies will never be known.