I was surprised by The Long Voyage Home, a 1940 nominee for Best Picture. Directed by John Ford and starring John Wayne, it is very different from the Westerns the two men made together. Ostensibly, this film links together four short Eugene O'Neill plays, leading to a somewhat episodic structure. Set aboard a freighter that is carrying ammunition to be used in the war, The Long Voyage Home is really more about the men aboard the ship and the ways that they interact with each other and the effect that such trips had on their mental state.
It is a bit of a misstatement to call Wayne the star here. Much like in Stagecoach, he is one of a company of actors. Almost all of the men aboard the Glencairn have stories that are revealed, and each of the main parts is developed equally with the others. Thomas Mitchell is here again, playing a variation on his stock drunk character. Barry Fitzgerald and Ward Bond provide able support. The standout for me, though, is Ian Hunter as the man falsely accused by his shipmates of being a spy. This is a small part, but Hunter makes it unforgettable.
This film has some moments of fun and humor, such as when the men smuggle aboard some whiskey and some women from the islands. However, it is overall a very dark film thematically. These men are suffering; they are far from home, having come from different parts of the world to this ship. When they get just a few moments of shore leave near the end of the film, what happens to them in the shady environment of a dockside bar is quite harrowing. (A very young Mildred Natwick, whom I loved as one of the Snoop Sisters on television back in the 1970s, is part of the "bait.") The Long Voyage Home is a relatively short film, but it is quite insightful about the ways that long confinements can influence one's personality.
No comments:
Post a Comment