The Long Voyage Home (1940)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

John Ford

Writers:

Eugene O'Neill (plays)
Dudley Nichols (adaptation)

Release Date:

11 November 1940 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | War

Tagline:

Women ! the world passed by.

Plot:

Aboard the freighter Glencairn, the lives of the crew are lived out in fear, loneliness, suspicion and cameraderie...

Plot Keywords:

Rescue | Friendship | Swede | Munitions | London England

Awards:

Nominated for 6 Oscars. Another 1 win

Cast

John Wayne	...	Olsen
Thomas Mitchell	...	Driscoll
Ian Hunter	...	Smitty
Barry Fitzgerald	...	Cocky
Wilfrid Lawson	...	Captain
John Qualen	...	Axel
Mildred Natwick	...	Freda
Ward Bond	...	Yank
Arthur Shields	...	Donkeyman
Joe Sawyer	...	Davis (as Joseph Sawyer)
J.M. Kerrigan	...	Crimp
Rafaela Ottiano	...	Bella
Carmen Morales	...	Principal Spanish Girl
Jack Pennick	...	Johnny
Bob Perry	...	Paddy (as Bob E. Perry)

Runtime:

105 min | Soviet Union:72 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

West Germany:12 (f) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (PCA #6410)

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles Harbor, Wilmington, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Argosy Pictures

Trivia:

Barry Fitzgerald, who plays the character of Cocky, and Arthur Shields, who played Donkeyman, were brothers in real life. They also appeared together in director John Ford's The Quiet Man (1952).

Goofs:

Factual errors: Wilfrid Lawson's name is spelled Wilfred in the opening credits, but is spelled correctly in the end credits.

Movie Connections:

Edited into Visions of Light (1992)

Soundtrack:

Irish Washerwoman

Extraordinarily moving drama from two master dramatists

Reportedly, John Ford's film of The Long Voyage Home was Eugene O'Neill's favorite of all filmed versions of his plays, and it is no task to see why. The worlds of Ford and O'Neill overlap in their use of sentiment, tragicomedy, and the sons of old Ireland. This episodic collection of stories, taken from several short plays written by O'Neill and based on his own seafaring life, does what both O'Neill and Ford do best--unveil the poetry and tragedy of simple men. Granted, Ford outsentimentalizes O'Neill, who can be far darker than Ford ever dared, but he comes by it honestly--no Capra-corn here. The photography and sound bring a hyper-reality to this tale of merchant sailors, fearful for their lives, argumentative yet loving, full of weakness but capable of strength and honor. The performances are uniformly splendid. John Wayne, in a supporting role, does quite well with an unusual part, a lonely Swedish sailor, and his accent is much better than he is usually given credit for. But this is no star vehicle. The ship is the star, and the lives of its men resound with meaning and melancholy. An extraordinary film experience, especially for the patient and thoughtful among us.