Overview
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Release Date:
27 July 1944 (Australia)
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Tagline:
MYSTERY TERROR! (original print ad - all caps)
Plot:
Tom Merriam signs on the ship Altair as third officer under Captain Stone. At first things look good...
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full synopsis
Awards:
1 nomination
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User Comments:
Lewton Does It Again
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Crew verified as complete
Additional Details
Also Known As:
Ghost Ship (USA) (poster title)
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Runtime:
69 min
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1
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Sound Mix:
Mono (RCA Sound System)
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
Very shortly after its theatrical release in December of 1943, producer
Val Lewton was sued for plagiarism by
Samuel R. Golding and
Norbert Faulkner, who claimed that Lewton based his script on a play which they had written and submitted to Lewton's office at the time "The Ghost Ship" was being developed. Although Lewton had the opportunity to settle out of court, he chose to have the case tried. Despite Lewton's claims that their manuscript was returned unread, the court ruled against Lewton and RKO (a decision upheld at appeal), and "The Ghost Ship" was withdrawn from circulation. It remained unavailable for viewing for the next 50 years.
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Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: One shot of the boat traveling toward camera shows the name of the boat on the bow is backwards. The backwards name reads
Venture, indicating it's a shot reused from
King Kong (1933) that has been horizontally flipped.
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Quotes:
Finn, the Mute:
[
voiceover] The man is dead. With his death, the waters of the sea are open to us. But there will be other deaths, and the agony of dying, before we come to land again.
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The title of this film is misleading as it implies a ghost story.....but of course, it isn't. In fact it isn't even a horror film in the general sense. It is more a psychological thriller, surrounding the personality of the ship's captain, played by that old war horse, Richard Dix. And he does a terrific job of letting the viewer glimpse the madness beneath his controlled exterior. His byword is "authority" and he goes to unbelievable lengths to assert that authority.
Russell Wade, with whom I am unfamiliar, plays the Third Officer, who sees through the captain in short order and vainly attempts to convince the crew of Dix's insanity......but to no avail. The only person who is aware of the problem is a mute played by probably one of the most unattractive and busiest character players in Hollywood, Skelton Knaggs and he becomes somewhat of a hero in the final few minutes of the film. Edith Barrett, who was used by Lewton in other films, makes a limited appearance as the captain's inamorata. Look for Lawrence Tierney, future Hollywood bad boy, as a target of the captain's revenge.
Val Lewton was the master of atmospheric films made on a limited budget and he doesn't miss with this one. It's a dandy!!