Ship of Fools (1965)

Director:

Stanley Kramer

Writers:

Katherine Anne Porter (novel)
Abby Mann (screenplay)

Release Date:

October 1965 (Austria)

Genre:

Drama | Romance | War

Tagline:

EXPLORER, MISTRESS, VAGRANT, LOAFER, ARTIST, TRAMP ... THEY ARE ALL AT THE CAPTAIN'S TABLE!

Plot:

Passengers on a ship traveling from Mexico to Europe in the 1930s represent society at large in that era...

Plot Keywords:

Traveling | Ship | Ship's Doctor | 1930s | Racism

Awards:

Won 2 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 13 nominations

Cast

Vivien Leigh	...	Mary Treadwell
Simone Signoret	...	La Condesa
José Ferrer	...	Rieber (as Jose Ferrer)
Lee Marvin	...	Tenny
Oskar Werner	...	Dr. Schumann
Elizabeth Ashley	...	Jenny
George Segal	...	David
José Greco	...	Pepe (as Jose Greco)
Michael Dunn	...	Glocken
Charles Korvin	...	Capt. Thiele
Heinz Rühmann	...	Lowenthal (as Heinz Ruehmann)
Lilia Skala	...	Frau Hutten
Barbara Luna	...	Amparo
Alf Kjellin	...	Freytag
Christiane Schmidtmer	...	Lizzi
Werner Klemperer	...	Lt. Huebner
John Wengraf	...	Graf
Olga Fabian	...	Frau Schmitt
Gila Golan	...	Elsa
Oscar Beregi Jr.	...	Lutz (as Oscar Beregi)
Stanley Adams	...	Professor Hutten
Kaaren Verne	...	Frau Lutz (as Karen Verne)
Charles De Vries	...	Johann (as Charles de Vries)
Henry Calvin	...	Fat Man
Peter Mamakos	...	Religious Man
Paul Daniel	...	Carlos
David Renard	...	Woodcarver
Lydia Torea	...	Pastora
Rudy Carrela	...	Ric (as Rudy Carrella)
Silvia Marino	...	Rac
Anthony Brand	...	Guitarist
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
John Alvar	...	Student (uncredited)
Eddie Baker	...	Prizak (uncredited)
Vicki Cos	...	Flamenco dance troupe child (uncredited)
Walter Friedel	...	Waiter (uncredited)
Steven Geray	...	Steward aboard Vera (uncredited)
Charles H. Radilak	...	Headwaiter (uncredited)
Bert Rumsey	...	Second Officer (uncredited)

Directed by
Stanley Kramer

Writing credits
Katherine Anne Porter		(novel)
Abby Mann		(screenplay)

Produced by
Stanley Kramer	....	producer

Original Music by
Ernest Gold

Cinematography by
Ernest Laszlo

Film Editing by
Robert C. Jones

Production Design by
Robert Clatworthy

Set Decoration by
Joseph Kish

Costume Design by
Bill Thomas

Makeup Department
Virginia Jones	....	hair stylist
Ben Lane	....	makeup supervisor

Production Management
Ivan Volkman	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
John Veitch	....	assistant director

Art Department
Ernest Graber	....	property master
Bud Pine	....	construction coordinator
Harold Michelson	....	illustrator (uncredited)

Sound Department
James Z. Flaster	....	sound
Clem Portman	....	sound re-recordist
Charles J. Rice	....	sound supervisor
James Richard	....	sound effects

Special Effects by
John Burke	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
Farciot Edouart	....	process photography
Albert Whitlock	....	special photographic effects

Stunts
Bob Herron	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Dick Johnson	....	camera operator (as Richard Johnson)
Martin Kashuk	....	company grip (as Marty Kaschuk)
Seldon White	....	chief electrician

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Joe King	....	costume supervisor
Jean Louis	....	designer: Ms. Leigh's clothes

Music Department
Maury Winetrobe	....	music editor

Other crew
Marshall Schlom	....	script supervisor
Boyd Cabeen	....	stand-in (uncredited)
Michelle Triola	....	stand-in (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Stanley Kramer Productions

Distributors

• Columbia Pictures (1965) (USA) (theatrical)
• Columbia Pictures Corporation (1965) (UK) (theatrical)
• Columbia Films (1965) (France) (theatrical)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1968) (USA) (TV)
• Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video (USA) (video)
• Sony Pictures Television (USA) (TV)

Special Effects

• Film Effects of Hollywood

Other Companies

• Pacific Title  titles (as Pacific)

Runtime:

149 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | German | Spanish

Color:

Black and White

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Canada:PG (Ontario) | UK:12 (2007) | UK:A (1965) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | Spain:7

Company:

Stanley Kramer Productions

Trivia:

Vivien Leigh's last film.

Goofs:

Continuity: As the passengers disembark at the end, Johann pauses on the steps to watch Amparo walk by, when Tenny appears walking down the steps behind Johann. Immediately the film cuts to a shot of the gangplank above, where Tenny is seen just leaving the ship.

Quotes:

Jenny Brown: I think that David thinks a woman should follow three paces behind with slippers.
Mary Treadwell: Men usually do.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Nanny: Ship of Fran's (#3.26)" (1996)

Soundtrack:

Heute abend geh'n wir bummeln auf der reeperbahn

Not as good as the novel, but still worth seeing

Ship of Fools (1965) directed by Stanley Kramer, is based on the novel by Katherine Anne Porter. The film is a reasonably faithful cinematic adaptation, although it lacks the novel's subtlety and complexity. Director Kramer assembled an all-star cast--including Vivien Leigh (her last film), Simone Signoret, José Ferrer, Lee Marvin, Oskar Werner, José Greco, and George Segal.

The film takes place entirely on shipboard, except for the final scene. Naturally, the close confines of the ship and the lack of privacy bring about forced interactions, as would have been the case in reality. These interactions form the basic plot of both the book and the film.

The time is 1933, so the passengers don't know what we know--things are changing rapidly in Germany and everything will be different in just a year or two. In fact, that's the basic weakness of the plot--it's easy in retrospect to know just how wrong the Jewish salesman is when he assures people that the current unpleasantness will blow over and all will be well.

Some features of the novel were unfortunately omitted from the film, especially the roles of the Spanish twins, Ric and Rac. In the novel, they are the embodiments of senseless evil, and every chapter in which they appear is laden with foreboding. In the film, the children commit one evil act, but it makes no sense because we haven't been prepared for it.

Director Kramer made one choice I consider foolish. In the novel, a young woman named Elsa Lutz is realistically unhappy. She is unattractive, not very intelligent, not gifted or graceful, and her prospects for marriage are bleak. In the film, she is portrayed as a stunning ingénue, who will blossom into an even more stunning woman. No dramatic tension there. Porter had it right, Kramer had it wrong.

All in all, "Ship of Fools" is a classic movie by an excellent director and it's loaded with stars. It's not an essential film, but it's entertaining enough and worth renting.