Stanley Kramer - Ship of Fools (1965)

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“What do a dwarf, anti-Semitic Germans, tolerant Jews, Spanish political prisoners, and 600 Mexican deportees all have in common? They're all on board the Ship of Fools, an epic seafaring melodrama directed by the legendary Stanley Kramer (It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World). Nominated for eight Academy Awards™ in 1965, it's an uneven but wholly watchable picture made better by at least one excellent performance, and a host of familiar faces from Hollywood past.” – DVDVerdict.com

“Vivien Leigh's last film! A star studded extravaganza, this time on a cruise ship during the time just before World War II. Story-lines include Ms. Leigh as a lonely, forty-something woman hoping she's still desirable, but trying to keep her dignity about it; Simone Signoret, who's on her way to prison, romances the ship's doctor (Oskar Werner) to get narcotics; Jose Ferrer is an anti-Semitic German publisher, not afraid to express his opinions loudly to all as "facts" (Heinz Rühmann is a quiet Jewish passenger he scorns); Lee Marvin is a washed up, drunken ball player who chases Leigh (as does Werner Klemperer); George Segal is a tortured artist who's traveling with his girlfriend (Elizabeth Ashley), as the couple tries to work through their problems; Michael Dunn is a dwarf who narrates and provides insightful comments; Jose Greco is the leader of the ship's gypsy entertainers who aim to bilk the passengers, especially a young man bent on losing his virginity; and there are lots of other bit players, including the ship's Captain (Charles Korvin), who provide background and/or small plots (e.g. parents traveling with their young debutante).

Directed & Produced by Stanley Kramer, the film competed for the Best Picture Oscar, losing to The Sound of Music (1965), and also received a nomination for B&W Costume Design; it won for B&W Cinematography & Art Direction-Set Decoration. Signoret received her second and last Best Actress nomination (she'd won for Room at the Top (1959)); Werner (Best Actor) & Dunn (Supporting Actor) received their only Oscar nominations. Abby Mann's (Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)) Screenplay was also nominated.” – Classic Film Guide

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Thursday, May 6, 2010

Stanley Kramer - Ship of Fools (1965)

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