{"id":5540,"date":"2008-05-11T18:10:47","date_gmt":"2008-05-12T01:10:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=5540"},"modified":"2021-01-17T23:12:18","modified_gmt":"2021-01-18T06:12:18","slug":"ghost-ship-the-1943","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=5540","title":{"rendered":"Ghost Ship, The (1943)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;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.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Ghost-Ship-Poster.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Ghost-Ship-Poster-196x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"196\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-64058\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Ghost-Ship-Poster-196x300.png 196w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Ghost-Ship-Poster-668x1024.png 668w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Ghost-Ship-Poster-83x128.png 83w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Ghost-Ship-Poster-176x270.png 176w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Ghost-Ship-Poster.png 719w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 196px) 100vw, 196px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nA young officer (Russell Wade) on a freighter begins to suspect that his captain (Richard Dix) is a megalomaniac psychopath &#8212; but no one else on board believes him, and soon he finds that his own life is at risk.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>At Sea<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Lawrence Tierney Films<\/li>\n<li>Mark Robson Films<\/li>\n<li>Mental Illness<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;No One Believes Me!&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>Psychological Horror<\/li>\n<li>Val Lewton Films<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nThis recently rediscovered RKO horror film &#8212; directed by Mark Robson &#8212; remains one of B-producer Val Lewton&#8217;s least heralded yet most enjoyable thrillers. Taking place largely on board a freighter (a setting which effectively heightens the sense of claustrophobia felt by Wade, the film&#8217;s protagonist), <em>The Ghost Ship<\/em> features an unusual variation on the theme of power-mad leaders who must be stopped before they spiral out of control. In this case, Captain Stone &#8212; nicely played by former matinee idol Richard Dix, of <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=5343\"><em>Cimarron<\/em> (1931)<\/a> fame &#8212; has developed a cult of personality which prevents most of his crew members from questioning his authority: <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Ghost-Ship-Dix3.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Ghost-Ship-Dix3-1024x767.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"479\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-64068\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Ghost-Ship-Dix3-1024x767.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Ghost-Ship-Dix3-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Ghost-Ship-Dix3-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Ghost-Ship-Dix3-768x575.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Ghost-Ship-Dix3-360x270.png 360w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Ghost-Ship-Dix3.png 1379w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Indeed, even Wade is initially swayed by Stone&#8217;s warped reasoning that being responsible for his men&#8217;s lives also gives him the power to take those lives from them. Scene after powerful scene &#8212; Stone being too frightened to perform an appendectomy on an ailing sailor (Paul Marion), yet justifying his fear as reasonable afterwards:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Ghost-Ship-Surgery.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Ghost-Ship-Surgery-1024x756.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"473\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-64066\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Ghost-Ship-Surgery-1024x756.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Ghost-Ship-Surgery-300x221.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Ghost-Ship-Surgery-128x94.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Ghost-Ship-Surgery-768x567.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Ghost-Ship-Surgery-366x270.png 366w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Ghost-Ship-Surgery.png 1381w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8230; a sailor (Lawrence Tierney) being &#8220;accidentally&#8221; crushed to death by a heavy chain after daring to stand up to Stone &#8212; leave audience members frightened yet genuinely confused about what to believe, particularly after watching a later scene in which Dix confesses (to a sympathetic female friend, played by Edith Barrett) his own fears about slowly going mad.  <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Ghost-Ship-Barrett-Dix2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Ghost-Ship-Barrett-Dix2-1024x760.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"475\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-64060\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Ghost-Ship-Barrett-Dix2-1024x760.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Ghost-Ship-Barrett-Dix2-300x223.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Ghost-Ship-Barrett-Dix2-128x95.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Ghost-Ship-Barrett-Dix2-768x570.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Ghost-Ship-Barrett-Dix2-364x270.png 364w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Ghost-Ship-Barrett-Dix2.png 1389w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>In addition to its tightly scripted screenplay (by Donald Henderson Clarke, based on a story by Leo Mittler), <em>The Ghost Ship<\/em> is full of Lewton&#8217;s characteristic visual and literate sensibility. Nicholas Musuraca&#8217;s atmospheric black-and-white cinematography neatly evokes a <em>noirish<\/em> world on board the ship, while the casting of Skelton Knaggs as Finn the Mute &#8212; an omniscient voice-over narrator who plays an unexpectedly important role near the end of the film &#8212; serves as an inspired homage to the &#8220;chorus&#8221; of classical theater. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Ghost-Ship-Finn.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Ghost-Ship-Finn-1024x758.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"474\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-64061\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Ghost-Ship-Finn-1024x758.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Ghost-Ship-Finn-300x222.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Ghost-Ship-Finn-128x95.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Ghost-Ship-Finn-768x568.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Ghost-Ship-Finn-365x270.png 365w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Ghost-Ship-Finn.png 1385w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>As with all of Lewton&#8217;s other RKO &#8220;horror&#8221; films, <em>The Ghost Ship<\/em>&#8216;s title is actually a bit of a misnomer, given that no ghosts ever appear &#8212; but Lewton&#8217;s unique gift lay in creating highly memorable, low-budget thrillers which relied more on the power of psychology than on overt chills, and this film is no exception. Film fanatics should definitely check it out. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Richard Dix as mad Captain Stone<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Ghost-Ship-Dix.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Ghost-Ship-Dix-1024x758.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"474\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-64063\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Ghost-Ship-Dix-1024x758.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Ghost-Ship-Dix-300x222.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Ghost-Ship-Dix-128x95.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Ghost-Ship-Dix-768x569.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Ghost-Ship-Dix-365x270.png 365w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Ghost-Ship-Dix.png 1387w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Russell Wade as Tom Merriam<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Ghost-Ship-Wade.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Ghost-Ship-Wade-1024x769.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"481\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-64062\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Ghost-Ship-Wade-1024x769.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Ghost-Ship-Wade-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Ghost-Ship-Wade-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Ghost-Ship-Wade-768x577.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Ghost-Ship-Wade-360x270.png 360w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Ghost-Ship-Wade.png 1373w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Nicholas Musuraca&#8217;s atmospheric cinematography <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Ghost-Ship-Cinematography2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Ghost-Ship-Cinematography2-1024x757.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"473\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-64065\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Ghost-Ship-Cinematography2-1024x757.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Ghost-Ship-Cinematography2-300x222.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Ghost-Ship-Cinematography2-128x95.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Ghost-Ship-Cinematography2-768x568.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Ghost-Ship-Cinematography2-365x270.png 365w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Ghost-Ship-Cinematography2.png 1389w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>The infamous &#8220;chain death&#8221; scene<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Ghost-Ship-Chain-Death.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Ghost-Ship-Chain-Death-1024x772.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"483\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-64064\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Ghost-Ship-Chain-Death-1024x772.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Ghost-Ship-Chain-Death-300x226.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Ghost-Ship-Chain-Death-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Ghost-Ship-Chain-Death-768x579.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Ghost-Ship-Chain-Death-358x270.png 358w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Ghost-Ship-Chain-Death.png 1371w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, as one of Lewton&#8217;s most effective thrillers. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Important Director<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0035937\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1943\/12\/25\/archives\/the-screen-a-chilly-christmas.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/dvdsavant\/s1765val.html\">DVD Savant Review (scroll down to 5th review)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/3352\/the-ghost-ship#articles-reviews?articleId=450\">TCM Article<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.timeout.com\/film\/reviews\/70164\/the_ghost_ship.html\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;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.&#8221; Synopsis: A young officer (Russell Wade) on a freighter begins to suspect that his captain (Richard Dix) is a megalomaniac psychopath &#8212; but no one else on board believes him, and soon he finds that his own life is at risk. Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: At&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=5540\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5540","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5540","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5540"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5540\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":64069,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5540\/revisions\/64069"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5540"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5540"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5540"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}