Director: Victor Fleming
Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
Top Billed Actors: Spencer Tracy, Freddie Bartholomew, Lionel Barrymore
Won 1 Oscar:
Best Actor - Spencer Tracy
Nominated for 3 more:
Outstanding Production - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Best Adaptation - John Lee Mahin, Marc Connelly, and Dale Van Every
Best Film Editing - Elmo Veron
Plot: A spoiled brat gets drunk from milkshakes, falls off a boat, and learns to become an expert fisherman (and a decent person) from a man with a shoddy Portuguese accent.
Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
Top Billed Actors: Spencer Tracy, Freddie Bartholomew, Lionel Barrymore
Won 1 Oscar:
Best Actor - Spencer Tracy
Nominated for 3 more:
Outstanding Production - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Best Adaptation - John Lee Mahin, Marc Connelly, and Dale Van Every
Best Film Editing - Elmo Veron
Plot: A spoiled brat gets drunk from milkshakes, falls off a boat, and learns to become an expert fisherman (and a decent person) from a man with a shoddy Portuguese accent.
MGM hits the open seas again with Captains Courageous (1937), a Rudyard Kipling adaptation that is "as great as Mutiny on the Bounty" (or so says the poster). Its exciting to get to Victor Fleming's first directing credit in the Project. He's one of the reasons I started this project due to his duo of films in 1939. I also eagerly anticipate a Spencer Tracy performance - this is his first of two consecutive Oscars and his second of nine nominations. Apparently, his statuette mistakenly had the name "Dick Tracy" inscribed on it. A very embarrassed Academy remedied the situation but it makes for one hell of a story. He reportedly didn't like the performance all that much due to this phoned in accent (more on that later) and his curly hair (which he got flack for from his acting buddies). Another performer I enjoy seeing on the horizon is Lionel Barrymore. This was one of his final films in which he was in good enough health to move around on his feet. He will soon be confined to a wheelchair from arthritis so its great to see him spry enough to captain a speeding schooner in these treacherous waters.
All this talk about actors leads me to my first positive critique on the film. Its not of these renowned actors but of the young boy, Freddie Bartholomew. At 12 or 13, he's more of a highlight than any of his adult peers. He plays the snotty and entitled brat so wonderfully. Even though the film forecasts his transformation, Bartholomew handles the transitions masterfully. After he starts to take a liking to Manuel (Tracy), the story helps out in this transitioning as well. We know he's going to mature, but seeing him do something for someone else while also being a cheat gives us a gradual change that makes it more believable. He's the classic dynamic character and the acting embodies that. I also love the camerawork here. Most of the acting was not shot on location so I assume Fleming and his crew came up with ways to simulate being on a rocking ship. The tilted cameras are the most obvious means to go about doing this, but I like the elevated set designs and blocking as well. Oh, and there's also extensive use of a hurdy gurdy. That's magnificent in and of itself.
The biggest detractor is unfortunately a major component of the film - Tracy's accent. He's supposed to be Portuguese but it devolves into Tracy speaking in broken English. Combine this with his happy-go-lucky nature and he comes off as aloof and simple. He mentioned that it was a hard line to walk to not appear dumb, but I think his accent and attitude propels him over that line. He does save it with some long takes with Bartholomew that he carries, especially when just the two of them are together on the dory. He comes across as genuine in the department of caring for his "little fish" so its not all a lost cause. I also didn't care for how much time the final third spends with a schooner race, especially considering the winner of the race is just fueling Barrymore's character's ego. Sure, its exciting, but its just a tad overdone in an already long film.
Overall, a great child performance that showcases a classic dynamic character gives way to a fun adventure on the high seas with hurdy gurdy in hand. Even though I didn't care for Spencer Tracy's accent, I still believed him as a surrogate father to a spoiled brat-turned-to-fisherman-apprentice.
My Score: 7/10
All this talk about actors leads me to my first positive critique on the film. Its not of these renowned actors but of the young boy, Freddie Bartholomew. At 12 or 13, he's more of a highlight than any of his adult peers. He plays the snotty and entitled brat so wonderfully. Even though the film forecasts his transformation, Bartholomew handles the transitions masterfully. After he starts to take a liking to Manuel (Tracy), the story helps out in this transitioning as well. We know he's going to mature, but seeing him do something for someone else while also being a cheat gives us a gradual change that makes it more believable. He's the classic dynamic character and the acting embodies that. I also love the camerawork here. Most of the acting was not shot on location so I assume Fleming and his crew came up with ways to simulate being on a rocking ship. The tilted cameras are the most obvious means to go about doing this, but I like the elevated set designs and blocking as well. Oh, and there's also extensive use of a hurdy gurdy. That's magnificent in and of itself.
The biggest detractor is unfortunately a major component of the film - Tracy's accent. He's supposed to be Portuguese but it devolves into Tracy speaking in broken English. Combine this with his happy-go-lucky nature and he comes off as aloof and simple. He mentioned that it was a hard line to walk to not appear dumb, but I think his accent and attitude propels him over that line. He does save it with some long takes with Bartholomew that he carries, especially when just the two of them are together on the dory. He comes across as genuine in the department of caring for his "little fish" so its not all a lost cause. I also didn't care for how much time the final third spends with a schooner race, especially considering the winner of the race is just fueling Barrymore's character's ego. Sure, its exciting, but its just a tad overdone in an already long film.
Overall, a great child performance that showcases a classic dynamic character gives way to a fun adventure on the high seas with hurdy gurdy in hand. Even though I didn't care for Spencer Tracy's accent, I still believed him as a surrogate father to a spoiled brat-turned-to-fisherman-apprentice.
My Score: 7/10