Mutiny (1952) User Reviews (22)

MUTINY (Edward Dmytryk, 1952) **1/2

[Bunuel1976 · 6/10 · 7 November 2008]

This low-budget swashbuckler (albeit filmed in murky color) proved somewhat better than anticipated – given that the Leonard Maltin Film Guide deemed to slap it with a measly *1/2 rating!

To begin with, it's bolstered by such imposing credentials as scriptwriter Philip Yordan, composer Dmitri Tiomkin and, of course, director Dmytryk. Incidentally, this was the latter's first American film after his unfortunate stint as one of "The Hollywood Ten" – which saw him imprisoned and then exiled for non-collaboration in the McCarthy witch-hunts; however, within two years Dmytryk would renounce Communism and turn friendly witness, which is how he got back into Hollywood's A-list and eventually helmed such high-profile titles as THE CAINE MUTINY (1954) and THE YOUNG LIONS (1958). With this in mind, the political subtext regarding the character of Patrick Knowles – aping his frequent co-star Errol Flynn as a disgraced naval captain who's forced to serve as First Mate to a younger officer (an unlikely yet effectively cast Mark Stevens) – can hardly be a coincidence!

Interestingly, the only woman involved (played by Angela Lansbury) is depicted as a femme fatale and Knowles' opportunistic lover – who goads him into usurping Stevens' leadership, and even connives with the crew (led by hook-handed Gene Evans and Rhys Williams) to steal the ship's cargo, a camouflaged 'treasure' intended for the U.S.A.'s 1812 war effort! At only 77 minutes, there's more talk than action – but the latter does come in at the climax, where it's both efficient and versatile: following the mutiny itself, we get the expected sea battle culminating in the deployment of an archaic form of submarine (which, in turn, leads to Knowles' self-sacrifice).

In the end, I would have liked to add MUTINY to my collection – but had to forego any such intention due to the substandard quality (typified by intermittent picture fuzziness) of the print utilized for Platinum's budget DVD release.

Confrontation between US and British ships during the 1812 war

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 29 June 2007]

The film is based on historic events , the US went to war for the first time as an independent nation in 1812 , against the old enemy , Great Britain . Some have called the war ¨foolish and unnecessary¨. For several years American shipping had seen caught in the crossfire between Britain and France during Napoleonic wars . When the President Madison finally declared war on 18 June 1812 , the US navy was a force to be reckoned with , accustomed to ruling the seas , the British fleet was surprised and shaken by a series of American success . The United States was supported by French navy . The war ended with the American victory at the battle of New Orleans 1815 . In the film the captain James Marshall (Mark Stevens) is assigned a dangerous mission to avoid the British blockade and head his ship toward France for receive war loan , a golden anchor . The ship is one of many frigates built as the US drifted towards war with Britain . Marshall recruits to Ben Waldridge (Patrick Knowles) , bringing his previous crew (Gene Evans , Rhys Williams , Denver Pyle , Claytoon Moore, among others) who start scheming a mutiny as soon as aware the existence gold aboard , but they're carrying a treasure calculate the value of $ 10.000 million . Then , the crew confronting among themselves for a part of France's donation to the war effort . Besides the Waldridge's former lover Leslie (Angela Lansbury) who's wishing a bit of gold herself . Meanwhile the main ship repulses a British attack at high sea and harbor and the protagonists use a primitive underwater for counterattack .

The picture contains historic elements , a maritime intrigue and sea fighting with spectacular taking on between ships well made to scale model . Good performances by trio starring , Mark Stevens, Patrick Knowles and special mention an ambitious Angela Lansbury as a femme fatal . She and Mark Stevens developed a friendship and years later she hired him for an episode of her ¨Murder,she wrote¨ series . Besides , an excellent plethora of secondary actors : Gene Evans, Rhys Williams , Clayton Moore (Lone Ranger) , Morris Ankrum and Denver Pyle . Interesting screenplay , though predictable , by the prestigious Philip Yordan . Evocative and appropriate musical score by the classic Dimitri Tiomkin . Colorful cinematography , although worn-out caused by a bad copy, by Ernest Laszlo . The motion picture was professionally directed by Edward Dmytryck who directed another mutiny film , the famed : ¨Caine mutiny¨ and he was a warlike genre expert : ¨Back to Batan , Battle of Anzio , Young lions¨ and Western: ¨Broken lance , Alvarez Kelly, Warlock¨ among other s. Rating : Passable and entertaining, it's recommended for sea adventures enthusiasts .

"The crew's below, all I have to do is sober them up."

[classicsoncall · 6/10 · 16 September 2006]

Not a bad little actioner here for a movie that doesn't go feature length. It doesn't start out as a pirate adventure but turns into one when Hook (Gene Evans) and Redlegs (Rhys Williams) learn of plans to smuggle ten million dollars worth of gold back to the States during the War of 1812. Captain James Marshall (Mark Stevens) is commissioned to run a British blockade and head off to France to pick up the privately funded stash, and takes along disgraced former seaman Ben Waldridge (Patric Knowles). The film really gets going when Waldridge stows his paramour Leslie (Angela Lansbury) aboard the Concord, setting up a tension that sails on for the rest of the story.

The surprise of the film for me was Lansbury, never realizing she was as pretty as she appears here. That's balanced by how totally despicable her character is, a gold digger who'll use Waldridge and anyone else in her path to live a life of luxury. Her 'ten million or nothing' ultimatum to rogue Waldridge hints at a suitable demise for her character when it's time, and this viewer found himself counting the minutes. But not before she attempts to write a little murder of her own into the script.

The film's finale makes use of an early hand crank wooden submarine that's almost comical in it's concept except for the fact that it works. It provides the dubious opportunity for Captain Waldridge, in a redemptive moment, to go down with the ship.

I picked up this film as part of a ten movie/three DVD compilation simply called "Pirates" from St. Clair Vision. The print of the film I viewed addresses the concerns of two other reviewers for the movie on this site. It appeared to be a pretty good print without the scratchy quality attributed to it, while also appearing in it's original Technicolor format. For a lazy rainy morning, it was just the ticket.

Interesting Setting, A Couple Of Good Performances, About Average Overall

[Snow Leopard · 8 March 2006]

Though about average overall, "Mutiny" has some strengths, with an interesting period/adventure setting and a couple of good performances. The story includes some good action sequences that help make up for the less interesting stretches. The shipboard atmosphere generally works well, but the lighting and photography are so dark (at least in the print as it now seems to be available) that a lot of details get lost or obscured.

The setup has Mark Stevens as the captain of a ship carrying out a special mission during the War of 1812, with Patric Knowles as a disgraced captain who is now serving as second in command, Angela Lansbury as Knowles's greedy and domineering wife, and a mutinous gun crew looking for a way to turn things to their own advantage. It's interesting in taking the historical setting as the backdrop to what becomes a largely private battle of nerves and wills. The circumstances of the war do come into play often enough to make the setting relevant.

Knowles is effective in portraying his complicated, somewhat indecisive character, Lansbury gets the kind of role that she used to perform quite believably, and Rhys Williams and Gene Evans are good as the ringleaders of the mutineers. Stevens is solid, but sometimes slightly lacking in energy, as the captain.

The finale is the best part of the movie, and it is set up nicely, leading to a three-way showdown with plenty of suspense and action, plus an interesting depiction of a primitive submarine. It's good enough to make up for an overall lack of consistency in much of the rest of the movie. In the earlier parts, especially, the script sometimes takes too long to establish simple points, and it also has some stretches in which some weak dialogue weighs it down. So its by no means perfect, but it does have enough to fill its relatively short running time with a generally interesting story.

A wasted opportunity

[jjnxn-1 · 5/10 · 30 April 2013]

Where to begin with this bottom of the barrel adventure? Dmytryk was always an inconsistent director able to produce fine films like "The Caine Mutiny" and "Broken Lance" as well as high gloss trash such as "Walk on the Wild Side" and "Where Love Has Gone" and slug like this. Strictly paying the rent actors give lackluster performances. Angela looks great and gives the film's best performance but why oh why is she wearing a 1950's evening dress on a warship in 1812? Painfully obvious that this was filmed on the cheap in a studio tank with low lighting to cover the sets shortcomings. A shame since there are not a lot a films about this time period so a wasted opportunity like this is doubly disappointing.

Lively King Brothers Potboiler

[richardchatten · 7/10 · 19 March 2020]

Edward Dmytryk's first film in Technicolor is unlikely to have been a milestone he took pride in, grateful as he doubtless was simply for the work after having been jailed as one of the Hollywood Ten.

Several other talented people were also slumming in this reasonably ambitious King Brothers potboiler (notably Angela Lansbury as a treacherous, high maintenance femme fatale), enhanced by a Dimitri Tiomkin score and atmospheric photography by Ernest Laszlo (which goes some way towards mitigating the stationary painted clouds that ruin most of the scenes on deck).

The script by Philip Yordan (assuming he's signing his own work this time) is actually pretty witty & imaginative; and the similarity of the ignominious fate suffered by one character and incorporation into the plot of an early submersible suggests he knew both his Shakespeare and his military history.

Dmytryk Returns

[boblipton · 5/10 · 12 November 2019]

It's the War of 1812. French citizens have come up with a lot of gold for the United States. However, France is at peace with Great Britain for the moment, and the British have a blockade of the US. The government turns to Mark Stevens, and his fast sloop. He recruits Patrick Knowles, a disgraced captain who stole his ship's money to pay for lovelies for Angela Lansbury, who's in France. They get to France, and bring Miss Lansbury out. She's not interested in a life without luxury. Then she discovers the gold, and persuades Knowles to mutiny.

It's the first movie Edward Dmytryk directed in three years, after tangling with and eventually giving into the HUAC. That's undoubtedly how he came to direct this King Brothers production; they knew how to get talent on the cheap. The script is by Philip Yordan -- he fronted a lot of blacklisted screenwriters in this period. Unfortunately, while the miniature work is good, the dialogue stinks. All in all, it's an unprepossessing effort.

Dmytryk's next movie would be the taut and exciting THE SNIPER. He was on his way back and by the 1960s, would helm some major big budget movies.

Ex naval officer recruits an old colleague to assist him to collect gold by ship.

[StarClem12 · 7/10 · 5 July 2006]

All you 3 out of 10s are not looking at the 'big picture' here - the historical background added interest; the presence of a woman on board and a strong one at that; 'mateship' overriding one of the mens' love for that woman, and causing one to go to the assistance of the other and the good acting made this worthwhile for me. I did enjoy Angela Lansbury as the scheming grasping female lead! I could overlook the absence of full sized ships, however I was disappointed it was not in colour. We are so spoilt nowadays. There was a time when all movies were black and white only and when colourised movies were released everyone said people wouldn't like them, audiences would get ill watching them - how wrong they were. I'm surprised a film made in 1952 was B & W - there must have been a tight budget.

Watch Angela Lansbury play a horrid wench!

[planktonrules · 4/10 · 4 November 2010]

When you see this film, you'll probably think Angela Lansbury plays her most detestable character. Well, considering all the horrible people she played before her nice old lady roles, this is NOT the case! Her mother from "The Manchurian Candidate" makes her character from "Mutiny" seem like Mother Theresa! But it's still entertaining to watch her seethed in wickedness during this otherwise mediocre film.

The film is set during the War of 1812. Two Captains are serving with the US Navy, but oddly the more experienced is demoted to first mate--and this part of the film made little sense. Both men are sent on a secret mission to France to get gold needed for the war, but the demoted man has a serious handicap--his girlfriend is evil Angela. She and the men on board learn about the gold and she is determined to get her hands on it one way or the other--and it might include getting her sweetie to become a traitor. And, the lovely lady also encourages him to kill the Captain--nice lady, huh? Well, he does not--but he does lead a mutiny and takes the ship. You KNOW however, when he does cast the Captain adrift that it will come back to haunt him in the end. As for the end, it has a nice scene where Angela gets hers, but other than that, it's pretty clichéd--with the traitor redeeming himself (naturally) at the end.

The film is pretty bland and aside from Lansbury, there isn't a lot to recommend it. While not a bad film and it is nice to see a film about this seldom talked about war, it is totally uninspired from start to finish.

" You've made many promises, but this one is Gold plated "

[thinker1691 · 6/10 · 19 March 2014]

From a story written by Hollister Noble and directed by Edward Dmytryic is this feature film called "Mutiny. " Mark Stevens plays Capt. James Marshall and Patric Knowles is second in command as Capt.Ben Waldrid. Both men are signed on to escort a French shipment of Gold bullion to America during the war of 1812. However, even though it's a secret, the rest of the scurvy crew gets wind of it and with the help of a Greedy, selfish former lover plan on diverting it to their own pockets. Interestingly enough the heavy is played by Angela Lansbury, who seeks to convince her former romantic lover to betray the commander and sail off into the sunset. The rest of the scheming crew feels the same way and as the movie progresses everyone becomes hell bent on securing the gold for themselves. Aside from the fact, the script is fragmentary and shallow, the film is hampered with poor lighting, dark backgrounds and dreadful scenes. Were it not for cast members like Gene Evans, Rhys Williams and Clayton Moore, the urge to leave the theater hangs on to the end. Recommend to anyone who wants to see Lansbury playing to her evil side. ***

Viewers may "mutiny" when they watch this one

[bill-790 · 4/10 · 12 December 2010]

"Mutiny" is surely one of the weakest films of 1952. Yes, it's in color (though the color photography isn't so hot) and, yes, the cast includes some solid actors. On the other hand production values are minimal and the screenplay is worse than routine. The results are decidedly below par.

What can we say about the director? Edward Dmytryk had directed several excellent films before he tackled this one. I should mention, among others, "Murder, My Sweet," "Cornered," and "Crossfire." After "Mutiny," he went on to direct "The Caine Mutiny," "Soldier of Fortune," and "The Left Hand of God." So how did Dmytryk get roped into doing this one? Someone more familiar with the man's career will have to explain that one. Suffice it to say that "Mutiny" places pretty far down the list of this fine director's works.

Its short length is in its favor, but that's a rather weak virtue. (Even though it is a short movie, one wishes it were even shorter.) All in all, this is not a good movie. Unless you have absolutely nothing better to do, I strongly recommend that you skip this one.

Watch it for Angela but hope you get a better print

[addicks1947 · 8/10 · 15 October 2005]

Watch this for Angela Lansbury burning up the screen. Mark Stevens and Patric Knowles are fine but once she appears the film takes off. Dymytryk's direction whips along and the narrative is sufficiently novel to hold the attention. Lansbury is really a noir villainess on the high seas - using her man to get to the cash. One warning - the print shown on Matinée movies is grim - scratched, out of focus and the technicolor down to almost two strip. The film is an independent production - King Brothers - which means that it is a bit of a rarity and may account for the quality of the print. Is there a decent neg or print anywhere or is this it?

a spectral passenger

[Cristi_Ciopron · 6/10 · 30 June 2016]

A drama with Angela Lansbury as an adventuress, very typecast as a heartless girl, and by far the best of the cast, as she gives her role a very believable glimmer of sleaze; M. Stevens plays the righteous captain, and he's handsome and reasonably at ease, Knowles plays the renegade, and he's quite withered and outworn, drained, , his character doesn't as much choose honor, as he chooses to get rid of the poison ivy, and this newfound disgust should of been more gradual. Ankrum has a bit part. But for '52, when this movie has been released, this was certainly a 2nd rate cast. Fortunately, its plot is very unconventional and surprising, being written by Yordan, and the story is intriguing without being very deep, and as often with this director there's no depth of the sentiments, there are a few Z movies from the '40s and '50s, with seamen, that have much more dramatic depth, and in Dmytryk's movie the misfire was perhaps Knowles' unrequited passion, the director seems to have lacked sense for its human dimension, he was a mediocre craftsman who had learned the basics of the Hollywoodian show, and he misfires here like elsewhere.

Angela Lansbury has a great scene as she joins the pirates, when they discover the gold. She's billed 2nd and makes the most of her role, her strength being obvious in how she dominates the movie and makes it suit her performance. Her character is concomitantly spectral and freakish, like from 'The Master of Ballantrae'.

Gene Evans does a good role as a foment-er of mutiny. These are movie pirates, but colorful enough, check out the one who gets promoted 2nd mate after the mutiny. While Knowles is credible as a tormented guy, gloomy and unprincipled, he wasn't the best choice for this movie; if his character has the requisite bitterness, it's not only that I would of liked him otherwise, but it leaves an aftertaste of mediocrity. The renegade's awakening is somewhat subdued; but perhaps the player achieves a kind of resigned, unappealing dignity. Given the result, the director seems to haven't been kin on the sea dimension, and also to have been uninspired or mediocre with the drama; neglecting one, and clumsy with the other.

This is a refined and stylish movie, written by Yordan, scored by Tiomkin, directed by Dmytryk, who was artistically an old-believer; I write about him and his movies now and then. I think he gained his fame more by political option, than by his craft, which was fair but very conventional.

For some time, one might expect a dirty dozen story, with the assembling of a crew of scoundrels who are thus offered a 2nd chance, yet the story is very grim and quite sordid, and the sea doesn't really play any special role, it's just a sleazy tale well filmed; it's not the lavish epic promised by the poster, but a tale of betrayal and violence, with insufficiently deepened characters and a plot that's surprising because it contradicts the usual stock events and hints at sleaze and has a certain violence and rough characters, with their bare vehemence (and the motley crew is uniformly made of wicked hoodlums), not because it's inventive or striking. The sea isn't more than the set for the drama, until the use of the submersible, which occasioned the best scene of the movie; I return to the poster, with its promise of a sea epic, the film does look beautiful, but as a creepy drama, in another genre altogether …. But the director, whatever one might think of him, isn't everything, and especially not in a genre movie, and 'Mutiny' does give pleasure, and the director's craft should also be acknowledged, I liked this movie, and I believe it valuable for what it is, and it was refreshing to see the actress (the only woman in the movie, save for three partying girls at the beginning) in one of her early roles. She looks spectral, unearthly, spooky, in those uncanny evening scenes. But she gains her authority by overplaying what must of been a schematically written character: a shocking one, but without dramatic resources.

I enjoyed the underwater photography of the submersible. It was very pleasing for the mind, and I would of liked it to be way longer.

There's a sword-fight scene towards the denouement.

Dmytryk, though a radical in his politics, was very conservative and even old-fashioned in his movie-making.

It Took a Long Time to get that Gold from the French

[bkoganbing · 3/10 · 1 July 2006]

Mutiny has to be down at the bottom of the list of the films of Edward Dmytryk. It's a story that takes place during the War of 1812 where U.S. Navy Captain Mark Stevens is given a mission to get a big shipment of French bullion to build a fleet. Stevens gets a cashiered former British naval captain Patric Knowles to help, but Knowles and a few of his former crew like Gene Evans and Rhys Williams have their own agenda.

The script here is almost laughable in its ignorance. The film actually starts out with a scene of British impressment of American seamen and we hear word of war being declared. During the course of the film it's mentioned that we got to get that bullion back from Knowles and his confederates who stole it because word has just been received that the Washington, DC was burned to the ground.

Now I granted travel wasn't what it is today. But the burning of Washington took place in 1814 and even with all the detours Stevens and the shipment took, it didn't take two years.

Angela Lansbury considered this the nadir of her film career and it probably was. But she plays Knowles's wife and the reason Knowles got drummed out of the British Navy was for embezzlement of his ship's payroll to pay for her extravagance. She's a piece of work Angela and she overacts the part with relish.

Everybody in the cast has done better work, pass this one by if you can.

It's length serves it well

[dbjb6972 · 2 September 2004]

I admit that I liked MUTINY, but I also admit that, had it run on longer than its 77 minute length, it would have quickly worn on me.

I've always been a sucker for seafaring films as well as historical ones, so the fact that MUTINY takes place at sea coupled with being set during the War of 1812 definitely worked to its advantage.

And then there was Angela Lansbury, sharpening her teeth for her role as Raymond Shaw's mother in 1962's THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE. Lansbury's Leslie is a real tramp; a money-hungry social climber who returns with Patric Knowles to the ship only because she believes he's the Captain. When she finds out that he's only first-mate, her lovey-dovey ways fly right out the hatch. Lansbury is good here, the best performance in the film, and its worth watching for her alone.

I'll give it 6 out of 10 and say that its worth a watch if you find it on one rainy afternoon.

Drama Aboard A Man Of War.

[rmax304823 · 5/10 · 28 August 2014]

"Each man kills the thing he loves," wrote Oscar Wilde in "The Ballad of Reading Gaol,". Poor Patrick Knowles, trapped in a prison of his own making, kills the thing that's keeping him there, the bitchy Angela Lansbury.

Well, she deserved it. She was about to stab Captain Mark Stevens, who is trying to sneak his ship full of gold past the British blockade in the War of 1812. We don't hear much about the War of 1812, probably because we didn't "win" it. And the burning of the White House was hardly an American home run. In the original "Master and Commander", the enemy "Acheron" was an American ship, not French. The British blockade featured in this film was successful -- to the extent that the Brits wanted it to be successful -- because after finishing with Napoleon in Europe, Britain found itself with a much larger fleet. The Battle of New Orleans, which made a hero of Andrew Jackson, was a major victory for the US -- fought several months after the signing of the peace treaty. News didn't travel at the speed of light in 1814.

Let's see. I believe that takes care of the historical interlude. Now back to the movie, such as it is. The acting. Nobody stands out. How could they, when the script is so burdened with stereotypes? Mark Stevens is the hero. Patrick Knowles is the weak first officer who betrays his friend and pays for it by self sacrifice later. He grovels at the feet of Angela Lansbury who is treacherous, selfish, and unworthy of his devotion. Gene Evans is the grubby leader of the inevitable mutiny. The officers and guests dine at a genteel dinner table. The crew are slobs and get drunk.

The dialog is larded with nautical expressions. "Keep a weather eye open for the captain." A submarine sinks a British ship, but the submarine is far more advanced than that used by the Confederates fifty years later. Much of the story is filmed at night and the upload on YouTube shows it as splotches of black and white.

It's not insulting or preachy. It's simply one hundred percent routine, the pinnacle of commercial perfection.

"Why should we BOTH die? I want to live . . . "

[oscaralbert · 7/10 · 8 August 2015]

. . . perennial bad girl Angela Lansbury, as Captain Ben's fatal siren Leslie, whines near the end of MUTINY. Ben would rather tool around in a wooden Minisub, sinking enemy ships during the War of 1812, than spend his time palavering with his fickle greed-head gal. MUTINY also proves that not every hook-handed sailor was a captain in Pirate Days. It further reinforces the idea that pirates could out-sing the bass sections of most church choirs. Just as modern submarines are No Smoking Zones, MUTINY illustrates why Pirate Ships can have a better business model when crewed by tea-totalers (rather than tars full of grog). MUTINY is not much for sword fights, and even its gun battles run shorter than the shootout at O.K. Corral. There's an okay coral duel staged off the French coast between an American and a British warship, but the premise that Lord Nelson's fleet could be so totally inept as portrayed here strains credulity now and then.

All that glitters with gold isn't necessarily golden.

[mark.waltz · 4/10 · 26 January 2023]

Along with some early TV appearances, this is one of three public domain films for the legendary Angela Lansbury during a period of her career where she was taking practically every job she could, waiting for the break that would not come until a few years later, and repeated when she became a big Broadway star. It is a period drama, sit during the War of 1812, dealing with the British kidnapping of Americans and forcing them to work on their ships. That leads to war being declared and for a former ship's captain, Patric Knowles, to take on the Java first officer to the new captain, Mark Stevens, interrupted by the arrival of Angela who is furious to find out what has happened, thinking that former fiance Knowles is still captain. Her plans to return to shore and leave him for good are changed by the discovery of gold on the ship which leads to the mutiny and casts Stevens overboard.

Fortunately the print that I got of this movie was much better than other prints that I had tried to watch years before, making this first full viewing of the film much better than I had remembered. That being said, it's still not a great film, very convoluted especially in the second half, although Lansbury is fun to watch. She has a great wardrobe and gets to be quite cold-hearted, a continuation of what she had done at MGM and preparing for the even more cold-hearted character that she would portray in "The Manchurian Candidate". She has a great line towards the crew members who show her the gold, indicating that they are stinky and beneath her, but at that moment, she loves them. Everything is fine as long as they are aboard the ship, and the plot concerns the war, but as it gets involved in the mutiny, the film runs aground and becomes rather unbelievable and absurd. Director Edmund Dmytryk would go on to direct a greater film about a mutiny (based on a popular Broadway play), but unfortunately, this one had major script problems. Still, there's some good action and the film doesn't overstay it's welcome so it's decent viewing as a passable time filling programmer, especially as a reminder of what the late show used to be like.

A Mediocre Adventure on the High Seas

[Uriah43 · 5/10 · 16 July 2023]

This film begins in 1812 with American sailors being forcibly taken off of merchant ships and pressed into duty to help man the British navy. Needless to say, this action infuriates the American government which eventually declares war on Great Britain. That being said, realizing that the American navy was no match for their British counterparts, the French government--who are rivals of the British--comes up with a plan to give the United States $10 million in gold to help them produce some warships of their own. The problem, however, is that in order to collect the gold, an American ship has to sail through the British blockade and collect it in Paris. Once that is accomplished, the American ship then needs to sail past that same blockade and back into an American port. To that effect, an American officer by the name of "Captain James Marshall" (Mark Stevens) is ordered to do just that. However, realizing the difficulty in accomplishing such a mission, he requests the help of his former superior "Captain Ben Waldridge" (Patric Knowles). Although the request is granted, it comes with a certain amount of skepticism as Captain Waldridge has recently acquired a bad reputation for unsavory conduct and he isn't held in high regard for that reason. For his part, Captain Waldridge agrees to serve as First Officer under two conditions. The first is that he gets to recruit his own men to man the guns on the ship. The second condition is that he be granted the necessary time to find his former lover "Leslie" (Angela Lansbury) who currently resides in Paris. Since neither of these issues seem that important, Captain Marshall immediately agrees. What he doesn't realize, however, is the problem each of these conditions will create once they are met. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that this was a pretty standard adventure movie which managed to fill the time well enough but lacked the necessary excitement or suspense to make me consider rating it any higher than I have. Average.

Mutiny

[CinemaSerf · 5/10 · 16 June 2023]

The Americans get drawn into a much bigger confrontation between Napoleonic France and the British and their allies in this rather shallow (no pun intended) maritime yarn that sees "James Marshall" (Mark Stevens) tasked with running a blockade to fetch some gold from a France who had supported US Independence to frustrate the UK rather than for any more laudable democratic reasons. He recruits the recently cashiered RN Captain "Waldrige" (Patric Knowles) and when they collect their prize - and Angela Lansbury, the scheming "Leslie" who used to be Knowles' girlfriend - we embark on some plotting, counter-plotting that is peppered by the odd sea battle. It's history is all over the place, and as an action adventure it falls short with way too much faux intrigue and nowhere near enough action. Not one of Philip Jordan's better stories. Colourful, but dull!

"It brings bad luck to take a woman on board."

[clanciai · 9/10 · 21 June 2020]

This is a minor film but great as such. It is full of action, the dialog is flushing on in full current all the way, the actors are splendid, and there is Dimitri Tiomkin's music to frame it all in gold. In addition to all these favourable components, it was Edward Dmytryk's first film back in America efter his three years' exile during the McCarthy witchhunts, so this became his first film after the masterpiece of "Give Us This Day" made all in England about New York in the 20s. The direction is equally masterful here, the characters are very much alive and each one has his own share, and there is Angela Lansbury as the one woman messing up everything by her intrigues. Even so, both Mark Stevens and Patrick Knowles fall in the shadow of her performance, as her domination is absolute in every scene, very much because of her dramatic intrigue, It's about the English-American war in 1812, which not many know very much about, and very few films have been made about it. Perhaps the most famous story and film from that war and its consequences is Edward Everett Horton's "The Man without a Country", a true story. This film has the outward appearance of a typical swashbuckler film with fighting and cannons and explosives and what not, but the settings are all realistic, that war was an actual war, and the men here are really risking their lives again and again and at times almost losing them. The finale with a prehistoric submarine is terrific and the peak of the film's suspense. In brief, everything about this film is impressing and well made, and only the poor technical quality and the low budget exclude a full 10 point score.

It's not aboard the Bounty but...

[searchanddestroy-1 · 8/10 · 15 September 2022]

A marvelous adventure yarn from director Ed Dmytryck, unknown and I guess also forgotten. It is short, epic, exciting, and colourful too. It is a superb little feature which we could think at first sight it is from the forties. It could have been a little longer though, because the scheme should have deserved more length to develop characters. Full of action and spectacular scenes, it is really a little gem to discover for those who still think that Ed Dmytryck was a director of only huge productions. Actors are at their places, especially Mark Stevens, as effective as usual. I hope more audiences will discover this little film.