At the beginning of this film, Michael Dunn – the dwarf who serves as commentator – confides to the viewing audience: “this is a ship of fools”. Thus Stanley Kramer sets the tone for another of his portentous cinematic essays, in which he underscores every point and destroys not only any subtlety there was in the original novel, but any real chance that the film had of being taken seriously.
The time is 1933; the setting, a German liner bound from Vera Cruz in South America to Bremerhaven in a Germany just being taken over by the Nazis. Aboard is as motley a collection of passengers as could possibly be imagined.
The paying passengers perform their intricate dance of fate in their staterooms while, outside, housed like cattle in steerage, a horde of unwashed peasants pose a none-too-subtle menace.
Oskar Werner’s portrayal of the ship’s melancholy doctor Willi Schumann won a New York Film Critics Award.
This was Vivien Leigh’s final film before her death in July 1967 at the age of 53. Author Katherine Anne Porter strongly disliked this film of her famous novel, finding it vulgar and shallow.
Mary Treadwell
Vivien Leigh
La Condesa
Simone Signoret
Rieber
José Ferrer
Tenny
Lee Marvin
Dr Willi Schumann
Oskar Werner
Jenny
Elizabeth Ashley
David
George Segal
Pepe
José Greco
Glocken
Michael Dunn
Captain Thiele
Charles Korvin
Lowenthal
Heinz Rühmann
Frau Hutten
Lilia Skala
Amparo
BarBara Luna
Lizzi
Christiane Schmidtmer
Freytag
Alf Kjellin
Lt. Huebner
Werner Klemperer
Graf
John Wengraf
Frau Schmitt
Olga Fabian
Elsa
Gila Golan
Lutz
Oscar Beregi Jr.
Hutten
Stanley Adams
Frau Lutz
Kaaren Verne
Johann
Charles De Vries
Pastora
Lydia Torea
Fat Man
Henry Calvin
Carlos
Paul Daniel
Woodcarver
David Renard
Ric
Rudy Carrela
Rac
Silvia Marino
Director
Stanley Kramer