BootDigest Such a frustrating disappointment

Beanbioca As Good As It Gets

Beystiman It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

Rexanne It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

Claudio Carvalho In 1933, a German passenger vessel leaves Veracruz, Mexico to navigate to Cuba, Tenerife, Spain and Bremerhaven, Germany as final destination along twenty-six days. The Captain Thiele (Charles Korvin) is a good friend of the ship's doctor Wilhelm Schumann (Oskar Werner), who has a serious heart problem. The first-class passengers are the lonely American Mary Treadwell (Vivien Leigh); the bigoted Siegfried Rieber (Jose Ferrer) that woos the futile Lizzi Spoekenkieker (Christiane Schmidtmer); the rude American player Bill Tenny (Lee Marvin); the aspiring painter David (George Segal) and his girlfriend Jenny (Elizabeth Ashley) that financially supports him; the gypsy dancer Pepe (Jose Greco) and his troupe of prostitutes posing of dancers; the dwarf Karl Glocken (Michael Dunn); the Jew Julius Lowenthal (Heinz Ruehmann); the German Freytag (Alf Kjellin) that was married to a Jewish woman; and a weird couple that treats their dog as a son. In Cuba, Spanish sugar farm laborers embark to travel to Tenerife and are left in steerage. La Condesa (Simone Signoret) also embarks accused of treachery and soon Dr. Schumann and she fall in love with each other. Along the journey, the best and the worst of each passenger is disclosed. "Ship of Fools" is a messy soap opera about impossible love, prejudice and other things. The story has several senseless subplots, most of them boring or silly, basically trying to show the basis of the Nazi Party. The outstanding cast deserved a better screenplay. My vote is six.Title (Brazil): "A Nau dos Insensatos" ("The Ship of the Unwise")

tforbes-2 I agree with the opinion that "Ship of Fools" is a flawed great film, and it is one of the many movies that made 1965 a most memorable year in cinema. Here, we have Vivien Leigh in her final outing, and she shines, whether by herself, or when she plays opposite up-and-coming Lee Marvin. Marvin would enjoy this year, as he won an Oscar for another movie, "Cat Ballou."So many of the other performers turn in great performances. I personally enjoyed both Henry Calvin and Werner Klemperer, especially because the latter's character showed such depth. Mr. Klemperer, thankfully, was given a role with real dimension, and he holds his own against Ms. Leigh.What really mars this movie for me is the costuming. This is supposed to be 1933, but so many of the styles here scream 1964-65, when the movie was made. This is especially so with many of the supporting players, such as George Segal, Elizabeth Ashley and BarBara Luna, and— sadly—some of the more major players, such as Oskar Werner (his glasses) and even Ms. Leigh. I felt this distracted from the overall production. It was not as if Columbia Pictures had the same difficulties as Fox, which was in terrible shape from "Cleopatra," and which DID manage good costuming with "The Sound of Music."Overall, this is a compelling film, despite its flaws. Well worth watching!

adamshl There's pretty much agreement that "Ship of Fools" is a good film. With a dream cast, it's become a respected staple, yet not quite a classic.I've watched the film several times, and I kept wondering what was preventing it from a still greater achievement. My conclusion is in its ultra realistic look and feel. Director Stanley Kramer uses the same technical style as in his "Not As a Stranger": crystal clear, razor- sharp photography, lots of stark, revealing close ups, and a pretty stationary camera for lengthy dialog scenes.However, I feel the production could have been done in a more expressionistic, softer tone to achieve a higher poetic and universal level. As it stands, the work seems rather earth-bound, speaking to its particular period. One doesn't feel it offers a very strong revelation for us today---that its enacted foibles and fallacies applies equally to contemporary standards.An example of the latter might be what Stanley Donen achieved in the lengthy dialogs and soliloquies of "Long Day's Journey into Night." Here one feels a timelessness and universality, and one notes softer photographic lenses and subdued lighting employed.However, in "Ship of Fools" the cast can't be bettered, and it may be admitted that Porter's book may have been a daunting project to film. So what we have in this effort is a 3:4-star achievement.

st-shot Big topic producer, director Stanley Kramer deals with the calm before the storm in this cruise as microcosm of 30's social and political upheaval. Kramer known for getting fine performances (On the Beach, Judgement at Nurembourg) from large all star casts does not disappoint here and Ship of Fools is mostly smooth sailing.A ship sets sail from Mexico en route to Germany with a diverse passenger list from all walks of life stretching from royalty on the upper deck to humble peasants in steerage. Most carry steamer trunk sized emotional baggage as well and in the course of the cruise a storm of venal interplay that also involves crew members makes for choppy seas.Kramer and his writer Abby Mann much of the time sacrifice character for symbolism to magnify the impending cataclysm of WW ll; typified by the bellicose Aryan played by Jose Ferrer extolling the superiority of the Fatherland as he surreptitiously attempts to undermine the presence of a German Jew on the voyage with petty plots to humiliate him. But in spite of Kramer's renowned heavy hand at focusing on the societal implications there are some touching, tragic, comic and personal relationships beautifully rendered by an outstanding cast. Oskar Werner, Simone Signoret, Vivien Leigh (in her last film role) Lee Marvin and Michael Dunn are standout in the major roles while Charles Korvin and Werner Klempler register memorable brief scenes.Ship of Fools is more of a 30's than 60's film with it's large all star cast (think Grand Hotel) with little room for derivation and improvisation that would inform the style of the era it was about to enter. It lumbers at times with some characters, such as the insipid bickering between young American lovers played by George Segal and Liz Ashley but overall Ship of Fools quality acting makes it worth boarding.