SYNOPSICS
Down to the Sea in Ships (1949) is a English movie. Henry Hathaway has directed this movie. Richard Widmark,Lionel Barrymore,Dean Stockwell,Cecil Kellaway are the starring of this movie. It was released in 1949. Down to the Sea in Ships (1949) is considered one of the best Action,Adventure,Drama,Family movie in India and around the world.
At the end of the 19th century, Massachusetts whaling ship captain Bering Joy takes his grandson Jed on a whaling expedition.The old captain wants to teach his spoiled grandson real life values such as honesty, courage, wisdom, fairness and hard work.At the same time, First Mate Dan Lunceford is entrusted with tutoring the boy in his schoolwork.A small competition and rivalry starts when both men,Captain Joy and First Mate Lunceford, strive to become young Jed's male role model.Captain Joy may have the wisdom dictated by his life's experiences but young Jed's imagination is rather captivated by Dan Lunceford's seafaring tales.
Same Actors
Down to the Sea in Ships (1949) Reviews
Poignant Sea Adventure with Great Cast of Characters
Down to the Sea in Ships is a grand sea adventure in the tradition of Captains Courageous, Moby Dick, and Treasure Island, full of great actors playing interesting characters, with decent special effects for it's time, and an intelligent, sometimes profound, script. Lionel Barrymore plays Captain Joy, the Master of a whaling ship about to be retired. He wants his young grandson (Dean Stockwell) to carry on the family tradition and eventually become master of the ship. But the boy lacks the appropriate education and seems unable to learn. On his last voyage, Joy appoints the new first mate, Lunceford (Richard Widmark) - also his tentative replacement - to the job of educating his grandson. It takes Lunceford a while to win the boy's confidence, and when he finally does, the old Captain seems to become jealous. Then when a boat is lost in the fog with the boy aboard, Lunceford launches a second rescue boat against regulations, and the Captain must discipline him. This dilemma between duty and personal devotion develops a tense situation between the three of them, with dramatic impact that makes Down to the Sea In Ships one of the most poignant films of it's kind, fully in league with those mentioned above. I don't want to giving away any more of the plot, but rest assured that the tension carries through suspense-fully to a perilous climax. The great supporting cast includes Gene Lockhart, Cecil Kelloway, Harry Morgan, Harry Davenport, and Jay C. Flippen.
A sweet tale of courage, honesty, and wisdom
A sentimental tale about an elderly captain who wants to bring his grandson to sea with him, but refuses to compromise his duty to his ship and crew even though it costs him everything he loves. Lionel Barrymore plays Captain Bering Joy as a sometimes-foolish old man vying for his grandson's affection with his first mate. Dean Stockwell plays the grandson who loves the sea and his grandfather, but is failing academically. Richard Widmark plays the young first mate who has been assigned the onerous task of teaching the boy his schoolwork. The beauty of this film for me is the way it celebrates wisdom, courage, fairness, and honesty in life. In the end, it is the log of a person's life and actions that matter more than their ability to fit any prevailing standard of knowledge or trendiness. Barrymore's character is old, ignorant, autocratic, and uncompromising, but he is also an example worthy of respect that the grandson can value for the rest of his life if he is wise enough to do so.
Another Great Boy vs the Sea Classic
This film reminds me of another great Lionel Barrymore classic, "Captains Courageous-" another "boy comes of age on the sea" film. If you enjoyed this one, you'll like that one, too. Leonard Maltin gives this film three stars and "Captains" four, but I prefer this one, probably because I had a hard time getting past Spencer Tracy's laughable attempt at a Portuguese accent in "Captains." Although I'm not a sailor, this film seems pretty authentic, as though they paid attention to their technical adviser. Less Hollywood than you might expect from a 1949 film. A previous reviewer described the ships in this film as Bluenose Schooners; actually, all the vessels in "Down to the Sea" are square-rigged whaling ships In my opinion, few things made by Man are as magnificent as a square-rigger under full sail.
Classic in Every Way
This film is a classic in every way. The story is first rate. It deals with multiple themes that are profound and timeless. The characters are well-developed, human and sympathetic. There is no villain here; the story's conflict arises from the understandable differences between people, their different perspectives and their different values. The cast is uniformly outstanding in its portrayal of these diverse characters. This is a film about great concepts presented in a tale of adventure. It is to be savored on many levels. The cinematography is good, and it incorporates in an almost seamless way footage of actual whaling vessels and the activities on them. (Animal rights activists will, no doubt, declaim against this depiction of the whaling industry. We should not ignore history, however, in the name of political correctness. Horrific or not, the events depicted actually occurred.) Themes: Age vs. Youth. Experience vs. Education. Individual needs vs. Group needs. Responsibility vs. Personal desire. Justice vs. Mercy. Respect vs. Affection. Intellect vs. Sentiment. To mention a few. Cast: Lionel Barrymore, Richard Widmark, Dean Stockwell - Each of these three principals was never better. They realistically portray people in conflict with each other and with their own emotions and values. Cecil Kellaway, Jay C. Flippen and Harry Morgan are all under-appreciated, versatile character actors of the first order who are flawless in their roles. Gene Lockhart, John McIntire and Harry Davenport, in lesser roles, deliver their customarily fine performances. Taken together, this is a truly incredible cast, each member of which is a delight to fans of films from the Golden Age. What a treat! The score: Fabulous in its restraint, underscoring scenes with subtlety and sometimes entirely absent to allow us to enjoy the sound of the howling wind or splash of the powerful ocean or tramping of solitary boots on stairs. For my money, this is a far superior film to Captains Courageous. In its universality of themes, strength of characters and acting performances, this belongs in any survey of Hollywood's top 100 films - maybe in the top half. Now, will somebody please explain to me why TCM doesn't broadcast this film more often?
Down to the Sea in Ships to hunt the whale
If you would like to see the perils of whaling, and the life on board a whaler then this movie is for you as it was for me at nine years of age. I have yet to find few movies to fit the adventures that were the daily work of many a young man and a historical lesson at the same time. The main characters of Lionel Barrymore, Richard Widmark, and Dean Stockwell are why they are so respected in their profession. If you can get a look at this movie and know somewhere to get copy it is worth being in your library (and if you do know where to get a copy please let me know as I have not seen this movie since 1949, but it made me go to sea). Another excellent entertaining aspect of the movie is the music. The music is well done and may with you as it has with me been a life time tune to hum when sailing or adventuring. I have one copy of the main theme that is use to get me going at times. Again see the movie and learn some history about profession that has pretty much left the American Scene.