Powerful

best movie i've ever seen.

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

"Adventure" is based on a 1937 novel, "The Anointed," by Clyde Brion Davis, an early 20th century American novelist. The story, as told in the movie at least, seems choppy and not well scripted or directed. In addition, Clark Gable's role as Harry Patterson seems way over done. Whether in the novel, or the screenplay, or both, the character played by Gable is way overboard. His constant allusions to his free spirit and roaming the seas gets to be a bore after a while. His bombastic demeanor seems very exaggerated in this film, and not very fitting. That portrayal of a character so anti-normal life just doesn't settle well for the story. It seems so hard-bitten that when Gable begins to soften toward the end, we don't find it easy to believe. The rest of the cast are fine in their roles, but again, the plot seems to be choppy in places. Thomas Mitchell is very good as Mudgin. Other crew members and friends are good in their roles. Greer Garson is the romance part of the film, as Emily Sears. Joan Blondell does a good job as her friend and roommate, Helen Melohn. The production quality is just fair. The story takes place during World War II, but there's very little reference to the war in the film. Harry and his crew work in the Merchant Marine. An early scene has their ship being torpedoed by a Japanese submarine. The film didn't come out until late December 1945 – well after the war was over. It was Gable's first movie after serving in the Army Air Forces (soon to be reorganized as the U.S. Air Force). My six stars for this film are mostly for the performances by Garson as Emily, and Mitchell as Mudgin. The story has an undertone of moral conflict. In one early scene with Gable and Mitchell, the latter's character brings it up. Harry, "Are you washing again?" Mudgin, "Oh, hello, Harry. Kinda covets a man to scoop up some sea water that's full of the sins of the world, and put soap in it." Harry, "You got sin on the brain." Mudgin, "Well, it's be hard to explain to you, Harry, but a man sure feels dirty after he's been in port and done the things I done."

World War II serviceman and sailor Clark Gable (as Harry Patterson) is torpedoed by the Japanese and appears destined to become seafood. Promising to give up hard liquor and loose women, boozy first mate Thomas Mitchell (as Mudgin) asks God to save Mr. Gable and his raft-floating crew. Gable makes no promises, but God answers Mr. Mitchell's prayer and the men are saved. Back on land, Mitchell gets drunk and fears for his soul. Gable wants to find a female companion, but stops to help Mitchell by bringing him to the library, where they hope to find wisdom...In the library, Gable meets glamorous bookworm Greer Garson (as Emily Sears) and her brassy pal Joan Blondell (as Helen Melohn). Ms. Garson and Gable rub each other the wrong way, but pal around while Gable dates Ms. Blondell. "Adventure" was Gable's return to films after World War II service. The MGM super-stars are fine until they "fall in love" and steal chickens. Perhaps because it is so silly and doesn't sustain the co-star chemistry, this was recalled as a failure - but, figures in "Motion Picture Herald" and "Film Daily" confirm "Adventure" was a hit.***** Adventure (12/28/45) Victor Fleming ~ Clark Gable, Greer Garson, Joan Blondell, Thomas Mitchell

Maybe because STRANGE CARGO, THE HUMAN COMEDY and A GUY NAMED JOE dealt with whimsy and religious fantasy successfully, MGM kept trying with this kind of picture. But HIGH BARBAREE and ADVENTURE (both based on what must have been gassy novels) are dull failures.I must dissent with the majority view here that ADVENTURE is good and that Clark Gable and Greer Garson are good in it. They are a dismal mismatch as a romantic team and neither is suited to this kind of heavy, 'meaningful' material. In their very different ways, both stars were grounded, practical, sensible, which is not what was needed to bring off this type of romantic fantasy. When they meet and for a long time after, Gable and Garson give too successful an impression of mutual loathing for us to believe later that they have suddenly discovered their great love for each other. Victor Fleming does a very glossy professional job directing this film and both stars get dazzling, dynamically framed closeups and two-shots, but they never seem right for each other. By contrast, in a supporting role, Joan Blondell seems exactly right for Gable, being his female equivalent, having humor and a juicy kind of sensuality.ADVENTURE is anything but, and the mystical themes never make any sense and are never convincingly connected to the romance. It was a big hit, presumably because people were curious to see these stars together, and to catch Gable's first picture after the war. But this could only have diminished the luster of both of them. And pictures like this must be why Dore Schary was brought into the studio to supplant Louis B. Mayer, who had become lazy and complacent, squandering his two biggest stars on pretentious garbage.

You have to see the movie to learn what "it" refers to. You will also learn how to lure chickens properly, how to regain your "soul", what San Fran looked like in 1945, how to attract a woman by dating her roommate, how to throw rocks at your lover, how snappy dialogue and lively acting can be much more entertaining than the 90% of the c**p in today's "subtle" acting movies. No "adventure" here in today's terms but quite daring and emotional in its own way.