Nice effects though.

It is a performances centric movie

Better Late Then Never

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

When you first start watching this movie, it seems like a pretty straight forward prison escape movie, with good actors (Gable, Crawford, Hunter and Lukas) but nothing to "write home" about. Then one of the characters portrays a palpable and unusual sense of grace and empathy toward those around him. This and other incidents soon move the plot from a simple thriller into a depiction of spiritual grace that can be very moving. Those at peace with their own faith will be able to appreciate the message, whether it is in accord with their own beliefs or not. Those who are still tortured by where they stand in the cosmos may find it unsettling and my heart goes out to them in their suffering. A sign of good acting and good directing is when there is a story line that sounds really off-kilter, but the action on the screen rings true. That was the impact this movie had on me. Kudos to the crew for telling a story of grace, redemption and the power of acceptance in such an effective, yet unobtrusive way.

Paradox and Transformation in Strange Cargo David F. Maas davidfmaas@yahoo.com Hawkins, TexasI have been enthralled by the movie Strange Cargo since seeing it as a nine year old boy on television in the middle 1950's. I purchased my own VHS copy of this movie in 1995, at the age of 51, watching it dozens and dozens of times, continually fascinated by the symbolism, the philosophical focus, and the stark adventure of a bold escape from a jungle penal colony controlled by the French off the coast of Guiana. This summer, at the age of 65, I bought a seasoned copy of Richard Sale's novel Not Too Narrow, Not Too Deep from Amazon.com, hoping to peel off a few more layers of meaning.Surprisingly, I concluded that Lawrence Hazard's screenplay was far superior to the Richard Sale novel upon which it was based, having a much tighter allegorical construction. Hazard thoroughly deconstructed the novel but stayed faithful to the philosophical core. The screenplay graphically describes the remarkable transformations or conversions from selfish to altruistic life views of six convicts and a sultry nightclub singer escaping to freedom through a dense tropical forest. The catalyst for their transformations is a mysterious Christ figure named Jean Cambreau (Ian Hunter). The sultry nightclub singer Julie (Joan Crawford), ordered off the island by the warden for fraternizing with the prisoners, falls in love with a thief Andre Verne (Clark Gable) after he reads to her the romantic words of Solomon's Song of Songs. She altruistically plans to resign herself to an unhappy marriage with M'sieu Pig (Peter Lorre), a professional stool pigeon, in order to allow Verne to escape. A ruthless killer Moll (Albert Dekker) altruistically sacrifices his life as he drinks from a cask which has absorbed salt water.Andre Verne, who almost escapes to freedom aboard a fishing boat, endangers his own life saving Cambreau, whom he has moments before attempted to drown. Paradoxically, Verne learns that true liberty or freedom consists not in escaping from law but in acquiescing to the law. Instead of deriving satisfaction from coveting and stealing things—he yielded to a wholesome love relationship and playing by the rules. He learned that when we play by the rules, we have freedom right now. Freedom and contentment is a condition independent from circumstances, a condition originating in the heart or mind.At the end of the movie, Cambreau and the fisherman (played by Victor Varconi) who nearly brought Andre Verne to freedom had a very telling dialogue:Fisherman: He won't be sorry? Cambreau: No fisherman. He won't. Fisherman: And everything will be all right for them someday? Cambreau: Everything is all right—now.

"Strange Cargo" is a 1940 film starring Joan Crawford and Clark Gable that leaves the usual story lines behind - romantic comedy, kept woman, rags to riches - as it weaves an allegorical tale of escaping prisoners and a Christ-like figure who accompanies them. Gable is Andre Verne, a prisoner on Devil's Island who escapes with several other prisoners (Paul Lukas, Albert Dekker, Eduardo Ciannelli, J. Edward Bromberg and John Arledge). During the evening count, he's almost found missing but another man, Cambreau (Ian Hunter) replaces him in line. He then boards the boat to the mainland with them and Julie (Crawford), probably a prostitute, who is escaping also from a lecherous bounty hunter (Peter Lorre).The prisoners fall on hard times as they escape through the woods and also while at sea when their water becomes tainted. Cambreau gives each prisoner comfort and helps them to confront the evil that brought them to Devil's Island, helping to bring them peace at last. This is not lost on Julie who sees a chance for redemption. Verne, however, isn't interested.This is a very simple story beautifully directed by Borzage. The atmosphere of the film is dark and haunting. There is no preachiness. The sheer power of Cambreau and his sense of faith is what brings the prisoners solace. Hunter is majestic in the role. Gable is appropriately tough, and Crawford brings depth to Julie, who thought she knew what she wanted. The rest of the cast is top-notch."Strange Cargo" seems like a film that was made in the early '30s with its Christian parable. This was the last film that Crawford and Gable made together. Its powerful message makes this a fitting ending for a fine MGM team.

The Strange Cargo referred to in the title is in the person of Ian Hunter who is a mysterious other world convict who comes upon a group of them planning to escape from Devil's Island. It's a strange film, Strange Cargo with Clark Gable and Joan Crawford in the very last of eight films they were paired in by MGM.Crawford dusts off her Sadie Thompson role for her character here. Even with the Code firmly in place it's rather obvious that Crawford is a working girl. She's free, but stranded on that notorious convict island. Gable is essentially the same cynical tough guy he played in so many MGM features at that time.Ian Hunter is the mysterious stranger among them. These aren't a group of choir boys he comes among. Yet one by one as they die he brings a peace that passeth all understanding as the Good Book says. The escapees all don't die, but all but one come under his influence.I'm surprised that TCM did choose this one for its theme this June of gays in the cinema. Prison films even during the days of the Code were a bit more open in treatment of homosexuality. The relationship of Albert Dekker and young John Arledge is rather obvious. Dekker in fact chooses a gruesome suicide rather than live without Arledge after he dies. In fact what's really startling to me was that the heavenly figure that Ian Hunter represents neither condemns suicide or homosexuality. I'm really wondering how the censors of the day let that one slip through. Paul Lukas has a very interesting part. He's today what we would consider a serial killer, he's married and killed many women for their money. He's cool and cynical and rejects Hunter's entreaties. When Hunter says they will never meet again, the line is loaded with implications.Strange Cargo is a strange film. It's not bad, but could have been a lot better without code restrictions.