Memorable, crazy movie

An absolute waste of money

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

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

. . . is the valuable lesson to be learned from PHANTOM SHIP. If you think that Bela Lugosi is just "hibernating," avoiding him as a crew mate could be added to your list of what NOT to do when signing up for sea duty. PHANTOM SHIP builds upon the legend of the Mary Celeste. In 1872, this American brig was conveying a full load of alcohol from New York City to Genoa, Italy. During a violent storm many barrels of booze broke open in the cargo hold. It may be dangerous to drink and drive, but it's even deadlier to huff and sail. Their better judgment overcome by liquor fumes, Mary Celeste's crew climbed into a lifeboat and drifted astern in a brisk wind. But in their hazy hooch-induced stupor, someone forgot whether "left goes over right, or right goes over left" on the tow-line knot, and someone else overlooked the need for oars in the lifeboat. So the Mary Celeste continued on its merry old way, minus a crew, until discovered weeks later. PHANTOM SHIP writer\director Denison Cliff tosses a bride, a black cat, a vampire, the Accordion of Death, lots of guns and knives, and the kitchen sink into this mix. Only Alfred Hitchcock could have done it better--and maybe he did, as this tale is about the only one of Hitch's 50-plus flicks I haven't run across yet.

Bela Lugosi was an actor of few dimensions. As much as he dominated the screen when he was on thanks to those searing eyes and those clenched hands reaching out for a victim, he could also make you roll your eyes with his hamminess and his slow reading of dialog. Coming off such Universal horror classics as "Dracula", "The Black Cat" and "The Raven", Lugosi was mixing in poverty row melodramas and mysteries, and with the British made "The Mystery of the Mary Celeste" (re-titled and greatly edited for American release), he was able to give one of his best performances. The compassion for his world-weary character, shanghaied years before and abused by the captain of the Mary Celeste, he has returned home, only to find that the ship is about to sail again. So with great subtlety, he signs on as a crew member, and one by one, the other crew members start disappearing. Lugosi seems the least likely suspect, but as bodies are dumped overboard and Lugosi and only a few others remain, the likelihood of his being the culprit increases. The reason is how and why, and for the people who discover the empty ship sailing past them, it truly is a mystery.Many poverty row films have not been saved by the ravages of time, but fortunately, the DVD print of this melodrama has been greatly restored with excellent picture quality and pretty good sound. It moves quickly too, even if the presence of Shirley Grey as the captain's new wife aboard isn't really at all believable. Her recurring singing also gets a little bit in the way, but that's a truly minor complaint. No Lugosi film would be complete without his mad scene, and he delivers it here with gusto, not a mustache twirling Tod Slaughter type, but one which shows that the mind can only take so much before snapping into madness from which there is no escape.

While this isn't the greatest film in history, the Marie Celeste is a puzzle and it's fun watching her self-destruct. Lugosi showed some real chops in this film. Not long after Dracula, we get to see him play a character who is filled with vengeance and fury. Lugosi makes him a really sympathetic person who has obviously been wronged and has seemingly given up on life. The relationship of the captain and his wife on board this strange ship is a bit strained. Why would he do this? Also, there has to be a reel missing from this film. There are a couple of deaths that simply happen but we aren't privy to them. I've always enjoyed the claustrophobic milieu that is a ship, no escape available for anyone, and this one uses that closed in atmosphere pretty well. Still, it is pretty unsatisfying at times.

A '35 tale of nautical horror, THE PHANTOM SHIP, directed by the practically unknown Denison Clift, brings us to the beginnings of the HAMMER movies. The events are based on an 1872 maritime enigma.THE PHANTOM SHIP (yeah, I know it, pals, I have seen the American, shorter version) is a very curious and mixed movie—if some of the performances are atrocious and infra—wooden, there are also moments, whole scenes of pure cinematographic brio, gusto, joy and fun. A ship, whose name makes the humblest mariners shrink, sails with a shanghaied crew; the captain is played by an execrable actor. On board the ship the captain travels with his bride; the crew is especially colorful, and the scenes from the mariners' lives are well made. The sea thriller motifs are present—the dreadful lives of the seamen, the anger and tension, the mystical wanderer; so, some of the scenes are surprisingly good, and the movie has gusto and brio, interesting outing.Lugosi's role, especially, is very good—though he occasionally slips into regular overacting—anyway, his first scenes are impressive, he makes an awesome entrance in this movie …. Arthur Margetson is the very annoying captain; Edmund Willard does an excellent role as Bilson. The characters generally have interesting—sounding names.