- AKA “Phantom Ship”
- Directed by Denison Clift
- Written by Denison Clift, Charles Larkworthy
- Stars Bela Lugosi, Shirley Grey, Arthur Margetson
- Run Time: 1 Hour, 2 Minutes
- Watch it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDMsOZKtLWE
Spoiler-free Judgment Zone
This takes a real-life mystery that is still not really solved to this day and gives it a possible explanation. It was well made, entertaining, and heavy on the drama but plausible.
Spoilery Synopsis
We are told that the story is based on the real-life disappearance of the passengers of the ship “Mary Celeste” in 1872, which to this day has never been explained.
Captain Benjamin Briggs orders Bilson to load 1,700 barrels of alcohol onto the ship. He says there’ll be no drinking or cursing on this trip as the captain is bringing his wife, Sarah, on board. She’ll be the only woman on a shipful of men. She mentions that his friend, Captain Jim Morehead, has also asked for her to marry him. Jim comes in, and it’s all very awkward. Jim was willing to give up the sea and buy a shop, but Ben never would.
Anton Lorenzen comes into the bar and orders a whiskey for ten cents. He gives Jack a sob story, and Jack thought he was dead. He looks so much older now and doesn’t have a cent. He says he was shanghaied a few years ago and just wants to forget it.
Ben comes into Jack’s place and offers him five dollars a head for a crew– shanghaied or not. He “Volunteers” Hoffman, Harbens, Gillings, Tom, and Charlie. He promises to send over three more men later.
Ben’s ready to cast off and sends Bilson to get the other three men. Jack offers to let Anton go, and when Anton hears that Bilson is the mate, he gets really angry and insists on going. He boards and gets ready for departure. There’s still one man short, and Ben “borrows” Grot from Captain Jim. Jim talks to Grot and suggests that something might happen to Ben on this voyage. He’s just sayin’…
Bilson wakes up a few sleeping men who have been Shanghaied, and there’s a quick fight before they go to work. Grot complains that the food has worms in it, and Ben and Bilson teach the man a lesson. It’s all very upsetting for Sarah.
Grot makes a move, but Ben is fine. Ben orders Grot thrown overboard. He wants to know what it is with the men that Grot would do that. Bilson tries throwing Anton’s cat overboard, but Anton wrestles him.
Ben works the night shift in a storm that night, and Tom Goodschild lets himself in with Sarah. Anton catches him in the act and fights him off. Ben and Katz come in, and Anton feels terrible for killing the man. They bury the man in the morning.
That night, they find Hoffman dead of a knife wound. Ben doesn’t want to upset anyone and throws him overboard.
Ben and Sarah have some alone time in his cabin, but someone points a revolver through the window and shoots at him. Ben checks Bilson’s gun, and it hasn’t been fired. He questions the men, but no one has a gun.
Anton calls Ben; he’s found another body. Duggan is dead, murdered. Gillings is dead too. Mr. Tooley finds Gillings’s body and jumps to his death off the main mast.
Anton talks to Sarah about his own hard luck case and all about “death ships.” He tells how a shark bit off his arm while he was being keel-hauled. Later that night, someone kills Harbens. Ben and Sarah have gone missing as well.
There are only three men left. Anton, Bilson, and Katz. Katz goes after Bilson, but Bilson shoots Katz. Now it’s just the two men, and Bilson wants to get good and drunk. Bilson wants to loot the cash box and sell all the alcohol before moving to China.
Anton says his name is not Gottlieb, it’s Lorenzen. He pulls a pistol on Bilson, who recognizes the name. He was Shanghaied on this ship six years ago– by Bilson. He admits killing Ben and Sarah, but Bilson is the one he really wants revenge on. Anton shoots Bilson and throws him overboard to the sharks.
Anton roars with laughter. He then gets confused and searches the ship for Bilson. He eventually jumps or falls overboard.
The Mary Celeste comes into port, but there’s no one on board. No one at all. Where did everyone go? It’s a mystery!
Commentary
“Shanghaied” = “Nobody wants to work anymore.” This is a seriously hostile work environment with toxic management.
I don’t think cargo ships of the 1800s had staterooms big enough for a piano and a sewing machine.
Lugosi is very quiet here. He’s expressive but his accent keeps him from delivering great lines. We know from the beginning that he wants to go on this voyage, probably for revenge, but he also seems far too reasonable to be the murderer.
It moves fast. There are a lot of killings, mostly off-screen, so the crew narrows down quickly. It’s pretty entertaining.