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Ship of Fools | Year: 1965 Classification: Drama Directed: - Stanley Kramer Actors/Actresses: - Simone Signoret - Vivien Leigh - José Ferrer A masterpiece of parallell protrayal "Ship of Fools" is not a complicated tale. The characters are broad, there is no real "plot", and the lines are simple and concise. But this is easily one of the greatest films in history. Oskar Werner's acting is magnificent (as always), and Simone Signoret keeps up with great subtlety. Vivien Leigh, the eternal Southern belle, delivers a strong performance, exploiting to the maximum her aging features and low, stale voice. José Ferrer is perfect as the gifted (he sings a varieté song in good, authoriative German, with ease and grace) but totally irresponsible and prejudiced Nazi sympathiser. Much of the film's impact owes to our knowledge of history, of the indescribable horrors of World War II - the setting is a cruise ship carrying a cross section of pre-war European society, with a refreshing but unsettling American presence in Lee Marvin. This film is a must-see, if only for the unsurpassed performance of Oskar Werner, whose pronunciation of the English language may be difficult to follow at first, but whose voice and obvious ear for nuances bring to light this language's expressive possibilities like few others. He was nominated for an Academy Award for best actor, but got the New York Film Critics' Award instead - which strengthens even more the opinion that this is a landmark in interpretation! Werner was one of the greatest stage actors of the 20th century, and he chose his films with great care. Superb cast, superb direction! Excellent adaptation of Katherine Anne Porter novel A stunning, powerful examination of how racism and xenophopia, if unchecked, can overtake society, Ship of Fools is set aboard a German liner sailing from Mexico to Bemerhaven just after the Nazis have taken over. Among the passengers are Vivien Leigh as an embittered divorcee, Lee Marvin as a down-on-his-luck baseball player, George Segal and Elizabeth Ashley as an artist and his lover, Jose Ferrer as a vociferous anti-Semite, Simone Signoret as a Contessa having an affair with ship's doctor Oskar Werner, and Michael Dunn as Greek Chorus. With few exceptions, the entire cast is terrific. Leigh, in her last film, seemingly assimilated all the heartache of her life into this role, and her Charleston near the end is a highlight. The standouts, in my opinion, are Signoret and Werner; they inject their love affair, obviously doomed from the start, with an emotionalism that is genuinely heartbreaking. Ship of Fools is undeniably Stanley Kramer's finest hour as a director, though, ironically, he was passed over for an Oscar nomination, despite a Best Picture nomination. Ship of Fools is required viewing, particularly for those wanting to find some reason for World War II and the Holocaust. "Tell them I have to fix the toilet" First of all, I must say that this is an outstanding adaptation of an excellent satirical novel. Some characters were modified, perhaps for the better: the minor hunchback character is now a good-looking dwarf with significant observational powers, sort of a Greek chorus in miniature, while the ill-tempered Jewish merchant is now an all-too-ironic benevolent and patriotic German who believes that the (believe it or not, Amazon censored this word) are a passing fad. Kudos especially to Jose Ferrer for his brilliantly obnoxious role as the anti-Jew who's not an anti-Semite - he loves the Arabs. Sweet stuff. Indeed, all of the characters have something so contribute, to the point that the opulence of the movie is nearly overwhelming. Yes, Kramer had a tendency to overdo everything he touched. Nonetheless, I strongly feel that this movie is not as dated as some people seem to feel. It is a candid snapshot of a cultural mileau that reflects not only a specific period of time, but the human condition in general. Soapy, ironic, moving, and pointed at times, there are lessons for all of us. Buy Ship Of Fools at Amazon.com Buy posters at Allposters.com Jamster - the latest ringtones for your phone!  Search with Walhello on the Internet on Ship Of Fools Search with the Priority Search Engine on Ship Of Fools This page in other languages: Suomeksi | Nederlands | Deutsch
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