Captains Courageous

Starring: Freddie Bartholomew, Spencer Tracy, Lionel Barrymore, Melvyn Douglas, Mickey Rooney
Directed by: Victor Fleming
Rating: Passed
Genre: Adventure, Drama
1937

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A spoiled rich boy (Freddie Bartholomew) falls off a cruise ship and is rescued by a fisherman (Spencer Tracy). The ship won't sail for home for three months, so the boy reluctantly must become part of the crew.

Review:

Tim: Captains Courageous is a movie that kind of sneaks up on you. It subtly gets you invested in the characters and methodically goes about pulling your heartstrings. By the time the most emotional moments of the movie occur, I hadn't even realized how much I cared about the characters on screen. This is a sneakily great movie.

The story is fairly powerful- Harvey is a spoiled kid, a brat- someone who uses his wealth and influence to get whatever he wants. Not surprisingly, the kid doesn't have any real friends and has a skewed view of right and wrong. The film does a tremendous job of setting this up- in the early scenes, Harvey definitely seemed despicable. I felt bad for this naive, troubled, immoral little boy. His personal compass was all out of whack. So, when he finds himself stranded on a fishing vessel for three months, you recognize how much anguish he experiences. For the first time in his life, his wealth and father's influence are completely meaningless. The transformation Harvey undergoes aboard the ship is nothing short of miraculous. Director Victor Fleming did a masterful job of letting this happen slowly but surely over the course of the 117 minute film. So many directors mess up character transitions- it either happens too fast and is not believable, or it happens too late and you wonder what it was that finally made the character change. Fleming hits this one perfectly- it happens slowly, never all at once. Harvey takes a few steps forward, then a big step back. It felt realistic and natural and it greatly benefits the movie.

The cast features some standouts. I have to give Freddie Bartholomew immense credit for his portrayal of Harvey. He perfectly embodies the spoiled rich kid at the beginning of the film- you certainly know his shortcomings and despise his behavior. And yet, you never outright hate the kid. That is crucial to the film- he's unlikeable, and yet, he still maintains some innocence. You recognize in Bartholomew that his character is troubled and lost, not necessarily rotten at his core. You want him to change, to learn and grow as a person. Harvey's transformation is completely believable because Bartholomew consistently hits the right notes playing him. I know Spencer Tracy gets a great deal of the credit in this film, but Bartholomew was quietly essential to the film's success. His performance (for one so young) is nothing short of remarkable.

Tracy himself is incredible as well. It's humorous to read that he at first hated his performance. He plays a Portuguese fisherman and had no idea how to do the right accent. His accent is a little suspect, but he sells the performance with such utter talent that it was instantly forgivable. I have no idea how Tracy manages to exude such warmth and compassion while also being stern. It's a mesmerizing performance because his character of Manny is this fascinating, wonderful human being. He's the father Harvey never had, and he's a character we all wish we desperately knew. From his humorous singing, to his "little fish" nickname for Harvey, to how he talks about his deceased father and delivers powerful life lessons to Harvey, you recognize you're watching a truly great character. Tracy makes Manny the most interesting, powerful character in the film. You care about him so deeply and wish you knew someone like him. This was one of the great performances I've seen in the last several years and I'm very happy Tracy won his first (of back-to-back) Academy Awards for Best Actor. The guy absolutely earned it with one of my all-time favorite performances.

The story is good for the most part. I liked the framing of it and it's progression as the movie went on. I had a little bit of an issue with the race to get home- the movie didn't do a great job of explaining why this was so important and why it was worth risking so much. Without that, it felt unnecessary and somewhat idiotic. There was probably a very important reason, but it was lost on me.

Still, Captains Courageous is an exceptionally well made movie. In addition to it's 1 Academy Award win, it was also nominated for Best Picture, Best Writing, and Best Film Editing. It's hands-down one of the best movies of 1937 and overall, a truly great film. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie and would consider it among my favorites of the 1930s. It may not rank among the heavy weights of the decade, but it isn't to be overlooked.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 8



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