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U.S.S. Mystery Ship No. 2, a First World War expedition. A floating lure to ensnare Teutonic U-boats, the cabin on deck collapses to reveal a cannon, its barrel aimed at the camera in a Potemkin tribute. (It's christened with a woman's name in honor of the barrel-chested chief's beloved.) Stopover at the Canary Islands town, the directive ("No fraternizin' with women") goes unheeded. The Spanish Mata Hari (Mona Maris) has a number torrid enough to make Warren Hymer nearly swallow his cigarette, the young ensign (Steve Pendleton) goes from seduced patsy to vengeful stowaway. The skipper (George O'Brien) meanwhile falls for the local belle (Marion Lessing) who turns out to be a spying fräulein, her brother is the commander targeted by the mission. "Any of you boys ever had any amateur theatrical experience?" Further developments of Men Without Women, with a great expansion on John Ford's technique. Real ships sinking, real submarines surfacing, documentary long takes, the lens bobbing and weaving to oceanic rhythms. Amicable enemies, exchanging salutes at the pub before violently shelling each other at sea. (Untranslated stretches lend the German view of the situation, John Loder is among the officers.) Bertha the Sewing Machine Girl figures in the climactic masquerade-cum-battle, one sailor in drag clutches a plastic baby while another ventures down the exploding hull in search of a fancy hat. International romance for some, patriotic tattoos for others. "But, huh, what will your mom say?" "Well, that, sir, is... problematical." On to The Long Voyage Home, and then Mister Roberts. With Walter C. Kelly, Walter McGrail, Larry Kent, and Henry Victor. In black and white.
--- Fernando F. Croce |