RKO had a thing for creepy ships in 1943. In addition to that year’s
Journey Into Fear, the studio also produced Mark Robson’s
The Ghost Ship, an atmospheric psychological noir adventure in which a sociopathic ship captain loses his mind and turns on his crew. With nautical themes — and homoerotic undertones — similar to Herman Melville’s novella
Billy Budd, the film centers on the souring relationship between ship captain Will Stone (Richard Dix) and his new third officer Tom Merriam (Russell Wade) as Merriam comes to the conclusion that Stone is insane and tries (unsuccessfully) to convince his shipmates. Captain Stone’s initial pride in his occupation quickly degrades to moral vacuity, seeing his crew members as mere tools at his disposal and observing their deaths with smug detachment. Once on shore, Merriam’s accusations fall on deaf judicial ears when the other crew members serve as witnesses supportive of the captain even as we see Stone confiding in his friend Ellen Roberts (Edith Barrett) that he might be losing his mind. The film features some beautiful cinematography amidst ocean fog (Robson has a penchant for sharp profiles and silhouettes), and nowhere else will you see a character crushed to death by chains. Note an early appearance of noir tough guy Lawrence Tierney.
