Week 9. Captains Courageous (1937)

5 STARS - A FAMILY FAVE!!!


“I loved it, though I cried myself to sleep.”--Syd

The Film:  A spoiled rich kid, Harvey Cheyne (Freddie Bartholomew) gets kicked out of school and must accompany his father (Melvyn Douglas), a distant, preoccupied tycoon, on a steamer to Europe.  He falls overboard off the coast of New England only to be rescued by Manuel (Spencer Tracy), a likeable fisherman who becomes his mentor and protector.





Harvey finds he is stuck on board and required to earn his keep as a common sailor until the ship returns to port--several months later.  He learns hard work and honesty, and as Manuel’s “little fish,“ the two develop a powerful bond.  The excellent cast includes Lionel Barrymore, John Carradine, and a young Mickey Rooney (he was only 16 at the time, but looks 12--don‘t miss him!).

The Society:   We let Kayla, our toughest critic so far, choose the movie this week.  It was between “Easy Living”--another romantic/screwball/social class comedy--and this one.   We figured tomboy Kayla would go for this action-adventure classic, since she hasn‘t liked the comedies as much as the other two.  And right we were.  We laughed, we cried, we loved it!  No family taking a foray into the classics should miss this great movie.   Bravo, K. K.  

The Family Vote:

Syd - 5 Stars - I loved it, though I cried myself to sleep.  Harvey learned a valuable lesson.

Kayla - 5 Stars - It was good.  The beginning was boring.  Once the ship part started it was o.k.  The kid was a brat.  The meanest part was when the boy [holding a dog atop his feet, lying down with his feet up against a doorway], moved his feet and the dog fell.

Kenz - 5 Stars - I loved this film; it shows a great transformation in a character, something I’ve yet to notice in any other movie we’ve watched so far.  It had a good mix of irritation, frustration, happiness, hard work, and sadness.  I didn’t cry when [one of the characters] died, but I cried when Harvey lit the candles in the church and was speaking to the priest.  Harvey really changed a lot, from poor little rich boy to a hardworking boy obsessed with the sea.

Stacy - 5 Stars - Loved it!!!  This is the only movie I have seen that demonstrated the draw of Spencer Tracy.  I guess I have only seen his movies where he was old and heavy.  I understand why Katherine Hepburn would spend her life pining over him.  His character was so endearing, and the love of his “little fish” right from the beginning was sweet.  It took me a long time to watch the boy, Harvey.  He was spoiled and saw everything as having a price tag.  I caught onto the foreshadowing near the end and knew someone was going to die.  Our nine-year-old was deeply impacted by the death as it always seems to bring up the loss of her grandma. 

Ladd - 5 Stars - The film slowly builds from a character study into a full raging action film, to a crashing climax, that gradually subsides into little eddies that quietly flow away.  Just like a wave crashing on the shore.  The child actor, Freddie Bartholomew is completely convincing in his transformation.  Spencer Tracy’s “Portuguese” accent wasn’t no Meryl Streep, but his full-bodied, exuberant acting compared only to, well, Katherine Hepburn.  The shipboard action sequences set the standard for the day with nearly seamless editing between studio shots and live ocean-going shots.  For it’s time, it bests even “Master and Commander.”  Definitely our best movie to date, and such a great find!

Thanks for Dinner, Mom!

Theme - New England/Ocean 

New England clam chowder

Sourdough bread