ada the leading man is my tpye

Maidgethma Wonderfully offbeat film!

Hottoceame The Age of Commercialism

ChanFamous I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

tforbes-2 I agree with the opinion that "Ship of Fools" is a flawed great film, and it is one of the many movies that made 1965 a most memorable year in cinema. Here, we have Vivien Leigh in her final outing, and she shines, whether by herself, or when she plays opposite up-and-coming Lee Marvin. Marvin would enjoy this year, as he won an Oscar for another movie, "Cat Ballou."So many of the other performers turn in great performances. I personally enjoyed both Henry Calvin and Werner Klemperer, especially because the latter's character showed such depth. Mr. Klemperer, thankfully, was given a role with real dimension, and he holds his own against Ms. Leigh.What really mars this movie for me is the costuming. This is supposed to be 1933, but so many of the styles here scream 1964-65, when the movie was made. This is especially so with many of the supporting players, such as George Segal, Elizabeth Ashley and BarBara Luna, and— sadly—some of the more major players, such as Oskar Werner (his glasses) and even Ms. Leigh. I felt this distracted from the overall production. It was not as if Columbia Pictures had the same difficulties as Fox, which was in terrible shape from "Cleopatra," and which DID manage good costuming with "The Sound of Music."Overall, this is a compelling film, despite its flaws. Well worth watching!

Syl This film has a first rate cast like the great Vivien Leigh, Simone Signoret, Oskar Werner, Lee Marvin, Elizabeth Ashley, George Segal, Michael Dunn, Jose Ferrer, and others to write about here. The relationships that occurred on the ship seemed destined for failure. The voyage takes place in 1933 before Hitler becomes the dictator of Germany. Many of the passengers are Germans returning to their country. Not all, La Condensa (played by French actress Simone Signoret) is Spanish and develops a relationship with the ship's doctor played by Oskar Werner. The ending is a bit vague about the doctor's fate. Elizabeth Ashley and George Segal play an American couple who are in love but torn when they learn more about each other. Vivien Leigh only a few years before her own death plays a bitter American divorcée, Mrs. Treadwell. With good writing, she could have won her third Academy Award but didn't even get nominated. Lee Marvin plays a washed up baseball player. Michael Dunn is the philosophical dwarf who introduces us to the ship of fools. The film won two Oscars for cinematography and art direction both for black and white. The film doesn't shy away from the impending doom for the Jews in Germany and in Europe or the upcoming war in the future. It's horrifying to think that signs were missed. I think that's the horrifying part of films like this and Cabaret, you know what's coming and you want the cast to be prepared. Jose Ferrer is great in his role as a devout German. The film does show the class differences between the steerage and the upper decks as well. It's a fine film overall!

st-shot Big topic producer, director Stanley Kramer deals with the calm before the storm in this cruise as microcosm of 30's social and political upheaval. Kramer known for getting fine performances (On the Beach, Judgement at Nurembourg) from large all star casts does not disappoint here and Ship of Fools is mostly smooth sailing.A ship sets sail from Mexico en route to Germany with a diverse passenger list from all walks of life stretching from royalty on the upper deck to humble peasants in steerage. Most carry steamer trunk sized emotional baggage as well and in the course of the cruise a storm of venal interplay that also involves crew members makes for choppy seas.Kramer and his writer Abby Mann much of the time sacrifice character for symbolism to magnify the impending cataclysm of WW ll; typified by the bellicose Aryan played by Jose Ferrer extolling the superiority of the Fatherland as he surreptitiously attempts to undermine the presence of a German Jew on the voyage with petty plots to humiliate him. But in spite of Kramer's renowned heavy hand at focusing on the societal implications there are some touching, tragic, comic and personal relationships beautifully rendered by an outstanding cast. Oskar Werner, Simone Signoret, Vivien Leigh (in her last film role) Lee Marvin and Michael Dunn are standout in the major roles while Charles Korvin and Werner Klempler register memorable brief scenes.Ship of Fools is more of a 30's than 60's film with it's large all star cast (think Grand Hotel) with little room for derivation and improvisation that would inform the style of the era it was about to enter. It lumbers at times with some characters, such as the insipid bickering between young American lovers played by George Segal and Liz Ashley but overall Ship of Fools quality acting makes it worth boarding.

DKosty123 A black & white film, this film has a good script & a really talented cast. Besides Viven Lee in her last picture (& not performing at her best by this time) we have Lee Marvin the same year he was doing Cat Ballou for which he was Oscar nominated. Werner Kemperer (Col Klink on Hogans Heros) as a junior officer. Elizabeth Ashley as a younger woman who is still busy today as an actress. Michael Dunn as the narrator & in a role received his only Oscar nomination for this film. There are others including Jose Ferrer but you get the idea there is a lot of talent in this cast.This film won two Oscars in a year when there was a fair amount of good films around besides this one. Stanley Kraemer who is a good director is quite able in doing the direction. The story is from a novel which was the most major of works by it's author.The story is about a German crewed ship heading for Germany during the 1930's at the time Adolf Hitler was taking power. There are conversations about discrimination & a lot of other hot topics of the time. Most of the folks have no idea what they are sailing into, yet the story is very good at bringing out the issues. It is quite literally a ship of fools cruising into a major disaster of Nazi tyranny.Michael Dunn at this time is just about getting started as his most remembered role as Dr. Loveless on The Wild Wild West. This is one of the few films I have seen him in & was very happy to see it. Dunn shows here a lot of ability & definitely deserved the nomination. He even has the last lines of the film, quite an honor for an actor to perform so well that Kraemer gave him this honor.This film is worth looking at just for the talented cast, but script is a dandy here as well. It shows a lot of intelligence in it's historic setting & a great job of adapting a difficult novel to adapt to the screen. The film is in Black & White & is well photographed.