Abandon Ship (1957)

Great Film overall

Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .

Fantastic!

It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

I saw this movie when it came out in 1957. I was nine years old. I have never forgotten it, even 58 years later, and never will. It presses upon the viewer a moral dilemma that cannot be avoided in the circumstances. It was, perhaps, one of those defining events that led me to study philosophy and law.The acting is superb. The sense of urgency is immediate and present throughout the story. The fear of those selected is palpable, and makes one reflect on the invidious selections going on under the Nazis just twelve years before the film was made. And yet this selection is not made out of animosity but necessity, if necessity can ever be a justification for killing someone.

Seven Waves Away is the story of ship's officer played by Tyrone Power who to save the people in his charge after a shipwreck has to cast several of them adrift so the bulk can be saved. The only thing that 100% of those who view this harrowing tale is they pray that such a responsibility never falls on them.I'm not sure it was peace or war time that this story is supposed to have taken place. The ship is an ocean liner on a round the world cruise. But what happens is that it strikes a loose mine floating out in the south Atlantic, 1500 miles from the coast of Africa. I can't believe that people would be taking cruises in the middle of a war nor would any pleasure ships be sailing.As Tyrone Power describes it, the mine didn't just strike the ship in one spot. It went under the ship and bounced along the bottom and when it exploded, it cut the ship right in half. It was down faster than the Lusitania when it was torpedoed. Less than 10 minutes, no lifeboats launched, no distress signal sent.The boat they're on is the captain's ship to shore craft. It accommodates nine and twenty seven are in Power's charge as the senior ship's officer. Who's to live and who's to die?Mai Zetterling is on the boat, she's Power's girl friend, a fact noted with some resentment by others, but she's a nurse. Lloyd Nolan is another officer who sacrifices himself after telling Power what his duty is. Best performance in the film is that of Moira Lister who's a society woman and a swimmer. She's just full of cutting remarks about the 'brave captain'. The film lists Ted Richmond as producer, but a silent partner in the venture was Tyrone Power. His performance as the ship's officer with a double Job like burden is excellent. He was well past his youthful days as a romantic idol and it's sad to think he would be dead next year because any number of parts would have opened up for him. This one in fact should have netted him an Oscar nomination.Seven Waves Away is a film not for the faint hearted.

The film begins with an explosion that quickly sinks an ocean liner. Apparently an old WWI or WWII floating mine struck the vessel and very few people have survived. One group of survivors consists of 27 people inside as well as clinging to a dingy only meant to hold 9! Because it is totally overloaded, the passengers need to take shifts in the water--wearing life jackets and holding on to ropes. Despite this arrangement, there simply isn't enough food or water and once the weather changes the boat will no doubt capsize since it is so low in the water. Because of this, eventually the man in charge (Tyrone Power) is forced to start abandoning the weaker survivors--reasoning that SOME might survive that way. But because the parts of the weak are fleshed out in the story, it is very hard to see them cast adrift one by one--it's tough to watch and very frightful. While this does make this a good movie in some ways due to its addressing a serious moral dilemma, it's horrid to watch and not at all pleasant. It really takes an unusual person to want to see this film.Technically, this is a decent film though the explosion at the beginning of the film was super-cheesy and cheap looking. Despite good writing, direction and acting, though, this movie is NOT for most people, as it's very gritty and super-depressing throughout. Because of this I am advising any potential viewers to think twice about seeing it--even though the film is in some ways quite amazing.For a more enjoyable but certainly less realistic view of the subject, try watching Hitchcock's film, LIFEBOAT. It's very stagy and more trivial than SEVEN WAVES AWAY but at least it's not as depressing.

As gripping and powerful as it is, ABANDON SHIP! is a survival story that's hard to view from the comfort of an armchair or theater seat. The viewer can identify so completely with the daunting task facing the ship's officer (TYRONE POWER) when making life and death decisions with regard to how many people can use the lifeboat when a sunken ship leaves them adrift at sea.True, there are a few stereotypes among the raft's passengers, but the drama becomes real and forceful due to the strong performances from an excellent cast. MAI ZETTERLING is fine as a nurse with a romantic relationship to Executive Officer Power and STEPHEN BOYD and LLOYD NOLAN are fine as other ship officers caught up in unusual circumstances surrounding their survival at sea.Not for the squeamish, it has echoes of Hitchcock's LIFEBOAT (but without the humor).Tyrone Power was at a stage in his career when he wanted more serious roles rather than stay forever fixed in the minds of movie-goers as a swashbuckling star. Here he certainly had his chance to prove his acting skills and he does a splendid job in a grim role, one of his last parts before his premature death from a heart attack at age 45.