Rating: 
Summary: Why don't "THEY" make movies like this one any longer?
Review: "Captain's Courageous" is IT...the real thing....a truly great, heartfelt, classic film....arguably THE most emotionally compelling film of Hollywod's Golden Age.Victor Fleming was known as a "MAN"S" director; so how did he produce one of the most perfectly paced, sensitive and outright BEAUTIFULLY loving "relationship" films of all time.....a love story of the most sacred kind between a boy and a man who becomes his surrogate father? It's simply amazing. OK...you have to overcome your initial reaction to Spencer Tracy's pseudo-"Portegoosie" (as John Carradine says) accent; after that...sit back and prepare to lose yourself in moviemaking at its finest. Freddie Bartholomew....incredible performance! The developing bond between him and Spence....superbly wrought! The heaviness, the heartbreak of the film's final 15 minutes.....I experience it as if it were actually happening to me every time I watch it! This is one of those films that I am happy to know simply EXISTS...it's sitting there on the shelf, ready to be experienced any time, and that gives me great satisfaction. The scene of conflict with Tracy and John Carradine....then the uncomfortable but caring bond that develops bewteen Carradine and Freddie Bartholomew near the end.....the reuniting of Freddie with Melvin Douglas....has there ever been a more telling encounter? The final ceremony scene.....I've never been particularly moved by the hymn "Rock of Ages"; now I practically cry any time I even THINK about it. Why Don't THEY make movies like this any longer????....BECAUSE THEY CAN'T! The world has changed..our values, our ways of viewing and expressing ourselves have become too "sophisticated" and cynical. Oh sure, Spielberg and others desperately TRY to go back to the sincerity and innocence of the age which produced "Captain's Courageous"....they do a decent job of conjuring, of IMITATING films of the Golden Age...but ...well, you simply CANNOT GO BACK. If you want to experience the REAL THING----the sincere, honest, heartfelt emotional experience of a great story...GET THIS FILM. AND FOR GOD"S SAKE (MGM, Turner...whoever..) GET IT OUT ON DVD! It's your RESPONSIBILITY to preserve these great films using the newest state-of-the-art technology. Believe me, when every last "BIG MOMMA's HOUSE" has been dead and buried as the CRAP that it is, "Captain's Courageous" will live on....and hopefully NOT only as a memory!
Rating:
Summary: Why don't "THEY" make movies like this one any longer?
Review: "Captain's Courageous" is IT...the real thing....a truly great, heartfelt, classic film....arguably THE most emotionally compelling film of Hollywod's Golden Age. Victor Fleming was known as a "MAN"S" director; so how did he produce one of the most perfectly paced, sensitive and outright BEAUTIFULLY loving "relationship" films of all time.....a love story of the most sacred kind between a boy and a man who becomes his surrogate father? It's simply amazing. OK...you have to overcome your initial reaction to Spencer Tracy's pseudo-"Portegoosie" (as John Carradine says) accent; after that...sit back and prepare to lose yourself in moviemaking at its finest. Freddie Bartholomew....incredible performance! The developing bond between him and Spence....superbly wrought! The heaviness, the heartbreak of the film's final 15 minutes.....I experience it as if it were actually happening to me every time I watch it! This is one of those films that I am happy to know simply EXISTS...it's sitting there on the shelf, ready to be experienced any time, and that gives me great satisfaction. The scene of conflict with Tracy and John Carradine....then the uncomfortable but caring bond that develops bewteen Carradine and Freddie Bartholomew near the end.....the reuniting of Freddie with Melvin Douglas....has there ever been a more telling encounter? The final ceremony scene.....I've never been particularly moved by the hymn "Rock of Ages"; now I practically cry any time I even THINK about it. Why Don't THEY make movies like this any longer????....BECAUSE THEY CAN'T! The world has changed..our values, our ways of viewing and expressing ourselves have become too "sophisticated" and cynical. Oh sure, Spielberg and others desperately TRY to go back to the sincerity and innocence of the age which produced "Captain's Courageous"....they do a decent job of conjuring, of IMITATING films of the Golden Age...but ...well, you simply CANNOT GO BACK. If you want to experience the REAL THING----the sincere, honest, heartfelt emotional experience of a great story...GET THIS FILM. AND FOR GOD"S SAKE (MGM, Turner...whoever..) GET IT OUT ON DVD! It's your RESPONSIBILITY to preserve these great films using the newest state-of-the-art technology. Believe me, when every last "BIG MOMMA's HOUSE" has been dead and buried as the CRAP that it is, "Captain's Courageous" will live on....and hopefully NOT only as a memory!
Rating:
Summary: Reach for your Handkerchiefs...
Review: "Captains Courageous" showcases the amazing acting of Spencer Tracy, in perhaps his greatest performance of his early career. Though he is miscast as Manuel (and his Portuguese accent is a little off), Tracy delivers a bravura performance. This was the first Spencer Tracy movie that Katharine Hepburn ever saw and she was astounded by his range and the pathos he brings to the performance. The ending of the movie is probably the saddest and most emotional conclusion you'll ever see. It's more gut wrenching that other famous "sad" endings ("Stella Dallas" chief among them). Be prepared to have you hankie ready, even if you usually don't cry in movies. This one will probably unhinge even the most stoic viewer.
Rating:
Summary: This is an old story that is never told better.
Review: A rich brat (Freddy Bartholomew) is dysfunctional due to his environment. There is always Shirley Temple type stories of some kid being orphaned and mistreated. Luckily this is not one of those movies. Everyone except the kid has a full understanding of the problem and good solutions. The school authorities say that he has good potential, His father takes a direct interest and it was just unforeseen circumstances that changed his life. He falls off the ship and is rescued by a fisherman. He must stay on board for the duration of the season. This makes a natural environment to learn bonding and character. It is not the outcome, but the process, which intrigues us and some unforgettable acting by Spencer Tracy.
Rating:
Summary: They Don't Make Them Like this Anymore!
Review: Ahh... if only Hollywood would make films like this today. If only "they" were not afraid to use heartwarming stories about just being human. If only "they" were not afraid to leave out the superfluous violence. If only "they" could remember that sexuality isn't necessary to create a film that can become a work of art. And if only "they" could learn that integrity, ethics, honesty, and morality are virues worth selling! This is a film that has stayed with me for days. To say that I enjoyed every performance is an understatement. To say that I now search for more films of this caliber goes without saying.
Rating:
Summary: You will remember this movie always. A true classic.
Review: As long as you have a pulse, you will laugh, cry and always remember this movie. Spencer Tracey gives a brilliant performance as Manual, a Portuguese fisherman who befriends a young, pompous brat (Bartholomew)and changes his life (and the viewer's) forever. There is a scene in this movie that is probably the most touching scene ever filmed. But you will get no "give-aways" from me. During the viewing of this movie, Tracey always strikes me as Harpo Marx with an accent. Off all his movies, I think Tracey gives the best performance here. I can only hope and pray to the "fishies" that this movie is released on DVD.
Rating:
Summary: Captains Courageous
Review: I do not particularly care for black-and-white or old movies, but this has got to be my family's all-time favorite movie. It has several great messages running throughout the movie. If you have children, you may want to pick this movie up. If you enjoy Spencer Tracy, you would undoubtedly want to pick this movie up.
Rating:
Summary: Captains Courageous
Review: I do not particularly care for black-and-white or old movies, but this has got to be my family's all-time favorite movie. It has several great messages running throughout the movie. If you have children, you may want to pick this movie up. If you enjoy Spencer Tracy, you would undoubtedly want to pick this movie up.
Rating:
Summary: Lord, what a film!
Review: I don't profess to be an experienced movie critic, but this is one of the best movies I've ever seen. A wonderful story of a spoiled rich kid who gets taught some values by a lowly Portugese fisherman. I actually thought, after reading other reviews, that this might push the hammy side of things a bit, but I was wrong. The bond that develops between the two characters - slowly at first, and then stronger as the boy Harvey learns gets attached to Manuel and starts developing into a real person - is one of the greatest 'love' stories to ever hit the silver screen. Spencer Tracy won an Oscar for his performance, and Freddie Bartholomew's performance will move you to tears. I still am impressed by the timeless screenplay (based on the Rudyard Kipling novel), the convincing special effects (remember this movie was released in 1937). The racing scenes and the storm scenes are still completely convincing. Why this movie has not been restored and out on DVD one will never know. On one viewing it has become one of my all time favorites. It is a real gem.
Rating:
Summary: Best Seafaring Movie Ever
Review: I for one believe this is the best movie about men who go down to the sea in ships ever made. Spencer Tracy is magnificent as the Portugese cod fisherman, Manuel, and deserved his Oscar for this powerful and heartwarming (and heartbreaking) role. He more or less repeated the performance, accent and all, many years later in The Old Man and the Sea, a less successful film. The sailing and fishing scenes are true to life. You can almost smell the salt air and feel the swells on the old Grand Bank fishing ground. Excellent supporting performances by John Carradine, Lionel Barrymore and Mickey Rooney. Freddie Bartholomew is perfectly type cast as a spoiled rich kid, but Melvyn Douglas wasted in a minor part as his spoiled rich dad. A great film for the family!
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