vincentlynch-moonoi I should begin by admitting a prejudice against sea-going tales. And, my interest in this film almost bit the dust because of that; I found the first 20 or so minutes of the film to be quite a bore.Then, however, the true nature of the tale began to become a bit more obvious, and my interest picked up. This is almost a spy story, albeit about a private effort to stop the lave trade.The cast here is interesting. The most interesting thing about Gary Cooper is that his speech pattern is not his usual. He does a nice job here. The role George Raft has here is totally different than just about anything you've seen him in before. Frances Dee is very good as the love interest and as the point of friction between her admirer (Cooper) and her brother (Henry Wilcoxon), a true slaver. I always thought that Wilcoxon was an actor who deserved better roles, and while he is the villain here, at least it's a good role. Harry Carey has a small role as a sea captain. Robert Cummings is here in his first movie role. Paul Fix has a tiny role as a violinist. Ward Bond and Alan Ladd have uncredited small roles.The shipwreck scenes are quite masterful (with a few glitches in special effects, but not bad for 1937).Highly recommended, just get past the first 20 minutes or so.

jpdoherty Produced by Paramount Pictures in 1937 SOULS AT SEA is one of the great seafaring stories of Hollywood's Golden Age! A fondly remembered movie by cultists it recently seems to be forgotten somewhat in the DVD age being available only - and for many years on a VHS tape. But it thankfully now has turned up on a region 2 disc in England in a really impressive issue. Splendidly directed by a young Henry Hathaway it was photographed in glorious black & white by Charles Lang Jr.With only one lifeboat left, and too many passengers to be accommodated when a great ship is sinking, it is up to the Captain to decide who is to live and who must surely die. Gary Cooper in one of his most memorable roles plays the part of the man left with this decision. Also in the cast is George Raft in one of the best roles he ever played! As Cooper's friend and buddy - and leaving his tough guy mobster parts behind him - his performance here is quite different and is altogether likable and appealing. His wooing also of the lovely and gentle Olympe Bradna is touching and engaging. Their well written scenes together are heartfelt and sincere! The sinking scenes of the great ship are really well done for its time and immediately brings to mind the spectacle of the sinking of another great ship we all know so well. Others in the well chosen cast are Henry Wilcoxon, Harry Carey, Porter Hall, Paul Fix and watch out for a young Robert Cummings.The female lead is taken by a now wholly forgotten actress Francis Dee. Dee was a popular star in the thirties, appearing in the best version of "Little Women" in 1933 she was also a contender for the plum role of Melanie in "Gone With The Wind". In 1937 (the same year as "Souls At Sea") she starred in the classic western "Wells Fargo" opposite western star Joel McCrea. She had been married to McCrea since 1933 and remained so until his death in 1990. After 57 years of marriage they would remain one of Hollywood's longest unions. Francis Dee died in 2004 at the age of 94! In "Souls At Sea" she plays the sister of slimy villain Henry Wilcoxon who is secretly running a fleet of slave ships and whom Cooper, under secret orders from the British Admiralty, is sworn to put out of business.An excellent film in an excellent DVD transfer that really looks spotless. Evidently they used a brand new print of the picture and it certainly shows. However, it is disappointing that there are no extras not even a trailer. But collectors of vintage classic movies will love it just the same.

ROCKY-19 Here is a film that inexplicably has been given little exposure to modern audiences. Paramount threw in a lot of its top talent to tell a good story with drama, humor and lots of action.Nuggin Taylor (Cooper) has waged a one-man war against slaves ships in the 1840s. His best friend Powdah (Raft) has been a slaver, if a half-hearted one, for years. The two board a packet from Liverpool to America in a plot to undermine the slave shipping lines, but also on board is their main nemesis and his sister. Naturally Taylor has a "thing" for the sister. When a tragic accident befalls the ship, Taylor must take drastic action to save passengers and is ultimately charged with multiple murders.Cooper again plays the aw-shucks persona he perfected but here combines it with the literate, committed character of Nuggin. Note that in the lengthy opening sequence he says nothing, but is the center point of every word. Raft, who was always at his best for Henry Hathaway, gets crimped hair and an earring and the package works for the uneducated, footloose Powdah, who is ironically terrified of water. Raft's trademark unblinking stare is used to great effect and even humor. Copper and Raft, who sing together so pleasantly here, remained good friends after making this film.The picture took three photographers. Estimable Charles Lang split the cinematography duties with Merritt Gerstad. Gordon Jennings was in charge of the special photographic effects in the climactic ship disaster. Their decisions were mostly excellent. Especially effective were the constant tilted angles aboard ship. The black-and-white filming offers up rich tones and texture, instantly setting the stage with the slave cargo sequence. The action scenes are outstandingly photographed and executed.In period pieces, Hollywood tends to go overboard with layers of decorations. In 'Souls at Sea' art directors Hans Dreier and Roland Anderson are magnificently restrained and very accurate. That and A.E. Freudeman's interior decoration make the film seem really in Philadelphia, really in Liverpool and really on board a ship in 1842.This is a great example of Hathaway's work, weaving appropriate humor into the human drama and relationships. There is an amusing montage as Taylor is scouring Liverpool for Powdah, and that relationship's integrity is maintained throughout.This is a classic well worth making the effort to find.

bkoganbing Paramount was not a studio particularly known for making social commentary in its product. Souls at Sea is an unusual film to come from that particular studio, let alone any studio for very few dealt with the slave trade as an issue.In The Films of Gary Cooper book it mentions that as elaborate as this production was, Paramount had budgeted Souls at Sea for a lot more. Apparently whole sequences involving Cooper's original rescue by the slave ship, a ball at Queen Victoria's court, and some scenes involving capturing slaves were left out. In some lists both Alan Ladd and Ward Bond were listed in the cast and their scenes were edited out.What they left though is both a rousing sea saga and a story about the immorality and inhumanity of the slave trade. It begins in a courtroom where Gary Cooper is on trial for murder on the high seas. A verdict is about to be handed down when George Zucco interrupts the proceedings as a representative of the British government. He tells the court Cooper's real story and the film unfolds in flashback.George Raft is surprisingly good here, usually he's not when he's not either dancing or being a gangster as Cooper's friend. Frances Dee is one pretty Victorian heroine and sister of British officer Henry Wilcoxon who has an agenda all his own.I wasn't surprised to learn that Boris Morros's score for Souls at Sea got an Academy Award nomination. It is particularly lovely and poignant.The climax of the film is a shipwreck at sea and Cooper's actions therein. He has to make some grisly choices, some of the same ones as was previously pointed out that Tyrone Power made in Abandon Ship.The beginning of the film has Gary Cooper seizing an opportunity to save some Africans from becoming slaves. The climax has him saving some other lives in a shipwreck. The point that Director Henry Hathaway was trying to make is that as human beings all of them had an immortal soul and none deserved to be the property of another. The lives saved at the beginning and the end were just as valuable.Souls at Sea holds up well today as good action entertainment with a profound message.