Ship Of Fools

One of my favorite lines in the film is by Glocken (Michael Dunn)- “You know, I travel a lot. My folks give me some money, not much, but some. They are more comfortable when I'm not around…

Every now and again I like to pull either a book or a film from my youth and revisit it. Sometimes it works out great, sometimes, not so much. I loved, It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, as a kid, but when I re-watched it a few years ago I found it unfunny and difficult to sit through. I know, I know, you loved it and think I’m nuts. So be it.

There are other books and films I have revisited from my youth that I have found I love even more than when I originally saw them. I find it interesting to think about how my tastes have changed over the years.

A couple months ago I checked out the book, Ship Of Fools, from the library. I had heard about the book and vaguely remember seeing the film when I was a kid, and not understanding it at all.

So what is Ship Of Fools about? I’ll let Wikipedia tell you as this synopsis is a good one.

Ship of Fools, is a 1962 novel by Katherine Anne Porter, telling the tale of a group of disparate characters sailing from Mexico to Europe aboard a German passenger ship. The large cast of characters includes Germans, Mexicans, Americans, Spaniards, a group of Cuban medical students, a Swiss family, and a Swede. In steerage is a large group of Spanish workers being returned to Spain from Cuba. It is an allegory tracing the rise of Nazism and looks metaphorically at the progress of the world on its "voyage to eternity".

I enjoyed the book so I decided to watch the film as I was able to reserve a DVD through the library.

Here is the film synopsis - Ship of Fools is a 1965 American drama film directed by Stanley Kramer, set on board an ocean liner bound for Germany from Mexico in 1933. It stars a prominent ensemble cast of 11 stars — Vivien Leigh, Simone Signoret, Jose Ferrer, Lee Marvin, Oskar Werner, Elizabeth Ashley, George Segal, Jose Greco, Michael Dunn, Charles Korvin, and Heinz Rühmann. Ship of Fools, which was based on Katherine Anne Porter's 1962 novel of the same name, was highly regarded, with reviewers praising the cast's performance but also noting, at 150 minutes, the movie's overlong runtime.

I’ll tell you right now, if you’re waiting for some sort of action, you’ll be disappointed. A few things happen here and there, but it’s a dialogue picture, not action. It’s also in black and white.

The film starts with passengers boarding the ship. It’s a chance to meet the amazing cast, and get a glimpse of some of their problems. It feels straightforward, until Glocken, (Michael Dunn) turns to the camera and speaks.

Here is that clip - - https://www.tcm.com/video/350925/ship-of-fools-1965-you-may-even-find-yourself

When I first saw Lee Marvin was in the film, I was surprised. Whenever I see Lee Marvin I know that at some point something bad is going to happen, and he’ll probably be in the middle of it. He has such an intensity, just watching him I was on edge. As it turns out it was perfect casting. His character is intense, frightening, and ultimately sad. But his is just one story.

All of the cast is great, but it’s their stories and prejudices that give the film it’s heft. It also turned out to be very relevant to what’s happening in our world today.

Ship of Fools deals with race, prejudice, and class. Stanley Kramer was no stranger in taking on important themes in his work. His films include, The Defiant Ones, Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner, On The Beach, Inherit The Wind, Judgement At Nuremberg, High Noon, and The Caine Mutiny. Oh yeah, he also did, It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. Even though he often worked in the studio system, he was a true independent.

I have seen so many of Kramer’s films and I find him to be a great filmmaker. He makes you think. And if you don’t agree with the man’s politics, well Fuck Off!

I could go into great detail about Ship of Fools and how it compares with what’s going on right now, but I won’t. I think you should find a copy and view it for yourself. Although I’m pretty sure most of you won’t. Which is unfortunate.

As great as the cast is in this film, it really belongs to Glocken, (Michael Dunn) who is a dwarf. He is our “Greek Chorus. He is the ultimate outsider and he knows and understands that. One of my favorite lines in the film is - “You know, I travel a lot. My folks give me some money, not much, but some. They are more comfortable when I'm not around…” And he states this in such a matter of fact way that it broke my heart. He doesn’t want our sympathy which is what makes him such a great character.

I’ve thought a lot about both this book and the film, and I come back to the same thought.

Why do we allow history to continue to repeat itself? Have we learned nothing? I am tired of fighting the same battles over and over and I know so many others are as well. But here we go again.

The end of the film sums up what most people feel when you point something out that they disagree with.

Glocken (Micheal Dunn) – last line in the film. “Oh I can just hear you saying - 'what has all this to do with us?'... Nothing.” He chuckles and walks away.

We are all fools, until we choose to open our eyes.

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