This ancient vessel may indeed be creaky, but it holds up pretty well nonetheless. Mary Astor and Ian Keith are very good as a crooked couple on the run after pulling a job in Seattle. Director Louis Wolheim co-stars as the plug ugly captain of the tramp steamer they embark upon, and he does his best to channel the spirit of Wallace Beery. Keith and Astor are masquerading as a minister and his wife, and when Wolheim tries to bed the near virginal Astor, she snubs him and ironically convinces him to turn over a new leaf in his attitude towards women. Though The Sin Ship suffers from the bad sound of many early talkies, it emphatically avoids static camera syndrome and features some quite impressive shipboard footage lensed by the great Nicholas Musaraca. All in all, a perfectly reasonable way to spend an hour of your time.
23 Reviews
Astor shines; others not bad
mukava99113 May 2010
Warning: Spoilers
This commentary contains spoilers.
It's hard not to like a film that stars the young Mary Astor, but Sin Ship contains other bonuses. It's a short, colorful, even comical crime drama about a young couple (Ian Keith and Astor) who persuade a menacing tramp steamer's captain (Louis Wolheim) to accept them as last-minute passengers on a voyage to the tropics. We are led to believe that two innocents are about to fall into the clutches of a nasty band of maritime roughnecks. But hold on.
Ian Keith's character behaves in a veddy posh mannah while Astor looks on with ladylike reserve. When Wolheim, a cynical and misogynistic lug who believes women exist to be abused, tries to put the make on Astor, she retaliates with a scorching moral lecture which humiliates him to such a degree that he immediately launches into a regimen of personal uplift and reform, little knowing that the pillar of righteous outrage who chewed him out is nothing but a deceitful lowlife and that she and her husband are actually crooks on the run from a bank job who took the steamer to avoid a police dragnet extending to the major passenger liners.
When Astor returns to Keith after her rant, they both lapse entertainingly into gutter mode. Although she loves her fellow fugitive, he is merely using her; this imbalance sets the stage for a transformation in her relationship with Wolheim, who as an actor was to his era what William Bendix, Ernest Borgnine and John C. Reilly would become afterward—the regulah but homely guy who if he's lucky wins the girl by the quality of his character. Happily, Hugh Herbert, as Wolheim's first mate, actually plays a regular person instead of the giggling boob who was so endlessly annoying in his later Warner Bros. appearances. It's refreshing to see him without the silly embellishments.
It's hard not to like a film that stars the young Mary Astor, but Sin Ship contains other bonuses. It's a short, colorful, even comical crime drama about a young couple (Ian Keith and Astor) who persuade a menacing tramp steamer's captain (Louis Wolheim) to accept them as last-minute passengers on a voyage to the tropics. We are led to believe that two innocents are about to fall into the clutches of a nasty band of maritime roughnecks. But hold on.
Ian Keith's character behaves in a veddy posh mannah while Astor looks on with ladylike reserve. When Wolheim, a cynical and misogynistic lug who believes women exist to be abused, tries to put the make on Astor, she retaliates with a scorching moral lecture which humiliates him to such a degree that he immediately launches into a regimen of personal uplift and reform, little knowing that the pillar of righteous outrage who chewed him out is nothing but a deceitful lowlife and that she and her husband are actually crooks on the run from a bank job who took the steamer to avoid a police dragnet extending to the major passenger liners.
When Astor returns to Keith after her rant, they both lapse entertainingly into gutter mode. Although she loves her fellow fugitive, he is merely using her; this imbalance sets the stage for a transformation in her relationship with Wolheim, who as an actor was to his era what William Bendix, Ernest Borgnine and John C. Reilly would become afterward—the regulah but homely guy who if he's lucky wins the girl by the quality of his character. Happily, Hugh Herbert, as Wolheim's first mate, actually plays a regular person instead of the giggling boob who was so endlessly annoying in his later Warner Bros. appearances. It's refreshing to see him without the silly embellishments.
This sin ship leaves behind a lot of ghosts.
mark.waltz2 July 2019
Warning: Spoilers
For veteran actor Louis Wolheim, directing himself men putting himself in a leading romantic roll, although it is a dark one. He is a veteran ship's Captain, Cold and unromantic until he meets the beautiful Mary Astor, companion of phony preacher Ian Keith. In a sense, this is close to the previous year's film version of "Anna Christie", and as talented as she would become, Mary Astor was no Greta Garbo at this time. She was young and beautiful and certainly filled with potential, but the film itself is directed in a very creaky manner.
What I noticed is that it is very difficult to hear much of the dialogue of leading actor Wolheim, making me wonder how close the microphone was to his mouth which made it muffled. Wolheim's character is disgustingly dirty when Astor first meets him and she tells him off in a scene which allegedly makes him change. If Astor is emulating Greta Garbo in this film, Wolheim is close to Walter Huston in the following year's "Rain" as far as how he is changed by a woman he can't have.
In a smaller role, there is Hugh Herbert, nothing at all like the character he would be typecast as later on at Warner Brothers. He plays the role straight and thus is quite surprising as one of the crew members. It is Ian Keith who plays the major villain in this, a character so vile while pretending to preach the gospel that his hypocrisy makes him all the more disgusting. An abusive scene with Astor is filmed in shadow and thus all the more disturbing. The film is dated in its extreme melodrama and some audiences may find it difficult to get through. I can watch anything with Mary Astor in it, but I much prefer her tougher girls even though as Keith indicates here, she's got an easy reputation which keeps her under his thumb.
What I noticed is that it is very difficult to hear much of the dialogue of leading actor Wolheim, making me wonder how close the microphone was to his mouth which made it muffled. Wolheim's character is disgustingly dirty when Astor first meets him and she tells him off in a scene which allegedly makes him change. If Astor is emulating Greta Garbo in this film, Wolheim is close to Walter Huston in the following year's "Rain" as far as how he is changed by a woman he can't have.
In a smaller role, there is Hugh Herbert, nothing at all like the character he would be typecast as later on at Warner Brothers. He plays the role straight and thus is quite surprising as one of the crew members. It is Ian Keith who plays the major villain in this, a character so vile while pretending to preach the gospel that his hypocrisy makes him all the more disgusting. An abusive scene with Astor is filmed in shadow and thus all the more disturbing. The film is dated in its extreme melodrama and some audiences may find it difficult to get through. I can watch anything with Mary Astor in it, but I much prefer her tougher girls even though as Keith indicates here, she's got an easy reputation which keeps her under his thumb.
Louis Wolheim's Last Voyage
wes-connors8 May 2010
Docked in San Francisco, craggy-faced captain Louis Wolheim (as Sam McVey) tells first mate Hugh Herbert (as Charlie) he's a fool for thinking about marriage. "I don't fall in love," Mr. Wolheim proclaims. But, when he sees pretty Mary Astor (as "Frisco" Kitty) standing in the breeze, Wolheim falls in love at first sight. When minister Ian Keith (as "Smiley" Marsden) requests passage on Wolheim's boat, for himself and Ms. Astor, the love-struck skipper quickly agrees. Wolheim gets drunk and tries to pull "the hairy ape" on Astor, but she rebuffs him. Wolheim doesn't realize Astor and Mr. Keith are running from the law
His meeting with Astor causes Wolheim to straighten out his life. As he begins to change, Astor reevaluates her own life. This was Wolheim's initial, and last, effort as a director. Unfortunately, he died just after making "The Sin Ship". There is nothing extraordinary about the movie. It delivers the promise of a "Radio Picture" by including a lot of talking. But, there are many more long pauses than were heard (or not heard) on a radio drama back then. Usually appearing in top productions, Wolheim was a very dependable, capable, and popular supporting actor - his stock was then too high to be adversely affected by this.
**** The Sin Ship (4/18/31) Louis Wolheim ~ Louis Wolheim, Mary Astor, Ian Keith, Hugh Herbert
His meeting with Astor causes Wolheim to straighten out his life. As he begins to change, Astor reevaluates her own life. This was Wolheim's initial, and last, effort as a director. Unfortunately, he died just after making "The Sin Ship". There is nothing extraordinary about the movie. It delivers the promise of a "Radio Picture" by including a lot of talking. But, there are many more long pauses than were heard (or not heard) on a radio drama back then. Usually appearing in top productions, Wolheim was a very dependable, capable, and popular supporting actor - his stock was then too high to be adversely affected by this.
**** The Sin Ship (4/18/31) Louis Wolheim ~ Louis Wolheim, Mary Astor, Ian Keith, Hugh Herbert
Antique actually had some potential....
tmpj31 October 2010
The "Sin Ship" is crippled by production values and by technology of the period, as well as what audiences would accept or reject during that time. But the idea is a good one, kind of like "Taming of the Shrew" in reverse. A sea captain of the "rough-n-tumble" vintage, falls for a fair haired cutie based on sight alone. He comes to regret having judged this book by its cover in more ways than one. First...she is another guy's girl...and that guy happens to be a preacher. The old sea salt tries to go "cave-man" on the damsel, and gets the most sanctimonious dressing down he has ever received. It actually changes his perspective, and brings him down a notch or two. We begin to see that this hard-boiled-egg has a conscience, and enough self-respect to be ashamed of himself for having acted in such an abominable manner. He finds he has a case of love on his hands...maybe for the first time in his life...and he decides to shape up. But...little does he know that the Preacher is NO preacher...and the Lady is NO lady. The dumb cluck finds out the hard way, and beats up on himself for being such a sap...being preached to by a female who possesses even fewer morals than does he...and she's the woman of a wanted and hunted criminal. But, as we all know, love does strange things to the brain. Despite all this, the jerk realizes he is truly in love, despite all of the other BS that has started to become pervasive. He even starts to lose the respect of his crew, whose respect he has commanded by being a tough, no non-sense old buzzard. When the Buffalo chips finally hit the fan, there is a bit of a surprise ending which is played off well...and the survivors walk off into the sunset to live--we hope--happily ever after. It's entertaining, but it would be a hard watch for today's audiences. But it would have had some potential if it had been a little better acted and/or written. Not a new story by any imaginative stretch, and since it is a "pre-code" flick, they could have taken it a little further...but they did not. For Mary Astor, who plays the blond siren, it is practice for her later triumph in "The Maltese Falcon". Unfortunately for Louis Wolheim, this would be his "last hurrah"...such as it was. He would be dead by the time the film was released in 1931. It was a great cinematic loss...few character actors have been able to handle tough guy roles the way Wolheim did...knowing when to get tough and when to lay off. Plus...to look at him, you would never guess that he was something of a scholar in real life. He was fluent in at least five languages, had been well educated in Ivy League fashion and, prior to his acting career, had been a professor of mathematics and engineering at Cornell U. That's pretty amazing. ( A counterpart to Wolheim was Nat Pendleton, who played tough, dumb guys, but who had been educated at Columbia U, who spoke seven or eight languages fluently, and who won Silver at the Olympics in the 1920s for wrestling.) I have probably over-rated this film by giving it a seven...but I am looking past the old, noisy celluloid and thinking of the unrealized potential. Anyway, if you can stand it, it is slightly entertaining and engaging and worth at least one viewing.
Be Kind To This Old-timer
Handlinghandel6 May 2006
Even in a very early melodrama like this, Mary Astor is wonderful. What an illustrious and long career she had. This is not to say that she's anywhere near her best in "The Sin Ship." It seems to have been directed to showcase its star -- director and star being one and the same, and nothing much to speak of.
Mary boards a ship with her companion, ostensibly a prim minister. She is a proper lady, who rebuffs the captain's advances. A sailor on the ship is, of all people, Hugh Herbert. He doesn't play a goofy womanizer. He wears a sailor suit and plays things pretty straight.
The movie isn't bad, exactly. It's very dated, though. The main, if not the only, reason to see it is Mary Astor.
Mary boards a ship with her companion, ostensibly a prim minister. She is a proper lady, who rebuffs the captain's advances. A sailor on the ship is, of all people, Hugh Herbert. He doesn't play a goofy womanizer. He wears a sailor suit and plays things pretty straight.
The movie isn't bad, exactly. It's very dated, though. The main, if not the only, reason to see it is Mary Astor.
Profoundly sad....
planktonrules5 June 2010
Louis Wolheim was an incredibly magnetic actor. While his looks were about as far from a handsome leading man as you can get, he managed to carve out a nice niche for himself in films. Every time I've seen him in a film, he managed to brighten up the tale with his earthy good acting, incredibly ugly mug as well as vulnerability. He was one of the most memorable actors, if not THE most memorable actor, in "All Quiet on the Western Front". And, in smaller-scale productions like "Danger Lights" and "The Sin Ship", he managed to elevate mediocre stories to a much higher level. Someone must have noticed his talents, as with "The Sin Ship", the studios finally let him star in a film AND direct it as well. The only problem is, Wolheim was dead before the film debuted! He was dead from stomach cancer just shy of his 51st birthday...and since this was his last film, it made it just a little bit sad to watch.
Now I know that this film is very on believability. You just have to accept the film for what it is and if you do you will no doubt be rewarded. The film begins with the hard-living Wolheim and his buddy (Hugh Herbert--in a role that was VERY different from his usual screen persona) after they arrived back at port after a voyage. It seem that the Captain (Wolheim) is in the mood for 'dames and booze' but something distracts him on the way. A preacher and his pretty wife (Mary Astor) have missed their boat and were looking for passage on some other ship. Oddly, though, with Wolheim it was like love at first sight--he was totally captivated by Astor's beauty and sweet good looks. So, when the pair eventually check with Wolheim about using his boat, the gruff Captain was more than willing to accommodate them. In fact, he even agreed to cut their shore leave short and take them for free since it was 'God's work'.
On the voyage, Wolheim eventually shows his hand--coming on to Astor like a Moose in heat! However, she berates him--calling him an animal and shaming him. At this point, a profound change takes place. Wolheim realizes she's right--he IS like an animal and he wants better for himself. So, he quickly cleans himself off, demands that his men treat the passengers with the utmost civility and he turns over a new leaf. Surely this woman is NOT some dame but a lady! What Wolheim doesn't know is that Astor and her 'husband' are actually crooks on the run. They are about as far from the saintly couple they appear to be as possible--especially the no-account preacher. Yet, the more Wolheim treats Astor like a lady, the more guilty she feels for her lies. In other words, she starts to want to be the woman Wolheim thinks she is. It's all very sweet, actually, to see both characters change. But there is still the problem of the evil preacher and the fact that they are wanted by authorities in Seattle. How can all this be sorted out and work out by the end of the film? Well, while the ending is perhaps too perfect, it is very satisfying and sweet. Thanks, of course, to a dynamic performance by the late and exceptionally talented Wolheim. Who knows what further work he might have done...
Now I know that this film is very on believability. You just have to accept the film for what it is and if you do you will no doubt be rewarded. The film begins with the hard-living Wolheim and his buddy (Hugh Herbert--in a role that was VERY different from his usual screen persona) after they arrived back at port after a voyage. It seem that the Captain (Wolheim) is in the mood for 'dames and booze' but something distracts him on the way. A preacher and his pretty wife (Mary Astor) have missed their boat and were looking for passage on some other ship. Oddly, though, with Wolheim it was like love at first sight--he was totally captivated by Astor's beauty and sweet good looks. So, when the pair eventually check with Wolheim about using his boat, the gruff Captain was more than willing to accommodate them. In fact, he even agreed to cut their shore leave short and take them for free since it was 'God's work'.
On the voyage, Wolheim eventually shows his hand--coming on to Astor like a Moose in heat! However, she berates him--calling him an animal and shaming him. At this point, a profound change takes place. Wolheim realizes she's right--he IS like an animal and he wants better for himself. So, he quickly cleans himself off, demands that his men treat the passengers with the utmost civility and he turns over a new leaf. Surely this woman is NOT some dame but a lady! What Wolheim doesn't know is that Astor and her 'husband' are actually crooks on the run. They are about as far from the saintly couple they appear to be as possible--especially the no-account preacher. Yet, the more Wolheim treats Astor like a lady, the more guilty she feels for her lies. In other words, she starts to want to be the woman Wolheim thinks she is. It's all very sweet, actually, to see both characters change. But there is still the problem of the evil preacher and the fact that they are wanted by authorities in Seattle. How can all this be sorted out and work out by the end of the film? Well, while the ending is perhaps too perfect, it is very satisfying and sweet. Thanks, of course, to a dynamic performance by the late and exceptionally talented Wolheim. Who knows what further work he might have done...
Woodenly acted early talky
concernedvoter8283 May 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Mary Astor plays Frisco Kitty, who has 'lived in alleys all her life', and is on the run with Smiley for a job he's done in Seattle. Louis Wolheim, a veteran film villain, pays Captain McVey. (He also directed this as I suspect no one else would have cast someone with his mug as a romantic lead.) Captain McVey is the captain of the schooner Kitty & Smiley travel in. At first, McVey and his crew have designs on her body. But the Captain becomes infatuated with her, saves her, falls in love with her and eventually takes her off to sail the world with him after Inspector Colby catches up with his man, Smiley. But, if I were M.A., I'd be worried about McVey's cutthroat, sex-starved crew. Too much manhandling of Kitty by Smiley. Not much opportunity for Mary Astor's personality to shine through as it did in parts of 'Men of Chance' (again too much manhandling of women) and her much better pictures. This was Wolheim's last film; he died of stomach cancer shortly before this film was released. Despite his looks, I understand he was a college professor. Actually, his acting is better than Mary's. Pretty formulaic; reminded me of The Seven-Ups- both could be documentaries, except for the car chase in Seven-Ups.
All Aboard The Sin Ship!
mikhail08016 May 2010
Warning: Spoilers
Extremely enjoyable early talkie with some remarkable talents involved, and some real locales utilized. Mary Astor and Ian Keith as two grifters masquerading as a minister and his wife are impressive. Handsome Keith has a field day with his transformations from cruel, violent and vulgar criminal into a meek-mannered and somewhat effeminate man of the cloth. Louis Wolheilm makes an unlikely rival for the affections of stunningly beautiful Mary Astor, but he does carry his own unique brand of charisma and adds a bit of pathos to the proceedings.
One very humorous scene has the phony preacher delivering a Sunday sermon to the ship's crew, or the "sons of the sea," as he refers to them. It seems that the only commandment that Ian Keith can remember is "thou shalt not steal," which he re-phrases in a number of ways. He's very good here, and should have been a bigger star!
The ending is a tad too abrupt and unsatisfying for what came earlier, but nevertheless this fairly short film provides many great moments.
One very humorous scene has the phony preacher delivering a Sunday sermon to the ship's crew, or the "sons of the sea," as he refers to them. It seems that the only commandment that Ian Keith can remember is "thou shalt not steal," which he re-phrases in a number of ways. He's very good here, and should have been a bigger star!
The ending is a tad too abrupt and unsatisfying for what came earlier, but nevertheless this fairly short film provides many great moments.
Average RKO Picture
Michael_Elliott10 May 2010
Sin Ship, The (1931)
** (out of 4)
A rather bland attempt at something racy, this drama features Louis Wolheim as Captain Sam McVey, a piggish, drunk and rather mean man who agrees to take aboard a preacher (Ian Keith) and his wife (Mary Astor). Turns out these two are actually criminals but the abused Astor tries to convert the Captain to a better life but will he stay on track when he finds out the truth? This early RKO production has a few good moments but in the end it's pretty weak from start to finish. The biggest problem here is the screenplay, which seems to have been put together on the run as things are constantly being thrown at us but usually nothing happens with them. There are a few supporting characters that turn up, do something to keep the film moving and then just disappear. The film runs a brief 65-minutes so I was curious if some stuff got trimmed as the movie really jumps around quite a bit and never really seems to come together at the end. One good item is that, unlike many early sound movies, takes place on real docks, a real boat deck and various other "real" locations and not just cheap sets. Keeping many of the locations real makes for a more realistic film and it even added a nice atmosphere to go along with the rough characters. The performances are a mixed bag as well with Astor stealing the film in her role of the criminal with a heart of gold. I found her very believable in both parts as she's perfect as the abused woman and she also makes us feel that she really cares for Wolheim, even if it's hard to believe a woman of her beauty would. Wolheim is good as well and perfectly comes across as the mean guy and we believe when he starts to soften up. Keith, on the other hand, is a real mixed bag because when he's playing the preacher he really comes off bad. He seems to be acting out like the gay stereotype character that we saw throughout this early part of the decade and it's silly and very annoying. When it comes time to switch and be the bad guy he's a lot more entertaining. With that said, only fans of the cast members who want to see everything they've done should check this one out. There's just not enough here to make it entertaining and the ending will leave you rolling your eyes.
** (out of 4)
A rather bland attempt at something racy, this drama features Louis Wolheim as Captain Sam McVey, a piggish, drunk and rather mean man who agrees to take aboard a preacher (Ian Keith) and his wife (Mary Astor). Turns out these two are actually criminals but the abused Astor tries to convert the Captain to a better life but will he stay on track when he finds out the truth? This early RKO production has a few good moments but in the end it's pretty weak from start to finish. The biggest problem here is the screenplay, which seems to have been put together on the run as things are constantly being thrown at us but usually nothing happens with them. There are a few supporting characters that turn up, do something to keep the film moving and then just disappear. The film runs a brief 65-minutes so I was curious if some stuff got trimmed as the movie really jumps around quite a bit and never really seems to come together at the end. One good item is that, unlike many early sound movies, takes place on real docks, a real boat deck and various other "real" locations and not just cheap sets. Keeping many of the locations real makes for a more realistic film and it even added a nice atmosphere to go along with the rough characters. The performances are a mixed bag as well with Astor stealing the film in her role of the criminal with a heart of gold. I found her very believable in both parts as she's perfect as the abused woman and she also makes us feel that she really cares for Wolheim, even if it's hard to believe a woman of her beauty would. Wolheim is good as well and perfectly comes across as the mean guy and we believe when he starts to soften up. Keith, on the other hand, is a real mixed bag because when he's playing the preacher he really comes off bad. He seems to be acting out like the gay stereotype character that we saw throughout this early part of the decade and it's silly and very annoying. When it comes time to switch and be the bad guy he's a lot more entertaining. With that said, only fans of the cast members who want to see everything they've done should check this one out. There's just not enough here to make it entertaining and the ending will leave you rolling your eyes.
Louis Wolheim stars in and directed this regrettable melodrama from RKO
AlsExGal9 April 2023
.Wolheim stars as Captain Sam McVey, a drunken, angry slob of a sea captain who agrees to provide transport on his ship to a supposedly moral and religious duo: Smiley Marsden (Ian Keith) and Frisco Kitty (Mary Astor). If the names haven't clued you in, the duo are actually crooks on the lam, but Kitty plays her pious ruse so well that Captain McVey decides to turn his own life around, quitting drinking and cleaning up his ship. What will happen when he learns the truth? Also featuring Hugh Herbert (who also scripted this), Russ Powell, and Alan Roscoe.
This was Wolheim's one and only directorial effort, and he stinks at it. The acting is either stiff or too florid, the camera set-ups dull and uninvolving, and the pace stagnant. Wolheim himself hated the process and swore never to repeat it, although he never had the chance, as he died before the film was released. TCM host Ben Mankiewicz was really amused by the character name Frisco Kitty.
This was Wolheim's one and only directorial effort, and he stinks at it. The acting is either stiff or too florid, the camera set-ups dull and uninvolving, and the pace stagnant. Wolheim himself hated the process and swore never to repeat it, although he never had the chance, as he died before the film was released. TCM host Ben Mankiewicz was really amused by the character name Frisco Kitty.
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
movingpicturegal3 May 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Quite good film about a minister and his wife (Mary Astor) who miss their steamer and seek a ride on the ship of a gruff, unattractive old sea captain (played by Louis Wolheim), a confirmed bachelor who doesn't want anything to do with "love". But apparently he does want something to do with a beautiful woman, because he has his eye on the attractive wife from the get-go. Inviting her to his cabin for "tea" he comes on to her and she rejects him as an animal "soaked in liquor". But now the twist - minister and wife are actually thieves "Smiley and Frisco Kitty" making a getaway to hideout from the cops after pulling a bank job!
This is a very enjoyable film with excellent performances by all. Actor Ian Keith does a great job switching voice from soft-spoken goody-goody minister to hard-edged, hard-drinking thug, Mary Astor gives a fine performance and looks quite lovely, and Louis Wolheim, who also directed this film, is excellent playing the Captain who becomes quite a likable character in spite of his rough start, so you can almost see perhaps a possibility of appealing to the woman in the end, despite his ugly mug.
This is a very enjoyable film with excellent performances by all. Actor Ian Keith does a great job switching voice from soft-spoken goody-goody minister to hard-edged, hard-drinking thug, Mary Astor gives a fine performance and looks quite lovely, and Louis Wolheim, who also directed this film, is excellent playing the Captain who becomes quite a likable character in spite of his rough start, so you can almost see perhaps a possibility of appealing to the woman in the end, despite his ugly mug.
Nice pre-code movie
boocwirm9 May 2006
THE SIN SHIP starring Mary Astor, is a quirky pre-code, early talkie star vehicle. Its great moment occurs within the first few minutes, when the jaded sea captain puts the move on his innocent passenger (Astor). After that, it's a mixed bag: technologically dated, blessed with a better-than-competent acting job by Astor, and doubly blessed with some tremendous over-acting by the other main characters. The film is still evocative after 70+ years but suffers from a sloppy ending, obviously tacked on to provide the desired emotional tone. If you want good plotting, this isn't your movie, but if you want an introduction to Mary Astor during her early talkie years this odd film is very suitable.
Astor keeps Sin Ship from sinking.
st-shot5 May 2010
Trying to stay one step ahead of the law Smiley Marsden and Frisco Kitty pose as missionaries and catch a ride on a tramp steamer to get off the mainland. The surly and brutish captain attempts to put the moves on Kitty who rebuffs and humiliates him with convincing piety. The captain attempts to reform because of it but goes into rage when he finds out the pious pair are a couple of crooks.
Sin Ship has an interesting if somewhat sloppy look in that much of it is filmed in the outdoors and on real decks, something rare for early sound. Actor/director Louis Wolheim as the captain and Ian Keith as Smiley are erratic in some but effective in other scenes while Hugh Herbert provides some comedy relief but it is Mary Astor who shoulders most of the film with a multi dimensional performance that digs deeper emotionaly than the rest of the cast .
Sin Ship is rudderless most of the time but it does offer some unexpected surprises that keeps it from going under completely.
Sin Ship has an interesting if somewhat sloppy look in that much of it is filmed in the outdoors and on real decks, something rare for early sound. Actor/director Louis Wolheim as the captain and Ian Keith as Smiley are erratic in some but effective in other scenes while Hugh Herbert provides some comedy relief but it is Mary Astor who shoulders most of the film with a multi dimensional performance that digs deeper emotionaly than the rest of the cast .
Sin Ship is rudderless most of the time but it does offer some unexpected surprises that keeps it from going under completely.
Dull and Dated
Creaky and Stiff
LeonLouisRicci1 April 2014
Creaky, Stodgy Early Talkie with Mary Astor and Louis Wolheim the Attractions in this Stiff Love Story that has as its Romantic Interest a Couple as Unlikely as King Kong and Fay Wray. The Actors fair pretty well but the Story is just too Contrived and the Lack of Action, or Movement for that Matter, is Excruciating.
The Dialog, and there is a lot of it, is not that Remarkable and the Film just Plods along to a very Dull Conclusion. Wolheim, a most Striking Character Actor, sits in the Director's Chair on this one. There isn't much to Recommend here except for the Two Leads but even They are not Enough to pull this off into anything more than a Mediocre and Dated Time Waster.
The Dialog, and there is a lot of it, is not that Remarkable and the Film just Plods along to a very Dull Conclusion. Wolheim, a most Striking Character Actor, sits in the Director's Chair on this one. There isn't much to Recommend here except for the Two Leads but even They are not Enough to pull this off into anything more than a Mediocre and Dated Time Waster.
After a long search, I found this one.
vitaleralphlouis3 June 2010
Warning: Spoilers
My interest in THE SIN SHIP came from the original advertising as reproduced in "Those Great Movie Ads." However the ads greatly misrepresent the story. There is no sex starved out-of-control crew, just ordinary guys. There is no stormy sea; it's rather calm. But what you DO get is a good story of conflict and redemption by a mix of interesting characters. Well worth seeing.
Unlike 2010's bloated, blundering, boring movies, this one is 65 minutes.
This was copied by a friend off TCM. Possibly TCM will play it again.
Made by Radio Pictures before they called it RKO Radio Pictures, RKO these days is known for their off-beat product; very often using real location photography when movies seldom took that trouble. Smart sellers on Ebay include "RKO" in their title listing as many buyers seek out RKO by brand.
Unlike 2010's bloated, blundering, boring movies, this one is 65 minutes.
This was copied by a friend off TCM. Possibly TCM will play it again.
Made by Radio Pictures before they called it RKO Radio Pictures, RKO these days is known for their off-beat product; very often using real location photography when movies seldom took that trouble. Smart sellers on Ebay include "RKO" in their title listing as many buyers seek out RKO by brand.
Sinfully bad
gbill-7487714 May 2016
Despite only being 65 minutes long and its suggestive title, this movie moves at a snail's pace, and is a complete snooze. The movie was briefly interesting when Mary Astor's character revealed she had only been acting when she told the ship captain off when he made advances towards her (and her husband, masking as a reverend, is a bank robber on the run), but it doesn't go anywhere afterwards. There are scenes that are dragged out excessively, reflecting a very weak script and a novice director (actually Louis Wolheim, who also plays the captain). It's mystifying to me how anyone could like it, as there are far better and more enjoyable movies from this time period.
"I Guess Guys with Kissers Like Ours Don't Stand Much Chances With Dames"
richardchatten2 July 2017
Warning: Spoilers
The title and stills from this film had led me to expect a barnstorming shipboard melodrama about a mad sea captain like 'Moby Dick' or Val Lewton's 'The Ghost Ship' (1943). Instead we get a surprisingly gentle romantic drama that could easily have starred Wallace Beery, and reunites director & star Louis Wolheim - fresh from his triumph in 'All Quiet on the Western Front' - with his 'Two Arabian Nights' (1927) co-star, Mary Astor. And he even gets the girl!
Obviously a potboiler (Wolheim's next project would have reunited him with 'Arabian Nights' and 'All Quiet' director Lewis Milestone in the role instead played in the early talkie version of 'The Front Page' by Adolphe Menjou), Wolheim looks as strong as a horse in what unexpectedly proved his final film. Maybe he's more flatteringly photographed as the film progresses, or maybe you just get used to the sight of him, but Mary Astor's growing attraction to him as the film progresses is more believable than would ever have seemed possible at the outset.
Obviously a potboiler (Wolheim's next project would have reunited him with 'Arabian Nights' and 'All Quiet' director Lewis Milestone in the role instead played in the early talkie version of 'The Front Page' by Adolphe Menjou), Wolheim looks as strong as a horse in what unexpectedly proved his final film. Maybe he's more flatteringly photographed as the film progresses, or maybe you just get used to the sight of him, but Mary Astor's growing attraction to him as the film progresses is more believable than would ever have seemed possible at the outset.
Omg this was bad
mcalfieri18 December 2022
I e been waiting for years to watch this movie after seeing the iconic promotional adds of Wolheim gripping Astor in a tight embrace. Well this precode talkie is a real dud. The story follows two bank robbers (Keith and Astor) posing as missionaries who charter Wolheim's boat to escape the law from the United States. Wolheim initially lusts after Astor and tries to seduce her. After she rejects him he undergoes a metamorphosis and seeks to change his life not knowing that both Keith and Astor are criminals and posing as a religious couple. Hugh Herbert shares writing credit and is his usual unfunny self. Keith is downright nasty. Astor is beautiful but the material clearly is strangling her. Compare her here to the character she plays in Dodsworth five years later. Wolheim died 2 months after this movie was released. He was 51 and died of stomach cancer. He clearly struggled with the material too. Other than a curiosity, I'd pass on this.
Mary Astor is a Peach, as Usual!!
kidboots3 July 2012
Warning: Spoilers
"The Sin Ship" was one of the movies Mary Astor made while trying to re-establish herself after flunking a talkie test (however could that have happened)!!! and spending a year in the professional wilderness. She said she afterwards realised that she didn't want to be a star and decided to freelance. "The Sin Ship" of course proved that she had a beautiful, distinctive voice. In fact her delicate beauty and stylish acting lifts this film from the pretty ordinary to the passable.
After convincing his first mate (Hugh Herbert) to give up any marriage ideas, Captain McVey (Louis Wolheim) sees a woman who could make him settle down - in fact he becomes obsessed with her. She is Kitty (Astor), the wife of a mincing clergyman (Ian Keith) and after inviting her to his cabin for tea, proceeds to go into his caveman routine until she gives him a dressing down worthy of the pulpit (how she isn't his kind of woman etc).
At this stage I was beginning to wonder - is this movie for real? The story and performances seemed straight out of the gaslight era. Louis Wolheim was a fantastic character actor but his direction was amateurish and stagnant (admittedly it did improve as the movie progressed). But Ian Keith should have given me a clue - he always seems to play hardened criminals and my instincts were right. It seems the noble pair were bank robbers and were using the Captain's ship to escape the law. Keith is tough on Astor too (even resorting to slapping her although you only see it as shadows on a wall) and forces her to use her wiles on the repentant Captain to keep him at the port. The Captain's sincerity starts to thaw away at Kitty's hardness - he really believes in her goodness.
Of course the ending paves the way for Kitty to find lasting happiness with McVey - which may be the most unbelievable part of the movie!! I have seen Wolheim in another movie - "Danger Lights" - in which he is just about to walk down the aisle with Jean Arthur (who looked young enough to be his grand-daughter!!!) until Robert Armstrong came on the scene, obviously it wasn't a stretch to audience credibility in those times.
After convincing his first mate (Hugh Herbert) to give up any marriage ideas, Captain McVey (Louis Wolheim) sees a woman who could make him settle down - in fact he becomes obsessed with her. She is Kitty (Astor), the wife of a mincing clergyman (Ian Keith) and after inviting her to his cabin for tea, proceeds to go into his caveman routine until she gives him a dressing down worthy of the pulpit (how she isn't his kind of woman etc).
At this stage I was beginning to wonder - is this movie for real? The story and performances seemed straight out of the gaslight era. Louis Wolheim was a fantastic character actor but his direction was amateurish and stagnant (admittedly it did improve as the movie progressed). But Ian Keith should have given me a clue - he always seems to play hardened criminals and my instincts were right. It seems the noble pair were bank robbers and were using the Captain's ship to escape the law. Keith is tough on Astor too (even resorting to slapping her although you only see it as shadows on a wall) and forces her to use her wiles on the repentant Captain to keep him at the port. The Captain's sincerity starts to thaw away at Kitty's hardness - he really believes in her goodness.
Of course the ending paves the way for Kitty to find lasting happiness with McVey - which may be the most unbelievable part of the movie!! I have seen Wolheim in another movie - "Danger Lights" - in which he is just about to walk down the aisle with Jean Arthur (who looked young enough to be his grand-daughter!!!) until Robert Armstrong came on the scene, obviously it wasn't a stretch to audience credibility in those times.
19th Century Fox
michaelchager25 December 2022
This melodrama gives the viewer a sense of being trapped and abused. Barbaric in direction, editing, pace, photography there is no exit from a pervasive sense that this retrograde primitive experience is not turning out well. And after the final scene, the relief is merely that it is over. Effective melodrama here evokes strong negative emotions without much stimulation of the neocortex. Mary Astor, given the chance to star in a talkie, wins that bet. Her pivotal scene dealing with a sexual assault is a resume builder. This less than B programmer requires a certain degradation of the spirit which Astor transcends. So there it is, a perfect tune up for the eventual iconic performance in The Maltese Falcon. This opportunity was the director's final good deed to Astor as he would not live to enjoy the release in 1931.
Clear up your mind body & soul and you'll feel better
kapelusznik189 May 2016
Warning: Spoilers
***SPOILERS*** In what turned out to be Louis Wolheim's last staring role, as hard knocking & drinking Captain Sam McVeigh, in a movie that he also directed-his first & last-he plays a ship captain who finds love as well as manners from an unlikely person the on the lamb bank robber Frisco Kiddy, Mary Astor,who together with her bank robbing accomplice Smiley Marsden, Ian Keith, slips on his ship on it's way to Mexico. Pretending to be a righteous minister and his wife Smiley & Frisco Kitty put on a pretty good show in how pure and God-like they are. It's when a drunken McVeigh tries to make a pass and eventually bed Kitty that she give his a piece of her mind in how he's acting below his status as a ship captain that makes him rethink his slobbery actions.
It's then that McVeigh falls madly in love with Kitty and tried to change his ways and be, as she told him, a much better person. It's in Mexico that Smiley in order to keep from coming back to the states, where he and Kitty are wanted by the police, sabotages McVeigh's ship that leads to his eventual doom. Not in him being caught by the police, which he was, but exposing himself to McVeigh as the low down rotten swine that he really was.
***SPOILERS*** With a truly reformed McVeigh trying to give Kitty a going away present and apologizes for his previous actions a drunk and abusive Smiley, feeling he got away from the long arm of the law, showed his true colors and smacked Kitty around leaving the confused McVeigh almost helpless to do anything to stop him. It's then that the law in the person of chubby Inspector Colby, Russ Powell, pops up to put both a drunk and out of it Smiley and Kitty under house arrest. With Kitty pledging her love for McVeigh, before she was to be taken away a blind drunk Smiley is shot by Colby, off camera, for trying to escape! As it turns out that it was Smiley not Kitty whom Inspctor Colby was really after. Thus giving Kitty a free pass as she and her lover Captain Sam McVeigh finally, after the ship's engine was fixed, sailed into the sunset as the film came to an end.
It's then that McVeigh falls madly in love with Kitty and tried to change his ways and be, as she told him, a much better person. It's in Mexico that Smiley in order to keep from coming back to the states, where he and Kitty are wanted by the police, sabotages McVeigh's ship that leads to his eventual doom. Not in him being caught by the police, which he was, but exposing himself to McVeigh as the low down rotten swine that he really was.
***SPOILERS*** With a truly reformed McVeigh trying to give Kitty a going away present and apologizes for his previous actions a drunk and abusive Smiley, feeling he got away from the long arm of the law, showed his true colors and smacked Kitty around leaving the confused McVeigh almost helpless to do anything to stop him. It's then that the law in the person of chubby Inspector Colby, Russ Powell, pops up to put both a drunk and out of it Smiley and Kitty under house arrest. With Kitty pledging her love for McVeigh, before she was to be taken away a blind drunk Smiley is shot by Colby, off camera, for trying to escape! As it turns out that it was Smiley not Kitty whom Inspctor Colby was really after. Thus giving Kitty a free pass as she and her lover Captain Sam McVeigh finally, after the ship's engine was fixed, sailed into the sunset as the film came to an end.
Too Good To Be Bad
gamay93 May 2016
I often wonder why a film that could have been very good turned out to be b-a-a-a-d. Is it the acting, directing or script? With this film, my premise is the direction....and, that holds for many films. The actors in 'Sin Ship' were adequate, especially Astor. When the captain lays a 'weak' punch on his first mate and later, a crew member, it is not poor special effects....it lies with the direction. The script is fine for an early 'talkie.' Could it be that directors had difficulty transitioning from silents to talkies? I don't see why. They were professionals, weren't they?
The TCM film was interesting for a dull, dreary early May day. It was not all that long a film so I had the opportunity to wash my Cadillac and garage it before the rains came and then prepare dinner while watching bits of other Astor films. Was Mary really that sensual, or is it sexual?
The TCM film was interesting for a dull, dreary early May day. It was not all that long a film so I had the opportunity to wash my Cadillac and garage it before the rains came and then prepare dinner while watching bits of other Astor films. Was Mary really that sensual, or is it sexual?
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