The Ghost Ship
RKO had built an expensive ship set for their 1938 production Pacific Liner (1939). Val Lewton was given instructions to come up with a film that could use the still-existing set. According to Robert Wise, a longtime collaborator with Lewton, it was this set that gave Lewton the idea for the film. "He would find what we call a 'standing set,' and then tailor his script to the set, whatever it was. That's how he made The Ghost Ship. He walked onto a set and saw a tanker, then cooked up the idea for this ship with a murderous captain." One scholar has suggested that Lewton accepted the assignment in part because, as an amateur sailor himself, the ship captain's behavior mirrored Lewton's own views on how to manage a ship, but also because Lewton saw the plot as a way of criticizing his micro-managing superiors at RKO. The budget, as with all of Lewton's films, was set at $150,000.,One shot of the boat traveling toward camera shows the name of the boat on the bow is backwards. The backwards name reads Venture, indicating it's a shot reused from King Kong (1933) that has been horizontally flipped.,Finn: [voice over of his internal thoughts in being a mute] The man is dead. With his death, the waters of the sea are open to us. But there will be other deaths, and the agony of dying, before we come to land again.,Edited from King Kong (1933),Blow the Man Down
(uncredited)
Traditional sea shanty
Performed by Alec Craig
Performed by Sir Lancelot,Tasked by RKO Studios to take advantage of a previously existing set, producer Val Lewton came up with this pensive, interesting mood piece & character study, set on a ship. The Altair is commandeered by a captain named Will Stone (Richard Dix). Stone has just hired a young Third Officer, Tom Merriam (Russell Wade), and at first they have a good father-son type relationship going on. But Stone continuously shows signs of instability to the young man, who comes to believe his captain - who fixates on the idea of "authority" - is capable of murder.

While not quite as thickly atmospheric as the best Lewton productions, this is a deliberately paced, fairly spooky little gem. Key to its success is its memorable central character, and performance by Dix. There are scenes where he is humanized and you can take some pity on him. It's easy to see that he's a lonely man who lives only for command. Wade also makes his role sympathetic, and the battle of wills between these two men is effective. All of the men on the crew stand behind their captain and don't want to believe the worst about him, so for a while Tom seems to be all on his own.

Extremely moody black & white cinematography by Nicholas Musuraca is a heavy asset, and the final third contains some palpable suspense. The film also benefits from efficient direction by Mark Robson, and an intriguing, seemingly minor character named Finn. Played by sharp featured character actor Skelton Knaggs, he's a mute, so he says nothing...but he observes a lot. The supporting cast is all fine: Edith Barrett in the only substantial female presence, as a woman who tries to understand Stone, Ben Bard as the first officer, and the highly engaging Edmund Glover as Sparks, the radio man. Alec Craig, Boyd Davis, Sir Lancelot, and Dewey Robinson are solid in uncredited roles, as is a young Lawrence Tierney as ill fated seaman Louie Parker.

The conclusion IS a little abrupt, but it does little to diminish the impact of this film.

Eight out of 10.,