Strange Cargo

A penal colony in French Guiana. Verne is a convict who keeps trying to escape and keeps being caught. A group plans another break, this time crossing the jungle to reach a boat. A woman joins them: Julie, thrown out of the bar at the colony. So does a quiet man called Cambreau, whom nobody knows, and who says the thing on each man's mind whenever he speaks. Frank Borzage directs. Clark Gable plays Verne, Joan Crawford plays Julie and Ian Hunter plays Cambreau. What distinguishes it is the uncertainty of its genre. It begins as an escape film and turns as it proceeds into a religious figure; Cambreau is never named, and who he is is left inside the narrative. The choice caused trouble. The American censors and religious organisations objected, screenings were blocked in some states and cuts were demanded. Gable and Crawford made many films together and this is among the last; the rapport between them is the strongest element. Borzage described love as a form of salvation throughout his career, and this is among the clearest instances of that line. The jungle and sea sections were built in the studio and the artifice is obvious now. Who it is for: viewers who like classical Hollywood melodrama and films that step outside their genre. Who it is not for: the religious figure is heavy, the narrative leaves realism in the second half, and the ending is unacceptable to some.