The Long Voyage Home

A cargo ship called the Glencairn is running from the West Indies to England. There are explosives in the hold and the war is on. The crew is from everywhere; some have been at sea for years, some say this is their last voyage. Olsen the Swede has saved his money and means to go home and buy a farm. Everyone wants him to go, because they cannot. The Atlantic is crossed, a man dies, a man is accused. When the harbour appears the matter passes to the public house, and Olsen's ticket home is in danger there. John Ford directs. Dudley Nichols adapted the screenplay from four one act plays by Eugene O'Neill. Gregg Toland was the cinematographer. John Wayne, Thomas Mitchell, Ian Hunter and Barry Fitzgerald are in the cast. It is an American production. O'Neill counted it his favourite among the adaptations of his own work and wore out the print Ford gave him by watching it over and over. Toland uses deep focus, hard contrast and a camera that barely moves; the images matter as much as the subject. John Wayne plays the Swedish sailor and speaks with an accent, far from his usual parts. The matter it treats is not being able to stay ashore; everyone talks about leaving and the ship takes them all back. The film does not gather its plot into one line; because the sections come from separate plays the narrative is in pieces. The war stands in the background and the threat is mostly unseen. The narrative does not make heroes of the sailors; the drunkenness, the fighting and the coarseness stand as they are. The ending saves one man and puts the rest back on the ship. Its limit is structure; the narrative is scattered, the pace slow, and most of the characters stay brief. Who it is for: viewers who care about classic Hollywood and cinematography. Who it is not for: it is scattered, heavy, and the ending sad.