The Mystery of the Mary Celeste (1935)

When "Capt. Briggs" (Arthur Margetson) announces to his fellow captain "Morehead" (Clifford McLaglen) that he has pinched and married his gal "Sarah" (Shirley Grey), he also asks if he can "borrow" one of his crew to bring his up to speed. Rather enthusiastically, he agrees and off they sail. Not before long it is clear that it's not just the hostile environment that's posing a danger to all concerned and when someone amongst the crew takes a pot-shot at the captain - through his porthole window - director Denison Clift proceeds to offer us quite an intriguing prognosis as to just how this ship eventually turned up near Gibraltar lacking any signs of life. Bela Lugosi is eerily effective as "Lorenzen" as is Edmund Willard as first mate "Bilson" and the photography is dark, grainy and quite menacing as their voyage becomes more and more perilous. The production is poor, though. There is actuality cut through it, the dialogue is rather pedestrian and the presence of Grey seems to lessen the impact of the drama as her characterisation comes across as increasingly lacklustre - indeed, that could actually be said for most of them over the eighty minutes that takes too long to get seaborne before rushing to the plausibly speculative denouement. It looks as if it's been hacked a bit - and though the story still flows, there are some curious continuity gaps that don't help either. This is a solid story that could have been done more justice too had we spent a little longer getting to now the crew and understand what was driving each of them. As it is, it's just a bit too simplistic and hurried.