1935's "Phantom Ship" was the earliest title to survive from Britain's Hammer Films (only their second production, the first long since lost), no doubt due to the surprise casting of Bela Lugosi in the central role, his first of three across the pond, followed by 1939's "The Human Monster" (aka "The Dark Eyes of London") and 1951's "My Son the Vampire" (aka "Mother Riley Meets the Vampire"). Known in England as "The Mystery of the Mary Celeste," Hammer sought to achieve great publicity by jumping on the bandwagon for MGM's "Mutiny on the Bounty," director Denison Clift deciding on a screenplay about the real life mystery surrounding the 1872 voyage of the Mary Celeste out of New York, bound for Italy with a cargo of alcohol yet found without a soul on board after one month. Keeping the total number of crewmembers at an unlucky 13 (including one woman but not a black cat), this fairly transparent storyline is only exacerbated by an interminable love triangle, Arthur Margetson's hapless Captain Briggs set to wed Shirley Grey's pretty Sarah, much to the displeasure of fellow captain Jim Morehead (Clifford McLaglen, a dead ringer for Hollywood brother Victor), who yields to Briggs' request for one additional mate by installing an assassin to make certain Sarah returns a widow (they finally set sail at the 19 minute mark). Since we already know everyone's ultimate fate the running time simply flails when the focus is on Mr. And Mrs. Briggs, though it does allow for Dennis Hoey an attempted rape before being felled by Lugosi's Anton Lorenzen, so shaken by taking a life to save another that he breaks down in tearful remorse. Various crew members are killed accidentally (Terence de Marney as Charlie Kaye is barely visible and dispatched quickly), others are found murdered or simply vanish, with Morehead's hired killer put to death by the cook before he can stab Briggs. Much of the mayhem takes place off screen to hide the culprit's identity, but even audiences of the time had a good idea of where the plot was heading, on course without hesitation toward destinations unknown, the question was how long before the reveal? Lugosi's performance is a marvelous showcase for his dramatic prowess, Lorenzen using the alias Gottlieb to infiltrate the Mary Celeste once he learns that the first mate is the feared Toby Bilson (Edmund Willard), obvious bad blood between the two. Lorenzen is now essentially a derelict, his left arm lost to the sharks, his hair turned white, a pathetic figure that the actor plays with great zeal, and a love for the black cat that would never happen with Vitus Werdegast. The original British print ran 80 minutes, alternating the mystery with courtroom intrigue in its aftermath, 20 minutes cut from all current versions but apparently nothing minus Lugosi (though a surprise ending for the captain and his bride). Arthur Margetson would soon work with Boris Karloff in "Juggernaut" before relocating to Hollywood, his final role opposite Basil Rathbone as the surprise villain in 1943's "Sherlock Holmes Faces Death" (interestingly, his on screen romance with Hollywood actress Shirley Grey was duplicated in real life though the marriage didn't last, she too working with Karloff in 1931's "The Public Defender"). Dennis Hoey inherited the part of Inspector Lestrade of Scotland Yard in half of Universal's 12 Holmes entries, while Terence de Marney made more of a name for himself on American television before horror recognition later in life as Karloff's butler in the British "Die, Monster, Die!" and as a different kind of vampire on location in "Beast of Morocco," his bulging eyed decomposition a prominent feature in its advertising. Hammer completed only four features during the 1930s and would not return to full time production until 1946, then another decade of quota quickies before finding their niche in full, blood red color.
Review of Phantom Ship
