From Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales" to M-G-M's "Grand Hotel"(1932), the device of interlocking the stories of a diverse group of strangers/travelers to tell how each influences the others has been very commonly used in fiction.
It is the one that underpins "Ship of Fools." In Chaucer's masterpiece, the stories are told separately, and range from the ponderous to the humorous. But the tales are fun to read----even after all the centuries that have passed since their creation.
"Grand Hotel" may now be dated, but seeing it is also a fun experience. The story and acting reflect the style of a different time, but if taken on its own terms------this film can provide many enjoyable moments of screen entertainment.
"Ship of Fools" is another matter. It is mostly ponderous, and has a minimum amount of humor. Its all-star cast delivers a series of widely varying performances-------from the scenery-chewing ones by Jose Ferrer and Lee Marvin to the world-weary portrayals by Oskar Werner and Simone Signoret to the acting school products of George Segal and Elizabeth Ashley. And the film does go on---and on----and on! "Ship of Fools" should be best remembered today as Vivien Leigh's last film----in a role that she knew quite well by then-----a variation of her Blanche DuBois character in "Streetcar Named Desire." Her Mrs. Treadwell is a monument to all the depleted middle-aged women in fiction who become shadows of what they once were, and who are constant reminders of what living an empty life ultimately produces.
But she sure was a beautiful woman, even in her final screen appearance. She died just two years later at the age of 54.
It is the one that underpins "Ship of Fools." In Chaucer's masterpiece, the stories are told separately, and range from the ponderous to the humorous. But the tales are fun to read----even after all the centuries that have passed since their creation.
"Grand Hotel" may now be dated, but seeing it is also a fun experience. The story and acting reflect the style of a different time, but if taken on its own terms------this film can provide many enjoyable moments of screen entertainment.
"Ship of Fools" is another matter. It is mostly ponderous, and has a minimum amount of humor. Its all-star cast delivers a series of widely varying performances-------from the scenery-chewing ones by Jose Ferrer and Lee Marvin to the world-weary portrayals by Oskar Werner and Simone Signoret to the acting school products of George Segal and Elizabeth Ashley. And the film does go on---and on----and on! "Ship of Fools" should be best remembered today as Vivien Leigh's last film----in a role that she knew quite well by then-----a variation of her Blanche DuBois character in "Streetcar Named Desire." Her Mrs. Treadwell is a monument to all the depleted middle-aged women in fiction who become shadows of what they once were, and who are constant reminders of what living an empty life ultimately produces.
But she sure was a beautiful woman, even in her final screen appearance. She died just two years later at the age of 54.