In 1872, the Mary Celeste (that is the correct spelling) was found adrift. All of the crew were gone and to this day no one knows what happened to them. This film is a fictionalized account of what might have occurred. It stars a variety of little-known actors other than Bela Lugosi in a supporting role as a...well...rather crazy man. Because he acts pretty weird AND because he was the big-name actor, it came as no surprise that he was the man who killed off the unfortunate crew. Sure, other people could have been the guilty party, but I really think this surprise ending wasn't all that much of a surprise.
As far as the film goes, it's a decent little B-movie--made on a slight budget with few of the usual frills a "bigger" film might get. The use of minimal incidental music might be seen as a minus, but considering the mood they were looking for, the sea chanteys and occasional music worked well. The biggest minuses were Lugosi's over-acting and the lack of the element of surprise. Still, it's a decent time-passer and stands up pretty well after all these years.
As far as the film goes, it's a decent little B-movie--made on a slight budget with few of the usual frills a "bigger" film might get. The use of minimal incidental music might be seen as a minus, but considering the mood they were looking for, the sea chanteys and occasional music worked well. The biggest minuses were Lugosi's over-acting and the lack of the element of surprise. Still, it's a decent time-passer and stands up pretty well after all these years.