Tonight was the second time I tried to watch "Ship of Fools". The first time, I hated it and couldn't understand its relatively high rating. A few years later, I thought I'd try it again--after all, there are a lot of reviewers who gave this one a 10. Unfortunately, in retrospect my first reaction was confirmed--I did not like this film. Why? Well, there are a few main reasons. First, at times the dialog was simply god-awful--completely impossible to believe and even painful. The worst was the 'love scene'(???) between Elizabeth Ashley and George Segal--it seemed like no conversation I would ever expect from two folks in love and seemed...bad. Second, too many of the characters just seemed like archetypes--too stereotypical and too simple. The bad people are simply bad and the good ones are noble. Third, because the film is set on a ship, there isn't anything to do but just talk...talk...talk. Fourth, and this is probably because I am a retired history teacher, some of the costuming was terrible. Christiane Schmidtmer's hair and costumes were NOT from the 1930s but would have looked rather fashionable in 1965.
The bottom line is that there have been countless films that have dealt with fascism much more effectively. You can easily do better. I did, however, love the bulldog.
The bottom line is that there have been countless films that have dealt with fascism much more effectively. You can easily do better. I did, however, love the bulldog.