User Reviews

The lovable young Dean Stockwell is a troubled young boy whom social worker Jean Peters places in the foster home run by Anne Revere, a seemingly severe woman admittedly tired of displaying love for her charges then losing them. Stockwell becomes friendly with lobster trappers Dana Andrews and Cesar Romero who take him out on their boat then later rescue him when he goes out on his own right before a big storm hits. Stockwell continuously gets into trouble, stealing a camera and pawning it, and ends up in court to determine if he will become a ward of the state or placed for adoption with the loving Peters and Andrews who have yet to admit that they love each other. This is a heart-warming family drama of giving a supposed bad boy (more misunderstood than outwardly bad) multiple chances without giving up on them, as well as adults learning both patience and understanding. The Maine scenery is beautifully shot, especially locations on the ocean in the rocky waters.

While Peters is particularly bland, Andrews is excellent, and Stockwell wins your heart over with his quietly rebellious young boy who is afraid of giving his love then end up being removed from a secure home. Revere, too, shows vulnerability in her seemingly hard character and reminds the audience as to why at one time she was one of the busiest character actors in film, even though today she's practically forgotten in spite of her Oscar win and the number of classic movies she appeared in. Romero is outstanding as an "earth father", showing Stockwell much about the sea, although some audience members might find his obsession with trapping mink to make coats not for their taste. The film bogs down in an overlong court sequence, but in true old style Hollywood fashion has an ending that will tug at the heart strings. That old pro, Henry King, does an excellent job of direction, and the shot of all those lobsters just might want to make you head up to Maine where they are as tasty as they look.

How very easily DEEP WATERS could have been a sappy childhood melodrama, ripping the tears straight from the eye-sockets, but thanks to both leading men... or rather, one man and one boy... it's anything but contrived or melodramatic.

Dana Andrews stars as former potential big-time architect turned full-time blood-and-sweat lobsterman Hod Stillwell, as true as a man could be during the post-war 1940's, yet he's still determined and stubborn i.e. imperfect and realistic. Meanwhile, Dean Stockwell's Donny Mitchell, turning in one of the most natural kid performances, is the real main character: first seen being dropped off by subtle-beauty social worker Jean Peters to a nice yet strict older woman, Anne Revere as Mary in a strong performance wedged between her Oscar-winning NATIONAL VELVET turn and blacklisting in the 1950's, living in Maine where Donny, having grown-up with a local hero sailor dad, who, like a lot of men in the town, had died in one of many formidable storms. But no matter what the risk, Billy yearns for the ocean, and nothing more.

Future Joker from BATMAN meets the Old Guy from QUANTUM LEAP Andrews and Stockwell have a easygoing chemistry that builds slowly, and is genuine enough for their ultimate plot-necessary problem/roadblock to be a near heartbreak for both the boy and the audience. And yet Stockwell's narrow-eyed determination keeps himself and the film going headstrong... Not much whining with this kid...

On the adult side, Peters, always a terrific method actress, is more or less a potential ingenue, being she was formerly engaged to Andrews' character. Because of the history of deadly storms, she fears the sea, and doesn't want Billy near the water...

But not Dana and especially our zesty fifth banana/comic relief in Caesar Romero as his smiling Spanish business partner: Romero's Joe Sanger yearns to become a farmer of anything, from turkeys to minks, instead of building those lobsters traps, day in and day out. As the polar opposite of Billy, these two have more of a cool uncle to nephew inside-chemistry, .

A pleasant motion picture that has dated but very effective special effects when the ship hits a storm that was begging to happen, and it's no surprise who's life gets put in jeopardy. Sure, it's all rather predictable during the 10th and 11th hour. But when things turn-out just how you want, enough last-minute suspense occurs to where it might just may not fit together after-all, making DEEP WATERS an idyllic yet suspenseful excursion into a town that's as part of the sea as the sea is to the town. The performances are as natural as the actual location, outside and in...

One particular sequence has Andrews searching for a bottle of wine as Revere's Mary cleans up the kitchen. It's mesmerizing how both move around in a contained space while the shot continues for about three-minutes. In a way this Henry King programmer has more than a touch of "foreign film" going for it. At one point you may even imagine subtitles splashed across the screen. This picture sure doesn't seem created to make bundles on an opening weekend, but to exist for the long-run.

Until recently, this obscure film from 20th Century Fox was often not even listed in the filmographies of its cast and crew. Thankfully, Fox released it as part of their Cinema Archives Collection, so that many lovers of classic movies can enjoy it.

The plot is simple and pretty straightforward, and of course everything is resolved in the end. The Oscar-nominated black and white cinematography (the exteriors were shot on location in Maine) has been nicely restored on the DVD print. Sound is fine, and the actors are believable in their roles. Dean Stockwell, as with many child actors of the classic era, was often cast as orphans looking for a place to belong. In this case, he is the son of a fisherman, but his social worker (Jean Peters) and the woman with whom he is placed (Anne Revere, who had played Stockwell's grandmother in the previous year's "Gentleman's Agreement"), try to keep on him on dry land, but the boy longs to be near the sea. Another complication is the fisherman (Dana Andrews) who Peters deeply loves and the feeling is mutual, but she cannot bring herself to accept his chosen profession. Rounding out the cast are Caesar Romero, Ed Begley, Mae Marsh and Will Geer. Dana Andrews was one of those underrated performers who never even received an Oscar nomination, although he most certainly deserved one. Anne Revere was blacklisted not long after this, a shame since she was such a wonderful and commanding presence on film. Jean Peters was a more than competent actress who worked with many of the great actors and stars of the era, but never really got the recognition she should have. Dean Stockwell is of course, still with us, and was one of the few child performers who made the successful transition to adult actor.

"Deep Waters" is no longer forgotten! Fine family viewing.