Director: John Farrow
Genre(s): Adventure, Drama
Runtime: 98 minutes
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
The high-seas adventure-drama Two Years Before the Mast was just one of six movies that actor Alan Ladd made with director John Farrow. Here, Charles Stewart (Alan Ladd) is shanghaied to serve on a sea-faring ship under the thumb of a sadistic, rigid captain, Francis A. Thompson (Howard Da Silva), in the mid-1800s. Soon, threats of mutiny are in the air, as the crew struggles to survive under their tyrannical commander.
The beginning scenes of Two Years Before the Mast are actually pretty boring, but, once the Alan Ladd character is impressed to serve as a sailor, things pick up considerably. The film does a good job showing the cramped conditions aboard the Pilgrim (the boat that Ladd’s on), and the viewer really sympathizes with the crew’s predicament. The Howard Da Silva character is one mean bastard, but he’s a believable one, making him more intimidating. The feature contains a romantic subplot that doesn’t really go anywhere.
What this picture brings to the table is an interesting discussion of when revolt against authority is justified. When is it acceptable to raise a gun against the legal powers that be? Two Years Before the Mast comes to an optimistic conclusion on the matter. This flick sort of reminded me of Souls at Sea (1937), another adventure-drama that deals with moral dilemmas on the high seas. Supposedly, Alan Ladd had an uncredited role in that movie, and seascapes from it were used in the film currently being reviewed.
This motion picture doesn’t have much action, unfortunately, but it’s still watchable. Its direction is impressive, and those interested in the morality of humankind’s unending struggle for human rights and human dignity might get a kick out of it. I’m not ecstatic about it, yet I know it will have its fans. Two Years Before the Mast might be worth checking out for certain audiences.
My rating is 6 outta 10.
The Film Heretic Watches a Classic 