User reviews

This film reminds me of another great Lionel Barrymore classic, "Captains Courageous-" another "boy comes of age on the sea" film. If you enjoyed this one, you'll like that one, too. Leonard Maltin gives this film three stars and "Captains" four, but I prefer this one, probably because I had a hard time getting past Spencer Tracy's laughable attempt at a Portuguese accent in "Captains."

Although I'm not a sailor, this film seems pretty authentic, as though they paid attention to their technical adviser. Less Hollywood than you might expect from a 1949 film.

A previous reviewer described the ships in this film as Bluenose Schooners; actually, all the vessels in "Down to the Sea" are square-rigged whaling ships In my opinion, few things made by Man are as magnificent as a square-rigger under full sail.

In one of his final film appearances Lionel Barrymore dusted off his crusty sea captain character from Captains Courageous in playing Bering Joy, master of a whaling ship in the late 19th century.

Bering Joy is a whole lot like Disko Troup from the earlier film. He's a man immensely proud of his profession and the knowledge he's acquired over decades to be the best at what he does. His other love is his grandson, Dean Stockwell.

But the lad for want of a better term isn't doing so good with home schooling being provided on board a whaling vessel. And Barrymore isn't real happy with the new younger first mate being imposed upon him. That would be Richard Widmark who's college educated. But he solves a problem with the New Bedford educational system by giving Widmark the additional duties of tutoring Stockwell.

Down to the Sea in Ships is a generational clash of three generations with all three developing real affection for each other during the long whaling voyage.

This was Richard Widmark's first film with first billing and the first film in which he wasn't a bad guy. I'm sure that this was a role he wanted and fought for. How many little old ladies can you throw down a flight of stairs and maintain a maniacal giggle in every film? In many ways this film made him a star more than Kiss of Death.

Henry Hathaway directed some really good action sequences involving whaling, a search for a lost long boat, and the finale when the vessel gets stuck on an ice flow. And he assembled a fine group of players like Jay C. Flippen, Harry Morgan, John McIntire as the ship's crew. I particularly like the performance of Cecil Kellaway as the ship's cook who is both Barrymore's confidante and offers some sage advice to Widmark on the voyage.

Barrymore's chemistry with Stockwell is similar to what he had with Freddie Bartholomew and Mickey Rooney in Captains Courageous with Richard Widmark being at first a most reluctant Manuel. Young Stockwell gets quite an education on this whaling voyage and the viewers will get a lot of enjoyment out of it.

A sentimental tale about an elderly captain who wants to bring his grandson to sea with him, but refuses to compromise his duty to his ship and crew even though it costs him everything he loves. Lionel Barrymore plays Captain Bering Joy as a sometimes-foolish old man vying for his grandson's affection with his first mate. Dean Stockwell plays the grandson who loves the sea and his grandfather, but is failing academically. Richard Widmark plays the young first mate who has been assigned the onerous task of teaching the boy his schoolwork. The beauty of this film for me is the way it celebrates wisdom, courage, fairness, and honesty in life. In the end, it is the log of a person's life and actions that matter more than their ability to fit any prevailing standard of knowledge or trendiness. Barrymore's character is old, ignorant, autocratic, and uncompromising, but he is also an example worthy of respect that the grandson can value for the rest of his life if he is wise enough to do so.

Aside from the theme of strong values held on to, the movie also offers rare real-life footage of bluenose schooners sailing the open sea, something none of us will ever see as these ships have all but disappeared (the Canadian government sails a reproduction as part of its sea and seamanship instruction. This alone made the movie worthwhile. Add solid performances by Widmark and Barrymore and the rest of the cast - and the able direction of Hathaway - and you have a very good film.

Down to the Sea in Ships is a grand sea adventure in the tradition of Captains Courageous, Moby Dick, and Treasure Island, full of great actors playing interesting characters, with decent special effects for it's time, and an intelligent, sometimes profound, script. Lionel Barrymore plays Captain Joy, the Master of a whaling ship about to be retired. He wants his young grandson (Dean Stockwell) to carry on the family tradition and eventually become master of the ship. But the boy lacks the appropriate education and seems unable to learn. On his last voyage, Joy appoints the new first mate, Lunceford (Richard Widmark) - also his tentative replacement - to the job of educating his grandson. It takes Lunceford a while to win the boy's confidence, and when he finally does, the old Captain seems to become jealous. Then when a boat is lost in the fog with the boy aboard, Lunceford launches a second rescue boat against regulations, and the Captain must discipline him. This dilemma between duty and personal devotion develops a tense situation between the three of them, with dramatic impact that makes Down to the Sea In Ships one of the most poignant films of it's kind, fully in league with those mentioned above. I don't want to giving away any more of the plot, but rest assured that the tension carries through suspense-fully to a perilous climax. The great supporting cast includes Gene Lockhart, Cecil Kelloway, Harry Morgan, Harry Davenport, and Jay C. Flippen.

This is one of the all-time greats. Its brilliance is largely due to Lionel Barrymore. Usually seen in supporting roles (he & Frank Morgan being the two greatest character actors of the golden age), he carries this film as star. There are many electrifying scenes, especially his confrontation with Dean Stockwell, a worthy match for the star, not to mention murdering a whale. On shore, the leads sparkle in a high-stakes testing scene. It also documents an industry that is long gone. You can learn a lot about whaling here. (For example, the captain never speaks to the crew once the boat sails; all communication is through the first mate, who can, however, give a crewman permission to approach the captain.)

This film, not Captains Courageous, is the best boy becomes a young man film ever made. Tracy was great, in the latter, but Dean Stockwell blows away Freddy Bartholomew in the former. Barrymore is also better in this film. Although I thoroughly enjoyed Captains, this film is a full level above it. It is more authentic, and the scenes pursuing the whale are electric. I learned about whaling from Melville in his classic Moby Dick, but seeing the process makes it all the more impressive, despite its barbaric and politically incorrect status today. Let's not condemn a film because it is not PC today, otherwise we would lose a good one third of all films ever made before the enlightened 21st century. A must see for all young boys.

Pardon me, but Dean Stockwell was a far better child actor than Freddy Barthalomew. And the Sea story isn't upstaged by Spencer Tracy's attempt at being Portuguese ( I understand Spence hated having his hair tightly curled every morning before shooting) And young Dean has a great crew of character actors to keep him on coarse. Lionel Barrymore, Richard Widmark, Cecil Calloway , Harry Morgan, and John McIntire.

If you would like to see the perils of whaling, and the life on board a whaler then this movie is for you as it was for me at nine years of age. I have yet to find few movies to fit the adventures that were the daily work of many a young man and a historical lesson at the same time. The main characters of Lionel Barrymore, Richard Widmark, and Dean Stockwell are why they are so respected in their profession. If you can get a look at this movie and know somewhere to get copy it is worth being in your library (and if you do know where to get a copy please let me know as I have not seen this movie since 1949, but it made me go to sea). Another excellent entertaining aspect of the movie is the music. The music is well done and may with you as it has with me been a life time tune to hum when sailing or adventuring. I have one copy of the main theme that is use to get me going at times. Again see the movie and learn some history about profession that has pretty much left the American Scene.

In this film progress is overtaking the old and outdated: Captain Joy (L. Barrymore) is a stern old man set in his ways and his first mate (R. Widmark) is a modern man with modern ideas. Add to this a catalyst in the form of the Captain's grandson (Dean Stockwell) and tensions mount.

I love most sailing films and this is no exception. Good acting all around. Somewhat of a tearjerker, although that's not bad in this instance. Save the whales advocates may not care for this movie because it shows whales being taken and blubber removed to prepare oil. I wonder where they got the idea for the ship to hit an iceberg?---At least it didn't sink.

This movie may be hard to find in video format, but I've seen it aired a couple of times in the last few years.

I gave this one a 9 of 10 mostly because it was a good story with fine acting. Also the ship scenes were realistic and full of action.

A nice clean movie your whole family will enjoy even if it is in black & white.

Although rather long (2 hours), the leisurely pace of this film works very well, and I would rank the performances of the three leads (Barrymore, Widmark and Stockwell) as among the best each of them every gave on film. In fact, this may be the best of Lionel Barrymore's "grumpy old man" roles, and his relationship with grandson Stockwell is beautifully presented and developed. The cast is packed with great supporting players; it seems every role was cast with care. Look for the great Paul Harvey ashore, as well as a wonderful scene with Dorothy Adams as the school teacher. Crew aboard the whaling ship includes Jay C. Flippen, John McIntyre, Berry Kroeger, etc. This movie is a real treat, and a "family film" of the highest order.

I know it's not the most winning title in the world, but wow: what a picture! I think it's safe to say it's a pretty obscure film - I know I'd never heard of it, and I think that it might have even slipped into the public domain. It has not much more than a stub on Wikipedia in spite of the high pedigree: released by 20th Century Fox, starring Lionel Barrymore, Dean Stockwell and Richard Widmark and directed by Henry Hathaway.

I figured I'd hang around for the first few minutes and then turn it off, but I found myself utterly hooked and on the edge of my seat by the really exciting and tense finale. It is just an excellent, compelling, really well-made (in spite of the obvious studio confines which tend to show up in all sea pictures of the era- rear projections and such) picture with unexpected acting honors going to Lionel Barrymore, an actor I've always been somewhat iffy on- I think some of his early work (esp. A Free Soul ) can be really hammy, but as he aged into a genuine old man (he played old way before his time) an endearing quality works its way into his performances- and I think the one he gave in this film was the best I've seen from him thus far.

I don't know if the film was a box office disappointment, but seriously: Barrymore deserved an Oscar nomination for Best Actor, especially since there were some really weak entries in the race that year, and frankly, I preferred Ships to most of the films nominated for Best Picture that year. It could not have been an easy picture to make, write, or act- but everyone pulls it off. I found it very touching and, quite frankly, I liked it better than Captain's Courageous (a film to which it does bear undeniable similarities.)

It's unusual to see a film with as impressive a cast of supporting actors. Helping Richard Widmark and Dean Stockwell tell this story are the likes of Lionel Barrymore, Cecil Kellaway, Gene Lockhart, Harry Davenport, Jay C. Flippen and other fine supporting actors. Now this was NOT an easy task, as some of the folks were on loan from MGM--and it's obvious that Twentieth Century-Fox put a lot of care and effort into making this seafaring film. Also, be aware that despite the same titles, this 1949 film has no relation to the 1922 Mary Pickford movie.

"Down to the Sea in Ships" is a story about an aging grandfather (Barrymore) and his young grandson (Stockwell). The old man raised the boy at sea, as he's a whaling sea captain in the 19th century. He is conflicted--part of him wants to put the boy ashore to get an education and part of his looks down on formalized learning, as he never went to school and is a master sailor. Eventually, to solve the problem, he takes on a First Mate who is highly educated (Richard Widmark)--with his plan being that the Mate teach the boy on his off hours. However, there is a problem--the Captain and Mate are BOTH very strong-willed men who think they are right--or at least they won't allow themselves to admit that they are not right. The Captain behaves as if education is of limited value--though WHY did he arrange for this tutor? And, the Mate is convinced that the Captain is an idiot! Not surprisingly, both change their opinions as this sweeping saga progresses.

Most of the film was shot in a sound stage. Yet, surprisingly, the footage is usually excellent and is integrated very well with actual footage. It makes for a very impressive looking film and director Henry Hathaway did an admirable job. Also admirable is the acting and script. Together, they make for a terrific film with lots of great messages about life, maturity and what it is to be a man. Quite impressive and enjoyable.

By the way, there are two things I'd like to point out. Despite what they said in the film, the Mississippi River is NOT the longest river in the world (just the US). Also, watch Harry Morgan--he forever seems to be getting squished in the movie! Poor Harry!

And this is one of the great films. It is not a story about whaling, though it mostly takes place on a whaling ship and has wonderful scenes about life on a whaling ship. It is the story of a boy's relationship to two men, two men's relationships to to the boy, and the relationship of all three to life.

Lionel Barrymore, in one of his last roles, and like his character only able to move about with difficulty using crutches, raises the presentation to rarefied company with a masterful performance. He is able to bring all the gruffness of his Henry Potter role of "It's A Wonderful Life," but with the humanity he was not allowed to show in the latter. That he loves his grandson with all his heart, and feels great pride in him, is made evident in the endearing shore side preamble. But aboard the vessel of which he is Master, his way is to change into another persona completely; one in which he dare not show the slightest feelings for the boy. As Master, he is second only to God for all his crew, and to this role he must devote his entire soul 24 hours a day.

A vacuum thus develops in his relationship with the boy, and into this vacuum Richard Widmark, the new Mate of the vessel, is thrust. He is of the age the boy's dead father would have been, and has duties and the opportunity to interact with the boy in ways Barrymore cannot, and has qualities which naturally lead him to become the father figure. Initially not interested in the human qualities the boy represents, he is before long won over, and replaces Barrymore in the boy's affections.

Not until a crisis overtakes the ship's company is the alienation between Barrymore and the boy overcome. With Widmark's efforts propelling him, the boy returns to his grandfather's affection and the two are reunited in their hearts, and the gulf that has lately divided them despite their proximity aboard ship falls away like it was never there.

Widmark's performance is very able indeed in his role of importance and some nuance. This is one of his finest performances, certainly one of his most human, and at the end most agreeable. But it is the 13 year old Dean Stockwell who cements the story with his performance of a lifetime. The way he makes his character grow from a boy to a young man during the film, the way he conveys the range of human feelings which is required of his role, is faultless and quite breathtaking.

Richard Widmark was at his very best here so were the rest of the cast. I wish more people would see this movie. This is one of the all-time greats and a lot can be learned from their struggle to survive while producing the very useful product, lamp oil. This story goes back before electricity, and they didn't even so much have a flashlight. Seems like most people couldn't imagine being caught out in a predicament like many were during the whaling years. Story also mentions that they sailed out of New Bedford, Conn. I believe most of the whale ships were out of that area, and Lionel Barrymore mentions that insurance companies bud up the sea coast at Boston, Mass. Boston must have been the headquarters for the first insurance companies.

There's no one who plays the salty old sea captain quite like Lionel Barrymore. And few child stars had the love of the camera and the audience like Dean Stockwell (who's still acting even now, well into his 70's). I've never been a huge Richard Whidmark fan, but I've never made a point to become one. Now I see what all the fuss was about as he embarked on his early leading man career as the (top-billed) first mate and book-learned master seaman of a whale boat out of New Bedford, MA in the late 1800's.

The three main characters are on a consistent wave of hooking each other where it hurts when ultimately it's their pride and inability to get along as the order of a ship must prevail over the lives of the men. These are hard lessons for a boy who is in the school of whaling, book-learning, and life while on board. Ultimately, he learns all of his lessons and then some in this bittersweet story that will make you watch and root for the whole crew. We see a bit about whaling, but this is really about a boy becoming a man and the men who help him. The supporting cast couldn't be better as many of the greatest character actors help pull this ship successfully out to sea.

Is this as good as Captain's Courgeous? Well, it's not really fair to compare. If you don't expect Captain's Courageous, you'll hopefully not be disappointed. If you expect a fine character driven story while set on the sea in ships, then you'll hopefully enjoy two full hours of exciting sailing.

Seems like every grand character actor in Hollywood gets to play an old salt in this fine film of a boy's coming of age on a whaling ship. Cecil Kellaway, Jay C. Flippen, Thomas Mitchell, Gene Lockhart, et al. are given generous opportunity to show us all how it's done. Lionel Barrymore is deeply affecting as a crusty old whaling captain raising his grandson to be a proper man, and Richard Widmark is warm and nuanced as the young educated officer ordered to school the boy at sea. Role modeling, bonding, jealousy, ethics, rule of law vs. rule of heart, honor codes, masculine virtue ideation, etc. are skillfully and sincerely explored. Little Dean Stockwell is tough and smart in the role of the boy. In lesser hands this could have been creaky mush -- but fine script, direction, acting make this film a gem.

Some people say Henry Hathaway is not an auteur!Just compare the situation in "lives of a Bengal lancer" and " down to the sea in ships " !In the former the general does not want Cooper and Tone to go to the rescue of his son, abducted by the nasty rebels;in "down..." ,the elderly captain does not want to send a boat to save his grandson lost at sea,much to Widmark's dismay.

Richard Widmark ,still at the dawn of his career ,is ,more than Lionel Barrymore ,the reason why this movie is so endearing.The first thirty minutes are Widmarkless and ,except for the scene at school where the teacher is asked to raise the percentages ,not to break the old sea dog 's heart,the movie does not really take off.

When Widmark is on hand ,he ,as usual ,steals every scene he is in ,and there are plenty of them.He 's delightful as the teacher who realizes how uneducated his young pupil is.

And in the end,Hathaway proves that the general of "lancers" and the old sailor of "boats" were right .This old school takes practice and experience over all any theoretical teaching and learning.This old man won the battle,he made a man of his grandson.

There are two,maybe three Hathaway movies I don't like.I love almost all the rest,including this one.

Like this ? try these ....

"Captains courageous" Victor Fleming,1937 "White squall" Ridley Scott ,1996 (with reservation)

This is one of my all-time favorite movies. I have only seen it appear twice on movie channels, and I have never been able to locate it video stores. A boy is being uneducated as he travels with his grandfather on the high seas, so villagers in their home-town object and threaten to take the boy from his grandfather, who hires a tutor/teacher to travel with them. The movie has coming of age drama, with family ties strained over the boy's hero-worship of someone besides his grandfather. Widmark is brilliant as the teacher/tutor (in his first movie as a non-violent character.) He senses the grandfather's resentment and moves away from the boy very subtly.

Wonderful story.