Synopsis
They murdered her man … and now she was at the mercy of the love-starved crew of the Berwind!
A band of dishonest seamen plans a murderous mutiny aboard the S.S. Berwind.
The Decks Ran Red
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Alternative Titles
Terror no Mar, Infamia sul mare, Mörder an Bord
Releases by Date
Theatrical
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USANR
14 Dec 1958
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UK
Releases by Country
UK
14 Dec 1958
- Theatrical
USA
10 Oct 1958
- TheatricalNR
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While there are some moments of real tension in the final act of The Decks Ran Red (a dozen dudes with one gun trapped on a ship against two fellows with a whole lot of guns will do that), for the most part it feels like, at best, a by the numbers nautical adventure: evil bad guys (Stuart Whitman and Broderick Crawford), a sexy woman around entirely to be in peril (Dorothy Dandridge), and a solid, upright man (James Mason) there to defeat the odds, rally the once-hostile troops, and bring the baddies to justice. The whole thing is so flat that most of the dialogue is either bland voiceover or people passively describing plans or situations, usually gathered together…
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Super underrated work from both Mason's and Dandridge's filmographies. Broderick Crawford menaces as the film's villain, one with a plan so bold and a heart so hard that his terror can't help but be magnetic. The film is perfectly paced, moving at a nail biting speed, and most importantly, it's a showcase of some of Mason's and Dandridge's best acting work, with him in a rare role of pure gallantry, which certainly was unusual for a career full of broody antiheroes. I sorta loved him as a straight forward hero, and I wish he'd been able to play some more similar roles. But hey, with a voice like that you're sorta bound for some villainy. As for Dandridge, I love…
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Maybe as Twitter dies and my new job is less focused on writing about old films I can get back into the letterboxd game...
Shown at the Academy Museum obstensibly as part of a Dorothy Dandridge series, here forced into a role playing the Maori wife stuck on a boat. The film can't decide whether Dandridge should be a sex kitten or a vulnerable ingenue sadly so she does her best alternating between the two. But that's all sideshow to this showdown between Broaderick Crawford and James Mason upon a steamer in the middle of the Pacific. Crawford plans on murdering everyone to get money--the film never really suggests his psychology for this plan, turning this almost into a proto…
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This is a smaller film and it’s not without its problems, but it has a certain appeal in its cast, as well as how it was shot. It’s a mutiny film, supposedly a true story (more on this in a bit), and it really puts us aboard the ship, highlighting its interior and machinery, something that was very well done. James Mason plays Captain Rumnill, who comes aboard a ship with morale issues, Dorothy Dandridge plays Mahia, a Maori woman hastily brought on board with her husband to serve as steward and cook, and Broderick Crawford plays Henry Scott, the mastermind of an evil plan to kill everyone aboard and collect a reward for bringing the ship in, with Stuart…
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Andrew L. Stone isn't among the pantheon of auteurs for a reason. As "The Decks Ran Red" proves, he was, at best, a capable hand, one not much given to invention or idiosycrasy. This story of mutiny and murder is nowhere near as tense or claustrophobic (or sexy) as it should be. Blandness rules. James Mason and Dorothy Dandridge are wasted; Broderick Crawford, the old ham, gets by on bluff alone.
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The Decks Ran Red is a decent little mutiny thriller from Andrew L. Stone. The cast is arguably the film's greatest component. Mason's turn as a man getting his first break as a captain on a mutinous ship is very good; Broderick Crawford is his typically usual evil self. Dorothy Dandridge is splendid. In a different era, she'd have been a mega star. Even here, she has to play a Maori woman (she doesn't bother with the accent) in order to evade the wrath of the censors. Dandridge is the sleek, sultry third wheel that adds room for the film to pivot and is probably what makes the film mostly interesting.
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The 1950s, Pt. III: 37/100
1958 RankedThe Decks Ran Red is a rock solid film from director Andrew L. Stone. From the outset, we hear narration warning us of the havoc being caused on SS Berwind, largely led by the nefarious Henry Scott (Broderick Crawford). Captain Edwin Rummill (James Mason) is the man tasked with bringing the Berwind into line and making up the time already lost on its schedule. Unfortunately, he is also the perfect mark for Scott in his long-planned devious plot to stage a mutiny aboard a ship. In 1958, the film proved quite popular despite meager reviews because of Dorothy Dandridge, who is a showstopper here, while Mason is solid as the upright and determined…
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Dandridge and Mason both give excellent performances (stars are for them). Unfortunately the movie doesn't deserve them -- it's predictable and pretty much devoid of suspense which it should have had in spades.
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Surprisingly effective naval mutiny thriller with a strong James Mason taking on an equally strong (and EVIL) Broderick Crawford. It seems a little slow at first, but as things pick up and Crawford's manipulations are laid bare, it definitely draws you in. Also nice to see Dandridge, though (as ever) I wish she'd been given more to do.
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I wasn’t sure what to expect, but this movie is very intense and goes in some uncharted, choppy waters at a dizzying pace. All puns intended. Andrew Stone has an interesting track record, and I was ready to write this off when I saw his name followed by the first few unprofessionally jerky opening scenes. Nevertheless, he regained his composure quickly and by the end does a masterful job capturing the suffocating action happening in the cramped halls of the ship. Not nearly enough Dorothy Dandridge and her character is terribly written, but she acts the shit out of this disturbingly shallow role. Likewise, the script does the Black guy, Joel Fluellen, wrong by making him an impulsive idiot with hardly any dialogue but Fluellen brings it.
This earns a notable place in cinematic history as being Hollywood‘s first onscreen interracial kiss.
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It’s a big ask for The Decks Ran Red to be in black-and-white. Maybe it’s a bigger ask to have blood at all?
Another Andrew Stone-directed, James Mason-starring vehicle. They made two average films together, and I’ve now seen them both. This one was a little more effective a drama for me. We trade the skies of Cry Terror! with the open waters off of New Zealand. Mason goes from the architect of a bomb to the captain of the ship, but he’s the hero all the same. But Broderick Crawford makes for a more intriguing villain than Rod Steiger under Stone’s direction.