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> Dangerous Crossing (Fox Film Noir) |
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Staring:
Jeanne Crain,
Michael Rennie,
Max Showalter,
Carl Betz,
Mary Anderson
Director:
Joseph M. Newman
Average Customer Rating:  
List Price: $14.98
Our Price: $8.21
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Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Binding: DVD
Brand: CRAIN,JEANNE
EAN: 0024543446675
Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, DVD, Full Screen, Subtitled, NTSC
Label: 20th Century Fox
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: 20th Century Fox
Region Code: 1
Release Date: 2008-03-11
Running Time: 75
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Theatrical Release Date: 1953 |
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Product Description
No Description Available.
Genre: Mystery
Rating: NR
Release Date: 11-MAR-2008
Media Type: DVD
Amazon.com
A relaxing cruise turns into a terrifying journey in Joseph M. Newman's Dangerous Crossing. Part of the Fox Film Noir series, Newman's classy B-movie plays more like a psychological thriller with some particularly atmospheric visuals (heavy on the studio-generated fog). As her honeymoon begins, newlywed Ruth Bowman (Jeanne Craine, Pinky) explores the ship while husband John (Carl Betz, The Donna Reed Show) runs an errand. On deck, a friendly divorcée warns Ruth, "You mustn't let him out of your sight--husbands can get lost so easily." (The familiar-looking sets were recycled from 1953's Titanic and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.) Hours later, John hasn't returned, and no one has seen him. Ruth’s inquiries uncover an empty room, a missing passport, and her spouse’s absence from the passenger list. All signs point to delusion. Ruth's plight brings her to the attention of Dr. Paul Manning (the elegant Michael Rennie, The Day the Earth Stood Still), who offers to help in any way he can. Though Ruth confesses to a brief bout with depression, there’s nothing else in her background to indicate instability, but that disclosure leads Manning to the real cause of her distress. Based on John Dickson Carr's 1943 radio play Cabin B-13 and shot in 19 days, Newman (This Island Earth) conjures up as much intrigue as Alfred Hitchcock's The Lady Vanishes. The excellent extras include comprehensive commentary from Fox historian Aubrey Solomon, a short featurette (Peril at Sea: Charting a Dangerous Crossing), several stills galleries, and the original theatrical trailer. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
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Did she have a husband...or is she mad? Only the ship's doctor can help., 2010-01-02
"I'll meet you in 15 minutes in the main deck bar. We'll drink a toast to us." When the young, wealthy and nervous Ruth Stanton (Jeanne Crain) hears this from her impetuously-wedded new husband just after boarding a transatlantic steamer for their honeymoon, be prepared for the disappearing spouse gambit (or disappearing brother or best friend). The disappearance may take place on a train, in a Paris hotel or on a cruise ship, but we know that the young woman will soon think she must be mad...yet, in this case, she knows she had a husband. Why does everyone she meets, from fellow passengers to the stewards and third officers, deny ever having seen the man. It looks like sedation and confinement is in the works for Ruth, but then kindly Paul Manning (Michael Rennie), the ship's doctor, thinks that...just maybe...Ruth Stanton might be telling the truth.
And off we go on a voyage filled with nighttime fog, dark passage ways, muffled struggles, disbelief and, as we early on surmise, an unscrupulous plot designed to bring a young woman to madness.
Dangerous Crossing benefits from the old warhorse of a plot, from the creepy look of the film and, if you like transatlantic ships, the pleasurable goings on of those who dress for dinner in the grand salon. Michael Rennie is tall, calm and reassuring. Jeanne Crain, however, is from Hollywood's Loretta Young School of Acting, which includes Gene Tierney, Donna Reed, Ann Blythe and, sometimes, Anne Baxter. That is, the actresses must always be well groomed, immaculately made up, dressed casually to the nines and, in general, be able to mix restrained hysteria with well-bred graciousness.
We know what's going on early in the movie, but still, getting to the last words is an easy way to spend 75 minutes.
"Everything he said and did was like a terrible nightmare. Only worse because it was real," Ruth says to Paul.
"Ruth, listen to me. You've got to put it out of your mind, the whole thing. It was a nightmare, but your eyes are open now. It's over, Ruth, all over. You've got tomorrow to think of...and lots of tomorrows after that..."
"I know you're right, Paul."
The movie looks just fine. For those who enjoy commentary tracks, there's one by Aubrey Solomon, identified as a film historian.
"A VERY GOOD FILM NOIR", 2009-05-30
JOHN DICKSON CARR (WRITER) IS A NAME I'VE HEARD SINCE I WAS A KID. AFTER ALL,I HAVE HUNDRED'S OF
"SUSPENSE" RADIO SHOW'S. "CABIN B-13" IS THE ORIGINAL TITLE WHICH WAS PERFORMED LIVE
ON THE RADIO TWICE WITH RALPH BALLAMY (LOST EPISODE) ALSO,MARGO AND PHILLIP DORN,BOTH
IN 1943.
HE'S MISSING ON THEIR HONEYMOON CRUISE. THE PEOPLE SHE MEET'S ON THE SHIP MAY HAVE SOMETHING
TO DO WITH HER HUSBAND'S DISAPPEARANCE.
FINE ACTING BY EVERYONE ESPECIALLY;CRANE,RENNIE AND CARL BETZ. +6 FEATURES,AUDIO COMMENTARY,
ETC. I GIVE THIS FILM,4 1/2 STAR'S.
better be careful--husbands can get lost, you know..., 2009-02-12
Dangerous Crossing is one of the best thriller/mysteries I've seen to date. It was actually filmed in a mere nineteen days although you'd never guess it! Jeanne Crain was highly intelligent and put everyone to the task of keeping up with her; and the result was wonderful. Yes, the ship's foghorn sounds too much during the early half of this film; but it's all atmospheric and despite just a little bit of camp there's really no fat to be found here! The cinematography is excellent and the choreography for action scenes is extremely well done. The film was shot in black and white to highlight the darkness of this mystery thriller.
When the action starts, we meet newlyweds John and Ruth Stanton Bowman (Carl Betz and Jeanne Crain, respectively) who board an ocean liner for a transatlantic crossing on their honeymoon. As the ship pulls out of port in New York City, John mentions to Ruth that he needs to go to the purser to deposit some cash for safekeeping. Trouble is, that's when the mystery begins. Ruth quickly finds out that her husband never keeps his appointment to meet her in the ship's lounge bar--and there's not even a record of him boarding the ship! The cabin stewardess who saw them both as she prepared the cabin politely but strongly denies that she ever saw John; and his passport and clothing are missing from their cabin!
Ruth panics, understandably, and when she is reassigned to another room the captain of the ship starts to suspect that Ruth is crazy and deluded. He wants to confine Ruth to her cabin for the crossing but the much kinder ship's doctor Paul Manning (Michael Rennie) wants to investigate Ruth's story just on the chance that she might not be hallucinating after all.
Nevertheless, Ruth continues to panic and this only makes the captain as well as the other passengers rather uncomfortable. After Ruth makes a big scene in the ship's ballroom even Dr. Manning agrees to let the captain forcibly confine Ruth to her cabin for the remainder of the voyage.
So, now, how will this all be resolved? Ruth does get one very brief phone call from her husband John who warns her that they are being watched--is it true? Where is John--on the ship or on land? Is Ruth waving goodbye to anyone in particular as the ship pulls out of port in New York City? Watch the movie and find out--I'm certainly not about to give out spoilers!
The DVD comes with an interview with Jeanne Crain's granddaughter and that's grand. There are a few other extras but this interview is really the best of them in my opinion.
Dangerous Crossing is a fine mystery thriller that looks quite professional despite the fact that is was produced on a rather low budget and filmed in just nineteen days. I highly recommend this film for persons who like mysteries; and fans of Michael Rennie and the others in the cast will not be disappointed.
Jeanne Crain dazzles in suspenseful mystery at sea, 2009-11-04
Gene Tierney might have been the reigning female star of noir at Fox, but Jeanne Crain certainly gives Tierney a run for her money in the sublime "locked room" mystery DANGEROUS CROSSING, one of her last major movies before leaving the studio in 1953.
In DANGEROUS CROSSING, Jeanne Crain plays Ruth, the lovely if ever-so-slightly unstable wife of John Bowman (Carl Betz). Their honeymoon cruise hits a snag when the groom promptly "disappears" just as the boat launches. Frantic Ruth appeals for help from passengers and crew members alike but the story is always the same: they don't recall seeing Ruth with anyone, let alone a husband. Concerned Dr. Manning (Michael Rennie) takes the shattered woman under his wing; and he's determined to discover the real cause of Ruth's "delirium". But no-one, much less Ruth, will be able to understand the true motives behind the vanished husband.
Economically filmed in only nineteen days using the pre-existing ship sets built for the 1953 Fox production of "Titanic", DANGEROUS CROSSING is a testament to the professionalism of Jeanne Crain--who was battling a 'flu during the shoot--that she was able to flesh out such a believable character in a short amount of time, delivering one of her finest performances in the process. Ruth in DANGEROUS CROSSING is right up there with "Pinky", "Leave Her to Heaven" and "A Letter to Three Wives".
The "locked room" mystery movie is a great example of a successful noir sub-genre; other movies with the same theme include Hitchcock's "The Lady Vanishes", 1932's "Midnight Warning", and the underrated masterpiece "So Long at the Fair" starring Jean Simmons and Dirk Bogarde (still sadly-unavailable on DVD--hello, Criterion!). DANGEROUS CROSSING was based on a popular radio play by John Dickson Carr entitled "Cabin B-13".
The DVD includes a wonderful new Making Of featurette ("Peril at Sea: Charting a Dangerous Crossing"), audio commentary with Aubrey Solomon, isolated musical score track, interactive galleries and the trailer; plus sneak peeks at similar titles in the Fox Film Noir collection.
Highly recommended.
Sailing into the fog, 2009-07-04
This is a great little B-movie suspense noir. Gorgeous Jeanne Crain boards a cruise ship to honeymoon with her new hubby after a whirlwind romance. He leaves their suite promising to meet her in the bar in 15 minutes... and simply vanishes. Crain starts looking for him, but no one can recall having seen this mysterious husband at all. There's no indication she came aboard with anyone. Their suite is empty and her baggage is in another room. The crew starts believing she's delusional--even the sympathetic doctor, played by Michael Rennie (The Day the Earth Stood Still). He spends a lot of time with her (who wouldn't), trying to cure her of her hallucinations and hysteria. The fog-shrouded nights help build the atmosphere of confusion and paranoia, which grows steadily thicker before finally lifting at the denouement. Old B-movie noirs were made on shoestring budgets (this one was filmed in under 3 weeks!). Frills were out, so they had to rely on good storytelling. This is a dang good one!
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