THE
PHANTOM SHIP (aka THE MYSTERY OF THE MARIE CELESTE) (1935)Director: Denison Clift
Image Entertainment
THE
PHANTOM SHIP (aka THE MYSTERY OF THE MARIE CELESTE) (1935)Image Entertainment has just released
what is arguably the best print source ever for THE PHANTOM SHIP. Made in 1935
in England for the fledgling Hammer Films, it contains one of Bela Lugosi's
finest performances in this little-seen melodrama. A perfect blending of pathos
and menace, Lugosi scores a major triumph in the role of a vengeful seafaring
man named Anton Lorenzen who boards the Marie Celeste for the second time to
set right the wrongs visited upon him by the crew. Clearly this is one of Lugosi's
most unusual films and certainly in this writer's opinion, one of his greatest
performances. His complex and sympathetic portrayal is phenomenal to say the
very least.
Lugosi was at the height of his career when he made THE PHANTOM SHIP. He must have felt that accepting this role would lead him further away from the shadow of Dracula but by 1939 he was already in decline and his next English film, DARK EYES OF LONDON, would exploit the Dracula connection to the fullest. THE PHANTOM SHIP attests to Lugosi's versatility which many fans have not had an opportunity to witness.
"The Mystery of the Marie Celeste" is one of the great-unsolved mysteries of the sea and in 1935 MGM was thinking of filming a big-budget screen version to follow up the success of MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY (1935). Had this happened, Lugosi would perhaps have been left out. THE PHANTOM SHIP had additional scenes in a courtroom which are now lost forever.
The sound and visual quality of
this opus are remarkable and is taken from an original 35mm print. There are
a few scratches present at the beginning of the film and some speckling here
and there but anyone who has ever seen VHS 
prints
of this film will know how vastly superior this product is. This print is superior
to the Blackhawk Films' video release that was windowboxed and sepia toned yet
had no definition and the sound was nothing compared to this DVD presentation.
All Lugosi fans will want this
DVD and those of you who love Hammer Films and thought it all began in the late
50s -- guess again! This scribe is willing to bet most of you never imagined
Lugosi as one of Hammer Films' first leading men!
THE PHANTOM SHIP, while boasting a fine performance from Lugosi, is a bit creaky and melodramatic to say the least. And unless you are a hardcore Lugosi enthusiast you might want to just rent this one. However, if you enjoy silent films and the slow-paced atmosphere of a 30s mystery, then this might be a fine addition to your library.
Image Entertainment triumphs yet again. THE PHANTOM SHIP in all its black and white glory is a rare, unusual and very satisfying effort. Don't miss this one. (Christopher Dietrich)