Customer Reviews

Souls at Sea [VHS]

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Cooper and Raft are well cast as buddies on the seas of the 1850s, fighting the slave trade. There's a sinking ship climax reminiscent of TITANIC on a small scale and a court drama where Cooper is accused of wanton murder in rescuing some but not all from the wreck. Impeccably restored black and white print and well directed with good solid performances. Oscar nommed for Art Direction, Score and Assistant Director.

When a ship sailing for America catches fire and sinks, very few passengers survive. Michael Taylor (Gary Cooper) takes command of the only surviving lifeboat and makes some tough decisions to expell some of its occupants for survival. Once he is rescued, he is brought to trial for murdering the men he kicked out of the boat. Fortunately, the entire story is allowed to be told. Michael and his friend Powdah (George Raft) are in the slave ship business, although Michael has secret dealings with the authorities. His rival Stanley Tarryton (Henry Wilcoxon) is secretly involved in the trade although it is his job to abolish it. To complicate matters, Michael falls in love with Tarryton's sister Margaret (Frances Dee). They all end up together on the fatal ship to America.

Souls at Sea is based on real events, although the story has been made up to avoid making any accusations. The bulk of the story involves the rivalry between Michael and Stanley, the friendship between Powdah and Micahel, and the love story between Margaret and Michael. Cooper truly carries the story, and he does it well, especially in his romantic scenes. He was known for being a quiet man, but he is able to tell a great deal simply in his facial expressions. Consequently, the images are more memorable than the dialogue.