Review: The Ship That Died of Shame

The ship of the title is a WWII ship, now repurposed sometime after the war into a vessel for smuggling activities carried out by the very same ex-servicemen who used it during the war. George Baker tragically loses his wife and finds it tough to get work after returning home from the war. So when his sleazy ex-comrade Richard Attenborough to help smuggle some goods (booze, chocolate, etc), he somewhat reluctantly accepts. They also recruit fellow ex-serviceman Bill Owen. However, they eventually acquire a partner in smuggler Roland Culver, and that’s where the operation turns a bit more sinister. Bernard Lee plays a cynical customs officer who knows they’re up to something but hasn’t quite been able to catch them in the act yet. Virginia McKenna appears briefly as Baker’s wife.

 

Dreadful title, but this solid 1955 Ealing Studios crime-caper has an even worse alternate title in “PT Raiders”. At least this title is less generic and does pertain to the plot, silly as it sounds. Directed by Basil Dearden (“Khartoum”), it’s no world-beater but a pretty irresistible story with terrific performances right down the line. Richard Attenborough probably deserves top mention for his rather seedy performance. He’s genuinely creepy in his seeming enthusiasm for the nastier side of war, let alone crime. George Baker is a good choice for essentially the only halfway sympathetic character among the leads, whilst Bernard Lee and Roland Culver offer sterling support. It’s a bit of a shame that Virginia McKenna’s appearance is so brief, however. It’s basically a glorified cameo. I actually don’t think the film needs her character anyway, and the opening 10 minutes are the film’s sole flaw. I think they slow things down before it really gets off the ground. After that, things pick up and never really let down. There’s a bit of a supernatural tinge to the film as the title may suggest, but it’s very, very slightly introduced and doesn’t seem that incongruous to me.

 

Ungainly titled and slightly slow to start, this post-WWII caper has a pretty enjoyable plot and is enacted by a bunch of pros. Worth a look, though with more judicious editing it could’ve been damn good instead of pretty good. At any rate, it’s still probably a bit underrated by some. Based on a magazine story by Nicholas Monsarrat (“The Cruel Sea”), the screenplay is by John Whiting (“The Captain’s Table”, “The Devils”), Michael Relph (“The Man Who Haunted Himself”), and Dearden.

 

Rating: B-

 

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