michaelRokeefe Review of The Long Voyage Home

The Long Voyage Home (1940)

Excellent. A John Ford seafaring masterpiece.

[7/10 · 28 April 2007]

Director John Ford gathers friends as writer Dudley Nichol distills four classic Eugene O'Neill one-act plays into a very interesting tale of men at sea. A tightly knit crew aboard a merchant ship has different reasons to be on the sea. Some just for the money; some to try and forget memories and some to avoid trouble on dry land. The shipmates grumble when they realize they will dock to take aboard wartime ammunitions. John Wayne plays Ole, a young Swede that decides to take his pay and sail home to his family's farm. Part of the crew try to keep Ole sober on shore leave, so he can buy that ticket for home. Otherwise the seamen will get stinking drunk before signing on for another long voyage. Photographed beautifully in black and white; with a well crafted original score. The cast is a who's who featuring: Barry Fitzgerald, Thomas Mitchell, Ward Bond, John Qualen, Ian Hunter and Joe Sawyer.