Voyage of the Damned

Starring:Faye Dunaway, Oskar Werner, Lee Grant, Sam Wanamaker, Lynne Frederick, David de Keyser, Della McDermott, Genevieve West, Luther Adler, Wendy Hiller, Julie Harris, Nehemiah Persoff, Maria Schell, Paul Koslo, Jonathan Pryce, Brian Gilbert, Georgina Hale, Adele Strong, Milo Sperber, Max von Sydow
Director: Stuart Rosenberg
Studio: Geneon [Pioneer]
Product Type: DVD

Description

This was not your standard passenger list. Some were concentration camp victims. Others just wanted to join relatives in Cuba. Some were wealthy enough to afford the voyage. Most left everything behind in hope they could escape German terror. The passengers are unaware that the voyage is a sham, simply one of Goebbel's propaganda exercises. This ship will not be able to dock in Havana and, when the rest of the world turns the ship away, the Jews will have to return to Germany. Just as hope has all but vanished, the passengers receive word that some European countries may take them in. Come what may, the passengers resolve not to return to the camps. Faye Dunaway, Max Von Sydow, Oskar Werner, Malcolm McDowell, Orson Welles, James Mason, Katherine Ross, Ben Gazzara, Lee Grant and Julie Harris.

Customer Reviews:

perfectly-pitched human drama.......2005-03-16

VOYAGE OF THE DAMNED, Sir Lew Grade's star-studded dramatisation of the infamous SS St. Louis affair, is absorbing and harrowing viewing. The cast is truly amazing and most of the characters come directly from real-life people caught up in the drama. During World War II, 937 Jewish citizens were curiously allowed to leave Germany and emigrate to Cuba. While many believed the offer to be a trap, most took their chances and decided to flee from the impending Holocaust. Sure enough, once the ship docks in Havana, the passengers are refused entry and their visas' are cancelled. With country after county refusing to take them, the Captain has no other option than to return to Germany...

The escalating horror and dread onboard the ship is perfectly-pitched amongst the strong cast, with standouts including Faye Dunaway and Oskar Werner as Dr. and Denise Kreisler; Max von Sydow as the Captain; Lee Grant as Lillian Rosen (with Lynne Frederick as her daughter); Dame Wendy Hiller as Recha Weiler; Julie Harris as Alice Feinchild and Helmut Griem as the menacing Otto.

The cast also features Malcolm McDowall as the sympathetic young Captain's steward; Katharine Ross as the frantic daughter in Havana trying to save her onboard parents; Paul Koslo as Aaron Pozner and Ben Gazzara as Morris Troper, who becomes one of the refugees' most ardent champions and saviours.

The rest of the cast includes Janet Suzman, Victor Spinetti, James Mason, Luther Adler, Nehemiah Persoff, Denholm Elliott and Georgina Hale. Originally shown on TV in two parts (179 mins); and the cinema version runs for 155 mins with several altered scenes and cuts.

Voyage of the Damned - film.......2004-10-05

I just bought a copy of this film to donate to the local Holocaust library. The movie glosses over much of the atrocity of the event that is detailed in the book of the same name, especially the "great silence" by the United States. (I urge anyone interested in that aspect to read "The Abandonment of the Jews".) But the fact remains that many people will watch a movie, while they will not read the actual book. It is an historical event which every educated person should be aware of.

True Horror in False Hope.......2004-09-14

Aside from the fact that these events (or perhaps events just like them but more horrible ) took place, this film could not be more compelling.

It is filled with first rate performances (some only in cameo, but all of them fully drawn and realized). This is perhaps among the best ensemble film work done by Lee Grant, Faye Dunnaway, Julie Harris, and a host of others. Tension builds with unrelenting force as the story shifts back and forth between The "damned" St. Louis, and Havana where "conscience" in the persons of a father and a leader of the Jewish agency (Ben Gazarra in a meaty role) attempt, unsuccessfully, to plead, then shame, then bully Cuban politicians into honoring the visas issued to the jewish passengers.

We watch as this tension takes its toll on so many of the passengers. We watch as the largely Nazi crew commits their small tortures upon the passengers. We know, as do the passengers and the Captain (Masterfully played by Max Von Sydow) what awaits them should they be forced to return to Germany. The fact that the entire voyage is a perverted Nazi publicity stunt ("See, no one wants them!") is driven home when both the United States and Canada refuse permission to enter their waters....

No spoiler here - you will have to watch the film to see their endings. The performances will haunt you. The set pieces (The entire masked - ball sequence for example) will haunt you. The soundtrack is evocative of europe in days gone by, and the beautiful theme, restated by a variety of instuments and in increasing earnestness, ties the many stories of this large ensemble cast into one coherent experience for the audience.

This is, to many, a mere footnote to history, the plight of these people. But watch and see if you don't feel the largeness of their fear. The impotence of their hopelessness. This underappreciated film has much to teach us that cannot be found in history books.

My only regret is - no widescreen edition. This film begs for it.

All Star Cast Pulls It Off.......2003-07-18

The tremendous cast drives this fact-based story of a ship of over nine-hundred Jewish refugees allowed to leave Germany not long before the start of WWII to settle in Cuba. The Germans had no intention of letting the ship dock in Cuba, but it was a propoganda ploy. As the title of the film indicates, there is a feeling of doom permeating the whole story.

Max Von Sydow does an excellent job portraying the compassionate captain trying to find some way of saving his passengers despite the personal risk to himself and his family back in Germany. An all-star cast populates the passengers with strong performances coming from Faye Dunaway, Oskar Werner, Wendy Hiller, Maria Schell, as well as Sam Wanamaker and Lee Grant who both get a memorable scene of hysteria each.

The attempts on land to solve the problem of the ship make up the other part of the film. Most of these cameos are brief, although Ben Gazzara and especially Katherine Ross standout.

The direction isn't particularly inspired, and if it weren't for the compelling story and cast, the film would have been far less effective. It is darkly photographed, which adds to the atmosphere of the story and sets and costumes are all authentic and well done.

Voyage of the Damned isn't a great film, but the plight of its characters and the fact that it really happened will keep viewers watching until the end.

a great little flick !.......2002-02-16

I rented this movie one night because the title caught my eye as did the list of the stars.This movie is very long but extremly well scripted,casted,acted and edited.Story a german cruise ship the St.Loise(mispelled)filled with 937 Jewish refugees. The ship is enroute to Havana but the Nazi government made a deal with some Havana officials not to allow them to dock or let anyone off.The best performances are Lee Grant(oscar nomination and Golden Globe nomination),Osker Warner,Malcom Mcdowell,Katharine Ross(Winner of the Golden Globe best supporting actress),Faye Dunaway,Orsonne wells,Julie Harris, Jonathan Pryce the list goes on and on please rent this great movie!1!!!!

Voyage of the Damned [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2 Import - Sweden ]

Average customer rating:

Voyage of the Damned [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2 Import - Sweden ]
Director: Stuart Rosenberg
Manufacturer: Atlantic Film
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Product Description

Sweden released, PAL/Region 2 DVD: it WILL NOT play on standard US DVD player. You need multi-region PAL/NTSC DVD player to view it in USA/Canada. Languages: o Swedish (subtitles) o English (Mono) Synopsis: Often described as a Ship of Fools with a conscience, Voyage of the Damned is based on a true story. In 1939, the Nazis ostentatiously loaded a luxury liner with 937 Jewish Germans refugees from all walks of life. The ship then tried to drop anchor in Havana, Cuba-only to have its passengers refused entry by the Cuban government, in keeping with its super-stringent immigration policies. This was exactly what the Nazis expected to happen, and indeed wanted to happen. By having the refugees turned away from Havana, the German government could "prove" that the Jews were indeed the most unwanted race on earth, thereby justifying Hitler's extermination policy. The crosssection of humanity on board the ship includes the requisite big-time stars: Faye Dunaway as a monocle-sporting countess and Oscar Werner as Dunaway's society-doctor husband; professor Luther Adler and his wife Wendy Hiller; poverty-stricken Nehemiah Persoff and Maria Schell, who hope to be reunited with their "fallen" daughter Katherine Ross; disbarred attorney Sam Wanamaker and his family (wife Lee Grant, daughter Lynne Frederick); anti-Nazi captain Max Von Sydow; and so on. Representing the Cuban government are president Fernando Rey and bureaucrat Jose Ferrer; other Havana denizens include businessman Orson Welles and minister James Mason. Despite its morbid overtones, Voyage of the Damned ends on a faintly positive note, as a superimposed title informs us that many of the ship's passengers managed to survive the Holocaust.

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