A Reel Retro Review: PLYMOUTH ADVENTURE (1952)

Thanksgiving is nearly here; the turkey-heavy holiday which, among many other things, commemorates the first dinner celebrated by Pilgrims after their first harvest in the New World in 1621. The beloved holiday has not seen as much attention on the big screen as its brethren event of Christmas, but one film in 1952 told the story of the long journey to that coveted New World in PLYMOUTH ADVENTURE. 

 

Captain Jones (Spencer Tracy), and his First Mate Coppin (Lloyd Bridges), lead a group of Pilgrims on a perilous journey across the Atlantic Ocean abord the Mayflower. While Jones deals with harsh weather and illness on board, he begins to fall for Dorothy (Gene Tierney), the wife of one of the Pilgrim leaders. 

 

Directed by Clarence Brown and based on the novel The Voyage of the Mayflower by Ernest Gebler, PLYMOUTH ADVENTURE works mostly as a character drama than it does an adventure film…despite its fun title. Nearly all of the film takes place during the long journey, turning into a closed-quarters drama with characters fighting or caring for each other. In center of it all is John Alden (Van Johnson), a carpenter who falls for a young maiden on board. Jones meantime finds himself stuck in a love triangle, even though he deeply believes that the Pilgrims are a bunch of fools for seeking religious freedom in an untamed country. 

 

There is a lot going on in the story; in addition to the character drama there’s also a stowaway Pilgrim wanted by the British government, issues of religious freedom, and battles over who is really in charge of the ship. With so much going on its difficult to latch onto a single thing as the narrative shifts gears often. 

 

But there is still a lot to enjoy when things actually do get moving. The cinematography is gorgeous, and the large scale of the ocean is always conveyed well. The film would win an Oscar for Best Visual Effects and it shows; a wicked storm that has the ship nearly going down is impressive even by today’s standards. The score by Miklos Rozsa is excellent. 

 

Acting is decent. Spencer Tracy embraces the fable of the drunken skipper a little too much and often comes off as cartoonish. Gene Tierney is an absolute delight. Lloyd Bridges is in a minor role but makes his presence known each time. 

 

PLYMOUTH ADVENTURE feels like it could have worked better it if stuck closer to its own title and shed most of the near-soap opera drama. The film doesn’t make it all the way to that first Thanksgiving dinner, but for all the hardship that it does show during the trip, we can tell that the Pilgrims have certainly earned their way. It’s a journey-over-destination type of film, and worth putting on in the background while we wait for the turkey to finish. 

 

BOTTOM LINE: Rent it 

 

Reel Facts: This would be the final film for director Clarence Brown, whose career stretched back into the silent era and would include six Oscar nominations for Best Director. The large-scale model of the Mayflower used in filming is on display at the Original Benjamin’s Calabash Seafood restaurant in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.