Captains Courageous

Product Details

The fishing schooner We're Here has just pulled up a different kind of fish: rich, 10-year-old Harvey Cheyne, who tumbled off the side of a sleek ocean liner. Harvey will have to wait months before the We're Here returns to harbor, months that will transform him from a spoiled whiner into an honorable young man - all because of the life lessons he learns from Manuel, the humble fisherman who befriends him. From Rudyard Kipling's classic, Captains Courageous thrills with its seagoing action, grand scale and all-star cast. But what gives it full-masted magnificence is the chemistry between Freddie Bartholomew (Harvey) and Spencer Tracy (Manuel). Tracy won his first Best Actor Academy Award?* for his towering portrait of the father we all wish for: virile, patient, wise and protective. Set sail for cinema glory.





The award-winning 1937 version of Kipling's classic Captains Courageous finds spoiled-rotten brat Harvey Cheyne (Freddie Bartholomew) well on the way to becoming a horrible adult, under the illusion that money can buy all happiness. The little monster falls off a cruise ship, and is fished out of the drink by Portuguese fisherman Manuel (Spencer Tracy) and brought back to his fishing boat. Though the overprivileged lad initially chafes at being put to work aboard the smelly vessel, he eventually learns the value of a day's work and learns lessons in life that make him a functional person and bring him several steps closer to manhood. Despite Tracy's indeterminate accent, he excels in his role as the boy's friend, and enthusiastic performances from the rest of the cast bring this coming-of-age tale to life. It's a film that has lost none of its sentimental appeal (or occasional hamminess) over the years and should have an all-ages appeal to fans of Hollywood classics. --Jerry Renshaw

Customer Reviews ::

An excellent movie - Alice in Wonderland -
This 1937 movie is a retelling of Rudyard Kipling's 1897 novel of the same name. In this movie, Harvey Cheyne, the spoiled son of a wealthy but distant father, falls overboard off a Europe-bound ship, and is rescued by a down-to-earth Portuguese fisherman, Manuel Fidello. Unimpressed with the young castaway's unlikely claims of wealth, the captain of the fishing boat offers Harvey a low paying job, in exchange for which Harvey will be fed and taken care of. During the course of the long voyage, Harvey learns a great lesson in humility and caring for others.

This is an excellent movie, one that is still wonderful to watch all these years later. Spencer Tracy (playing Manuel) and Freddie Bartholomew (playing Harvey) both bring a real potency to their roles, giving the movie a startling realism. If you want a nice family-friendly movie, one that with an enthralling storyline and a good lesson, then checkout this classic!

(Review of Captains Courageous starring Spencer Tracy and Freddie Bartholomew)