The Decks Ran Red

Director: Andrew L. Stone Andrew L. Stone

Overview

In this suspenseful high-seas thriller, first-mate Rumill finally gets to command a ship, an aging scow of a freighter, following the suspicious death of the captain. The crew members are less than pleased when Rumill arrives and considerable tension abounds.

Product Details

Release Date:	06/04/2013
UPC:	0883316797617
Original Release:	1958
Rating:	NR
Source:	Warner Archives
Presentation:	[B&W, Wide Screen]
Language:	English
Time:	1:24:00

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

James Mason	Capt. Edwin Rummill
Dorothy Dandridge	Mahia
Broderick Crawford	Henry Scott
Stuart Whitman	Leroy Martin
Katharine Bard	Joan Rumill,Joan Rumill
Jack Kruschen	Alex Cole
John Gallaudet	`Bull' Pringle
Barney Phillips	Karl Pope
David Cross	Mace
Hank Patterson	Mr. Moody
Harry Bartell	Tom Walsh
Joel Fluellen	Pete
Guy Kingsford	Jim Osborne
Jonathan Hole	Mr. Adams
Harlan Warde	Vic
Joel Marston	Russ Henderson
Ed Hinton	Mansard
Marshall Kent	Sammy
Robert Christopher	Seaman
Art Lewis	Seaman
Joe Devlin	Seaman

Technical Credits

Virginia Stone

Virginia Stone

Producer,Director,Producer,Screenwriter

Editorial Reviews

A moderately entertaining "B" movie, The Decks Ran Red boasts some "A" level talent among its cast, starting with star James Mason and including supporting players Broderick Crawford, Stuart Whitman and Dorothy Dandridge. The material doesn't really give these players the chance to shine at their brightest, but they add enough of a glow to get the film through some of its very rough spots. Mason is at his best when the script lets him be the stiff captain whose outward calm belies an inner insecurity; he's less at home when called upon to go into action and save the ship during the climax. Crawford and Whitman don't really stretch themselves very much, but they're quite effectively evil and appropriately menacing. Dandridge looks sultry and stunning and makes quite an impression; it's also worth noting that it was quite unusual that a picture in 1958 included a black woman who was presented as being sexually alluring to white men. Decks features some truly awful dialogue, and there is a general lack of plausibility to the plot, both of which impact negatively on the film. But the physical setting is impressive, and director Andrew Stone and cinematographer Meredith Nicholson make wonderful use of the ship. Virginia Stone's editing is dramatic and precise, and the abandonment of background music in place of "natural" sound effects is a decision that pays off.