Atlantic Ferry

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Atlantic Ferry a.k.a. Sons of the Sea
Atlantic Ferry VideoCover.png
Directed by Walter Forde
Written byDerek MacIver (story)
Wynne MacIver (story)
Gordon Wellesley
Edward Dryhurst
Emeric Pressburger
Produced byMax Milder (uncredited)
Culley Forde (associate producer)
Starring Michael Redgrave
Valerie Hobson
Griffith Jones
Cinematography Basil Emmott [1]
Edited by Terence Fisher
Music by Jack Beaver
Production
company
Distributed byWarner Bros.
Release dates
  • 6 September 1941 (1941-09-06)(UK)
  • 7 February 1942 (1942-02-07)(U.S.)
CountriesUnited Kingdom
United States
LanguageEnglish

Atlantic Ferry (alternate U.S. title: Sons of the Sea) is a 1941 British film directed by Walter Forde and starring Michael Redgrave and Valerie Hobson. [2] It was made at Teddington Studios.

Contents

Plot

In 1837 Liverpool, brothers Charles and David MacIver have great faith in steam-powered ships. Their first attempt, the coastal freighter Gigantic, proves to be an embarrassing and costly failure, sinking immediately after being launched. David becomes discouraged and, to save their failing shipping firm, agrees to a merger proposed by longtime rival George Burns.

Charles, however, is undaunted, despite being turned down by every banker when he seeks new funding. He gives his share of the family firm to David and sets out on his own. He teams up with American Samuel Cunard and engineer Robert Napier, and they build the RMS Britannia. They win a British mail contract and make the first steamship crossing of the Atlantic, from Liverpool to Boston, in record time, despite a storm that threatens to sink the ship.

Romantic complications ensue when both brothers fall in love with Mary Ann Morison, the daughter of an important government shipping official. She agrees to marry David (before she becomes acquainted with his brother), but it is Charles who wins her heart.

Cast

Reception

The film received neutral-to-negative reviews. [3] [4] [5]

According to Warner Bros. records, it earned $87,000 domestically and $16,000 foreign. [6]

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References

  1. Love, Bessie (1977). From Hollywood with Love: An Autobiography of Bessie Love. London: Elm Tree Books. p. 154. OCLC   734075937.
  2. "Atlantic Ferry (1941)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 12 February 2019. Retrieved 7 September 2014.
  3. Anderson, L.C. (25 April 1942). "What the Picture Did for Me". Motion Picture Herald. p. 51. Put this one on the shelf. It won't suit folks who are accustomed to seeing good films made in America.
  4. "Sons of the Sea (1942)". TCM.
  5. "Sons of the Sea (1942)". AllMovie.
  6. The William Shaefer Ledger, Appendix 1, Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, (1995) 15:sup1, 1–31 p. 22 DOI: 10.1080/01439689508604551