Julie is a cynical working girl in a café in a town near Devil's Island (French Guiana) penal colony. While on a work shift just after being released from 30 days in solitary confinement, prisoner André Verne sees her on the wharf. She is unfriendly, but Verne is attracted to her, and arranges to escape long enough to visit her in her cabin. Verne's absence is not noticed because a man in a prisoner’s uniform joins the returning work crew, making the count correct. Verne goes to Julie's room but she wants none of him and threatens to turn him in rather than risk being thrown off the island if found consorting with a prisoner. She doesn’t get the chance because M'sieu Pig has already reported Verne, who is found in Julie's room and returned to prison. She is banished from the island but has no money for passage. Pig wants her to stay but she tells him nothing could ever make her so desperate that she would allow him to touch her. She goes to Marfeu for help and ends up held prisoner in his shack.
Prison warden Grideau is mystified by the fact that the work gang count was correct despite Verne's absence. Grideau thinks that Verne has potential, unlike most of the prisoners but fears the man is doomed. It is only a matter of time before he kills someone. In the prison barracks, the stranger, whose name is Cambreau, begins to show the qualities that begin to define him as a mysterious, supernatural character: his anticipation of events (including weather), his knowledge of people, his physical endurance, his readiness with appropriate quotes from scripture, even his unexplained possession of money when needed. In a conversation with Verne, he offers the idea, central to the film, that "every man has God in his heart". Verne finds this wildly funny, pointing to all the wonderful examples of God around them. Moll has masterminded a jailbreak and takes Cambreau, Telez, Hessler, a serial killer who poisons his wives, Flaubert, and Dufond with him. Verne and Moll are bitter enemies, but in spite of this—or because of it—Verne plans to catch up with them and join in.
The trek through the jungle is brutal. They need food, and Cambreau, who never tires, strides off purposefully into the undergrowth. Julie has been fighting with Marfeu, who caught her packing a sack with food, trying to get away. Her arm is raised to stab him to death when Cambreau's voice is heard saying, “Not that way, Julie.” When she goes to look there is no one, but the sack is gone and there is a wad of money, enough for a passage to the mainland. Marfeu takes it. Later, while Julie is begging him to let her go — hasn’t she been there long enough? — Verne bursts in. He takes the money from Marfeu and takes Julie with him. She makes it clear she is going as he is the best thing available at the moment but will ditch him if something better comes along. They understand each other perfectly. Soon after, Cambreau returns with the supplies. Then Verne appears and joins the escapees.
When they reach the coast, they are barely able to stand from thirst and exhaustion — except for Cambreau. He stops Moll from drinking seawater, and somehow knows the boat that has been hidden for them is around the next point. Refreshed by the water hidden there, they set sail for the mainland. Then during a long, deadly, calm, Julie shares her ugly past, her new hopes, her love for Verne and her fears for him. She could gladly spend her life with him but not on the deadly path he is on. She wishes she could pray, and Cambreau gently tells her that she has been.
Only Verne, Julie, Hessler, and Cambreau survive the long ordeal. The others die, some heroically, all receiving consolation from Cambreau. Once ashore, they set the boat adrift with Moll's body in it, hoping the authorities will assume that there were no survivors of the prison break. Cambreau takes them to a fisherman’s hut where they take refuge, washing, shaving, replacing their rags with clean clothes. The fisherman denies having a boat until Verne threatens him with a razor. In the port on the mainland, Grideau and his men, accompanied by Pig, examine the boat with Moll's body in it. As the escapees hoped, they believe that all died, but Pig finds a scrap of Julie's dress and knows better. Hessler leaves them, announcing that he is off to find a rich widow — his next victim. He is proud of having escaped Cambreau's net and disdains Cambreau's salvation, bidding him a mocking au revoir. Cambreau gravely replies that they will not meet again. Once outside, Hessler pauses and looks back, struggling against belief and then, grimacing demonically, slinks off into the night as a storm begins.
Julie is on the waterfront, looking for passage on a ship in the harbor, but no one will row her out: The weather is bad and getting worse. Pig sees her and threatens to expose Verne unless she agrees to go back to the island with him—and marry him. She scorns him at first, but realizing this is Verne’s only hope, she agrees, on condition that she be allowed to say goodbye, alone. Her conversation with Verne is agonizing, and when Pig comes into the hut, Verne assumes the worst. In the end, Julie goes with Pig. Cambreau is now the only person who knows Verne is alive and Verne will feel safer if he is dead. Despite the terrible weather, they row out to the boat with the fisherman. It is not until after they get there that Cambreau says he should stay behind; there are people he might help. Verne decides to kill him, and punches him in the jaw, deliberately knocking him overboard into the crashing waves. Cambreau clings to a piece of driftwood, evoking the image of Christ on Calvary's cross. The fisherman says Verne is the only one who can save Cambreau. But Verne taunts the drowning man, demanding to know where God is now, saying “the fisherman is God! I'm God! You're... You're....", but Cambreau goes under as he is shouting. Verne freezes in horror. Desperately calling Cambreau's name, he dives into the raging sea to save him. Back on deck, Verne thinks Cambreau is dead and asks him why. Then, Cambreau opens his eyes and Verne, weeping, embraces him.
It is a bright day. The storm has cleared and Julie, Pig, and Grideau are on the deck of the steamer that will take them back to the island. Julie sees Verne walking confidently along the wharf toward the ship and runs out to stop him. He keeps on coming and, full of banter as usual, surrenders to Grideau. Repentant but still cocky, he jokes that a woman like Julie was all the warden really needed to keep him in line. She will wait for him, and they will be married after he has served his term. Across the harbor, the fisherman and Cambreau, aboard the former's boat, watch the steamer. The fisherman asks if they will be all right eventually, and Cambreau replies that all is well now. He says "Goodbye, my friend", to the fisherman, who removes his hat and replies, "Goodbye, Monsieur". Cambreau grips the other man’s shoulder in farewell and strides off down the deck to disappear into the shadows where there is no passage. The gently smiling fisherman slowly makes the sign of the cross on his breast.
Film Daily said: "Here is a good, raw, stark melodrama which holds suspense from the start. Frank Borzage has given it expert directorial attention...Clark Gable fits his role admirably...The acting is high-grade with Joan Crawford giving her best performance to date."
Variety commented: "Although the picture has its many deficiencies, the Crawford characterization will give studio execs idea of proper casting of her talents for the future. Direction by Frank Borzage fails to hit the dramatic punches...He has not clearly defined the spiritual redemption angle, which also adds to the audience confusion. The screenplay does not help Borzage out of his predicament."[4]
Leonard Maltin describes Strange Cargo as an “Intriguing allegorical film...Not for all tastes, but there are fine, realistic performances and [a] flavorful Franz Waxman score.[5]
Censorship issues plagued the film from the beginning, not only in terms of sex and violence but because of the mystical element. The Catholic Legion of Decency gave it a "condemned" rating for presenting "a naturalistic concept of religion contrary to the teachings of Christ, irreverent use of Scripture, and lustful complications." The picture was banned in some places, and this had an adverse effect on the box office.[6]
According to TCM.com, “A biography of producer Joseph L. Mankiewicz quotes him as saying: ‘It was almost a good film. I wish it could have been made later. It was tough doing any kind of film that even approached reality in any way.’ “[7]
TCM’s Margarita Landazuri describes it as “a haunting and unusual film, controversial in its day, and considered by many critics to be the best expression of the metaphysical themes in the work of director Frank Borzage.”[6]
Box office
According to MGM records the film earned $1,311,000 in the US and Canada and $603,000 elsewhere.[3]
Joan Crawford was an American actress and dancer. She started her career as a dancer in traveling theatrical companies before debuting on Broadway. Crawford was signed to a motion picture contract by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1925. Initially frustrated by the size and quality of her parts, Crawford launched a publicity campaign and built an image as a nationally known flapper by the end of the 1920s. By the 1930s, Crawford's fame rivaled MGM colleagues Norma Shearer and Greta Garbo. Crawford often played hardworking young women who find romance and financial success. These "rags-to-riches" stories were well received by Depression-era audiences and were popular with women. Crawford became one of Hollywood's most prominent movie stars and one of the highest paid women in the United States, however, during the late 1930s, her films were not as financially successful.
Possessed is a 1947 American psychological drama directed by Curtis Bernhardt, starring Joan Crawford, Van Heflin, and Raymond Massey in a tale about an unstable woman's obsession with her ex-lover. The screenplay by Ranald MacDougall and Silvia Richards was based upon a story by Rita Weiman.
Frank Borzage was an American film director and actor. He was the first person to win the Academy Award for Best Director for his film 7th Heaven (1927) at the 1st Academy Awards.
Dancing Lady is a 1933 American pre-Code musical film starring Joan Crawford and Clark Gable, and featuring Franchot Tone, Fred Astaire, Robert Benchley, and Ted Healy and His Stooges. The picture was directed by Robert Z. Leonard, produced by John W. Considine Jr., and was based on the novel of the same name by James Warner Bellah, published the previous year. The movie had a hit song in "Everything I Have Is Yours" by Burton Lane and Harold Adamson.
Till The Clouds Roll By is a 1946 American Technicolor musical film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and a fictionalized biopic of composer Jerome Kern, portrayed by Robert Walker. Kern was involved with the production, but died before its completion. It was the first in a series of MGM biopics about Broadway composers.
The Joan Crawford filmography lists the film appearances of American actress Joan Crawford, who starred in numerous feature films throughout a lengthy career that spanned nearly five decades.
Untamed is a 1929 American pre-Code Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer romantic-drama film directed by Jack Conway and starring Joan Crawford, Robert Montgomery, Ernest Torrence, Holmes Herbert, Gwen Lee, and Lloyd Ingraham. The script was adapted by Sylvia Thalberg and Frank Butler, with dialogue by Willard Mack, from a story by Charles E. Scoggins.
Love on the Run is a 1936 American romantic comedy film, directed by W.S. Van Dyke, produced by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, and starring Joan Crawford, Clark Gable, Franchot Tone and Reginald Owen in a story about rival newspaper correspondents assigned to cover the marriage of a socialite. The screenplay by John Lee Mahin, Manuel Seff and Gladys Hurlbut was based on a story by Alan Green and Julian Brodie. Love on the Run is the seventh of eight cinematic collaborations between Crawford and Gable. At the time of its release, Love on the Run was called "a lot of happy nonsense" by critics, but a huge financial success, nonetheless.
Possessed is a 1931 American pre-Code drama film directed by Clarence Brown, starring Joan Crawford and Clark Gable and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The film is the story of Marian Martin, a factory worker who rises to the top as the mistress of a wealthy attorney. The screenplay by Lenore J. Coffee was adapted from the 1920 Broadway play The Mirage by Edgar Selwyn. Possessed was the third of eight film collaborations between Crawford and Gable.
Dance, Fools, Dance is a 1931 pre-Code Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer drama film starring Joan Crawford, Clark Gable, and Lester Vail in a story about a reporter investigating the murder of a colleague. Story and dialogue were created by Aurania Rouverol, and the film was directed by Harry Beaumont. Dance, Fools, Dance was the first of eight movies featuring Crawford and Gable.
Laughing Sinners is a 1931 American pre-Code Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer feature film starring Joan Crawford and Clark Gable in a story about a cafe entertainer who experiences spiritual redemption. The dialogue by Martin Flavin was based upon the play Torch Song by Kenyon Nicholson. The film was directed by Harry Beaumont. Laughing Sinners was the second of eight cinematic collaborations between Crawford and Gable.
Today We Live is a 1933 American pre-Code romance drama film produced and directed by Howard Hawks and starring Joan Crawford, Gary Cooper, Robert Young and Franchot Tone.
Chained is a 1934 American drama film directed by Clarence Brown and starring Joan Crawford and Clark Gable with supporting performances by Otto Kruger, Stuart Erwin, Una O'Connor and Akim Tamiroff. The screenplay was written by John Lee Mahin, Albert Hackett and Frances Goodrich based upon a story by Edgar Selwyn. Ward Bond and Mickey Rooney appear briefly in uncredited roles.
Forsaking All Others is a 1934 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by W.S. Van Dyke, and starring Robert Montgomery, Joan Crawford and Clark Gable. The screenplay was written by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, which was based upon a 1933 play by Edward Barry Roberts and Frank Morgan Cavett starring Tallulah Bankhead.
The Shining Hour is a 1938 American romantic drama film directed by Frank Borzage, based on the 1934 play The Shining Hour by Keith Winter, and starring Joan Crawford and Margaret Sullavan. The supporting cast of the MGM film features Robert Young, Melvyn Douglas, Fay Bainter and Hattie McDaniel.
Mannequin is a 1937 American drama film directed by Frank Borzage and starring Joan Crawford, Spencer Tracy, and Alan Curtis. Crawford plays Jessie, a young working class woman who seeks to improve her life by marrying her boyfriend, only to find out that he is no better than what she left behind. She meets a self-made millionaire with whom she falls in love despite his financial problems.
Parnell is a 1937 American biographical film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, starring Clark Gable as Charles Stewart Parnell, the famous Irish politician. It was Gable's least successful film and is generally considered his worst, and it is listed in The Fifty Worst Films of All Time. The movie addresses the sex scandal that destroyed Parnell's political career, but its treatment of the subject is highly sanitized in keeping with Hollywood content restrictions at the time.
Mad About Men is a 1954 British Technicolor comedy film directed by Ralph Thomas and starring Glynis Johns, Donald Sinden, Anne Crawford and Margaret Rutherford. It was written by Peter Blackmore, who also wrote the 1948 film Miranda which preceded Mad About Men. Johns appears in both films as the mermaid Miranda. However, Rank Films insisted it was not a sequel.
The Circle is a 1925 American silent romantic comedy film directed by Frank Borzage. The film stars Eleanor Boardman, Malcolm McGregor, and Alec B. Francis. A young Joan Crawford appears in the film's opening scene and later in a photograph viewed by other characters. The screenplay, written by Kenneth B. Clarke, was based on the 1921 play of the same title by W. Somerset Maugham.
Lawrence Hazard was an American playwright and screenwriter active between 1933 and 1958. His career was cut short when he died at age 61 in 1959. His films include Man's Castle (1933) directed by Frank Borzage and starring Spencer Tracy and Loretta Young; Mannequin (1937) directed by Borzage and starring Joan Crawford and Spencer Tracy; Strange Cargo (1940) directed by Borzage and starring Clark Gable and Joan Crawford; The Spoilers (1942) starring Marlene Dietrich and John Wayne; Jackass Mail (1942) starring Wallace Beery; Dakota (1945) starring John Wayne and Walter Brennan, and numerous other films as well as scripts for television anthologies in the 1950s.
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