Hell's Cargo (1939)
Directed by Harold Huth
Genres - Drama |
Sub-Genres - Adventure Drama, Sea Adventure |
Run Time - 79 min. |
Countries - United Kingdom |
MPAA Rating - NR
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Synopsis by Hal Erickson
Filmed in 1935, the British Hell's Cargo finally received a US release in 1939, capitalizing on the recent outbreak of war in Europe. Most of the story takes place on a cargo ship, slowly inching its way through treacherous waters with a cargo consisting of a top-secret poison gas. When the ship's intoxicated doctor reveals the nature of the cargo to a good-time girl in a foreign port, chaos ensues, culminating in the death of the treacherous doctor at the hands of the ship's three commanding officers: Englishman Falcon (Kim Peacock), Frenchman Lestallieur (Walter Rilla), and Russian Tomasov (Robert Newton). The question: if a murder is committed in to maintain the Peace of the World, can it truly be considered murder? Hell's Cargo was based on a story by French writer/director Leo Joannon, whose later seafaring efforts included Laurel & Hardy's Atoll K (1951).
Characteristics
Keywords
boating, cargo, criminal, doctor/nurse, English [nationality], espionage, false-accusation, France, international, killing, murder, name-clearing, owner, poison, poison-gas, Russia, Russian [nationality], sailor, ship, top-secret, water