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Movies / On DVD / Captains Courageous
Captains Courageous

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Captains Courageous (1937)

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Reviews Counted:13

Fresh:12

Rotten:1

Average Rating:7.7/10

Runtime: 1 hr 56 mins

Genre: Action/Adventure

Synopsis: Based on Rudyard Kipling's classic novel, cast with top-notch actors, and helmed by Victor Fleming, an A-list director at the height of his craft, CAPTAINS COURAGEOUS is a golden-era classic.... Based on Rudyard Kipling's classic novel, cast with top-notch actors, and helmed by Victor Fleming, an A-list director at the height of his craft, CAPTAINS COURAGEOUS is a golden-era classic. Freddie Bartholomew plays Harvey Cheyne, a wealthy, spoiled 12-year-old who falls overboard on his way to Europe. When he regains consciousness on a Gloucester fishing boat, the ship's captain (Lionel Barrymore) puts him to work next to his own son (Mickey Rooney). Harvey sulks at first, then begins a warm relationship with Manuel (Spencer Tracy), a simple Portuguese fisherman. Manuel and the other crew members teach Harvey about life at sea. In the process, he learns to care deeply for the experienced fisherman while becoming a valued crew member himself. But Harvey has one more lesson to learn before he is reunited with his father (Melvyn Douglas). The impact of Kipling's tale collides with Harold Rosson's gorgeous photography and the stellar ensemble troop to make this film a lasting favorite. [More]

Starring: Spencer Tracy, Freddie Bartholomew, Lionel Barrymore, Mickey Rooney

Starring: Spencer Tracy, Freddie Bartholomew, Lionel Barrymore, Mickey Rooney, Melvyn Douglas, Charley Grapewin, Christian Rub, John Carradine, Walter Kingsford, Leo G. Carroll, Charles Trowbridge

Director: Victor Fleming

Director: Victor Fleming
Screenwriter: John Lee Mahin, Marc Connelly, Dale Van Every
Story: Rudyard Kipling
Producer: Louis D. Lighton
Composer: Franz Waxman

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Jan 31, 2006

[DVD Details]
 
 
  • Captains Courageous
  • 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.
  • Source: Warner Home Video
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    Reviews for Captains Courageous

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    1 - 18 (sorted by date)
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    Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
    03/26/09
    Variety
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Its themes are entirely relevant to this day, and even technically %u2013 with the integration of sound stage and open sea footage %u2013 it stands the test of time

    Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
    05/15/08
    Urban Cinefile Critics
    Urban Cinefile Critics
    Urban Cinefile

    One of the all time best. Adventure, love, and tears. Tracy and Bartholomew are terrific.

    comment Comment
    02/17/08
    Steve Crum
    Steve Crum
    Video-Reviewmaster.com

    Once you accepted Spencer Tracy as a Portuguese fisherman, Victor Fleming's version of Kipling's sea-adventure novel is enjoyable and well-crafted by standards of the times.

    Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com | comment Comment
    02/13/08
    Emanuel Levy
    Emanuel Levy
    EmanuelLevy.Com

    This hokum earned Spencer Tracy his first Best Actor Oscar.

    Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
    02/08/07
    Dennis Schwartz
    Dennis Schwartz
    Ozus' World Movie Reviews
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
    06/24/06
    Time Out
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    While perhaps not the "all-time classic" that some of its contemporaries are, Captains Courageous still stands up pretty well today.

    Full Review Source: DVDTalk.com | comment Comment
    03/09/06
    Scott Weinberg
    Scott Weinberg
    DVDTalk.com

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    09/28/05
    Robert Roten
    Robert Roten
    Laramie Movie Scope

    Bartholomew's transition from evil brat to nice kid is so subtle that it's surprising when you notice it.

    Full Review Source: Goatdog's Movies | comment Comment
    06/04/05
    Michael W. Phillips, Jr.
    Michael W. Phillips, Jr.
    Goatdog's Movies

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    04/30/04
    Daniel M. Kimmel
    Daniel M. Kimmel
    Worcester Telegram & Gazette

    Still effective old-style literary adaptation.

    comment Comment
    09/18/03
    Ken Hanke
    Ken Hanke
    Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

    Classic coming of age story

    comment Comment
    07/14/03
    Fred Topel
    Fred Topel
    About.com
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
    05/24/03
    Channel 4 Film
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic
    N/R

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    Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
    05/20/03
    Frank S. Nugent
    Frank S. Nugent
    New York Times
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Well-directed, well-acted coming-of-age tale that may have the most hard-bitten viewer in tears by the end.

    Full Review Source: All Movie Guide | comment Comment
    09/25/01
    Dan Jardine
    Dan Jardine
    All Movie Guide

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    TV Guide's Movie Guide
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic
    N/R

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    Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Dave Kehr
    Dave Kehr
    Chicago Reader
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    One of cinema's greatest classic adventure stories is Captains Courageous (1937), an adaptation of Rudyard Kipling's novel.

    Full Review Source: Tim Dirks' The Greatest Films | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Tim Dirks
    Tim Dirks
    Tim Dirks' The Greatest Films
     
     
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