Dangerous Voyage [DVD]

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Miss the original, and not only do you miss one good movie, but you miss seeing Jeanne Crain, one of the sweetest and most beautiful stars ever in films, who rightly held a place in not only GIs', but all mens' hearts and second only to Betty Grable in receiving the most fan mail. I thoroughly enjoyed this wonderful mystery film, a device that was used several times over in films and TV shows from the time, the missing partner, whether they actually existed or not, in this instance it is used to perfection. Kine Weekly wrote: "Windswept crime melodrama set mainly on the briny.... A slap-up climax makes it watertight. Good British 'programmer'". [4] Omar Epps, the film's star, spoke a bit more positively about his experience in Ghana. He said that he was able to spend a good deal of time with Ofosu in preparing for the role. Epps also said that he had learned to speak a little bit of Twi. [3]

Erm, there are a few hills south of Resolute,’ says Oliver. ‘The rest is shingle bank and slight undulations. For me, the attraction is spending time in remote places and making an effort to get there. Bear Grylls, a friend whom I hugely respect, has been through the Passage in a speedboat. Where is the fun in that?’ The film ends with Ofosu on the phone with his wife, hearing the cries of his newborn son, whom he pledges to name after his brother. An epilogue notes that the captain and first mate were convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. Three other crew members were also convicted and received 20-year sentences, while one crew member was acquitted. Kingsley Ofosu was living in France and hoping to have his wife and child join him. Stirling introduces me to his ‘office’, a Portakabin that feels like an Arctic refuge, filled with fleeced-up Stirling & Son employees warming themselves with tea. One of Integrity’s crew, Col. Kevin ‘Kev’ Oliver, a mountain leader officer in the Royal Marines, turns up looking every inch the trim, chiselled genuine article. His 33 years in the forces include tours in several global hotspots, and in 2009, Oliver and fellow marine Major Tony Lancashire attempted the Northwest Passage in a 17ft open boat, sailing west to east.

Meanwhile, Stirling’s boat-building business was growing. ‘Stirling & Son has 12 employees,’ he says. ‘A welder, engineer, finisher, two apprentices – we fund our own apprenticeship scheme – and the rest are shipwrights. It is entirely commercial. We new-build and restore wooden and steel vessels from dinghy up to 200 tonnes.’ Newlyweds Jeanne Crain and Carl Betz board an ocean liner for a honeymoon cruise to Europe. He then promptly vanishes. Crain, reacting with swooning spells and hysterical outbursts, comes under the doting care of ship's doctor Michael Rennie, who's forever "prescribing" her things like shuffleboard or Champagne. (His cheekbones, meanwhile, threaten to pop right through his skin.) Navigating ice, orcas, Bear Grylls and the occasional French film star is one thing; tiptoeing around the eggshells of political and bureaucratic sensitivities is another. Wary of amateur adventurers, the Canadian authorities insist on a laundry list of qualifications, competencies and permits. When we met, Stirling was trying to obtain a gun permit for Alaska. ‘As a matter of courtesy, I have also written to all the Inuit elders about our voyage.’

Beneath his affable, friendly, unassuming manner, Stirling is a driven and determined idealist with a curious innocence that can seem eccentric. After Eton, he read languages at Edinburgh but left after two years. In 1999 he cycled to Morocco then in 2000 sailed the Atlantic. An attempt at crossing France by canoe failed when a canal ran dry. ‘I wanted to be an explorer but wasn’t brave enough,’ he says. After Amundsen, the St Roch, a Royal Canadian Mounted Police schooner, achieved the first west-east transit in 1940-42; the first yacht was Williwaw, a 45ft steel vessel skippered by Dutch explorer Willy de Roos, in 1970; the first passenger cruise ship was successful in August 2016. However, according to Oliver, ‘By 2013, only about 100 boats had succeeded.’ There are two rules,’ says Stirling. ‘No falling overboard, and no shouting – unless someone falls overboard, then lots of shouting. Dangerous Crossing blends two hoary plot lines: the one where somebody suddenly disappears and whose very existence comes into question; and the one where a young woman marries a stranger about whom, to later chagrin, she knows absolutely nothing.Director Vernon Sewell’s yacht Gelert was used in this film having also appeared in his Ghost Ship in 1952. Newlyweds Ruth and John Bowman embark on a wondrous cruise, however soon after they set off, John vanishes, and leaves behind no trace, Ruth knows full well he's on board, but people question her very sanity. Also worth seeking are the horse-racing drama "The Great Dan Patch" (1949) and the crime noir "711 Ocean Drive" (1950)starring Edmond O'Brien. Some quality acting throughout, a whole host of talent, but credit to Jeanne Crain, she was quite brilliant I thought.