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MOVIES / ON DVD / CAPTAINS COURAGEOUS
Captains Courageous

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Captains Courageous (1937)

93%
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79%
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93 %
Reviews Counted: 14 Fresh: 13  Rotten:1 Average Rating: 7.6/10

How does the Tomatometer work?

The Tomatometer measures the percentage of positive reviews from Approved Tomatometer Critics for a certain movie.[-]

Runtime: 1 hr 56 mins

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. Freddie Bartholomew plays Harvey Cheyne, a wealthy, spoiled 12-year-old who falls overboard on... 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]

Genre: Action/Adventure

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

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

DVD Info

Release:

Jul 1, 2008

[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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    1 - 18 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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    N/R

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    Full Review | comment Comment
    06/24/06
    Time Out
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    05/24/03
    Channel 4 Film
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    N/A

    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 | comment Comment
    05/15/08
    Urban Cinefile Critics
    Urban Cinefile
    Ratings Image
    5/5

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

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

    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 | comment Comment
    02/13/08
    Emanuel Levy
    EmanuelLevy.Com
    Ratings Image
    C

    This hokum earned Spencer Tracy his first Best Actor Oscar.

    Full Review | comment Comment
    02/08/07
    Dennis Schwartz
    Ozus' World Movie Reviews
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    4/5

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

    Full Review | comment Comment
    03/09/06
    Scott Weinberg
    DVDTalk.com
    Ratings Image
    4/5

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    09/28/05
    Robert Roten
    Laramie Movie Scope
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    3/5

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    07/03/05
    Emanuel Levy
    EmanuelLevy.Com
    Ratings Image
    3.5/5

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

    Full Review | comment Comment
    06/04/05
    Michael W. Phillips, Jr.
    Goatdog's Movies
    Ratings Image
    4/5

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    04/30/04
    Daniel M. Kimmel
    Worcester Telegram & Gazette
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    4/5

    Still effective old-style literary adaptation.

    comment Comment
    09/18/03
    Ken Hanke
    Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
    Ratings Image
    3/5

    Classic coming of age story

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

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    Full Review | comment Comment
    05/20/03
    Frank S. Nugent
    New York Times
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    4.5/5

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

    Full Review | comment Comment
    09/25/01
    Dan Jardine
    All Movie Guide
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    5/5

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    01/01/00
    TV Guide's Movie Guide
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    N/R

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    01/01/00
    Dave Kehr
    Chicago Reader
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    N/A

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

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