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Captains Courageous

Captains Courageous

Adventure · Drama · Family · 1937

Harvey, the arrogant and spoiled son of an indulgent absentee-father, falls overboard from a transatlantic steamship and is rescued by a fishing vessel on the Grand Banks. Harvey fails to persuade them to take him ashore, nor convince the crew of his wealth. The captain offers him a low-paid job, until they return to port, as part of the crew that turns him into a mature, considerate young man.

Movie details

Captains Courageous

“As great as "Mutiny on the Bounty"”

1937 Adventure · Drama · Family 1h 55m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.4 / 10

Community rating

Harvey, the arrogant and spoiled son of an indulgent absentee-father, falls overboard from a transatlantic steamship and is rescued by a fishing vessel on the Grand Banks. Harvey fails to persuade them to take him ashore, nor convince the crew of his wealth. The captain offers him a low-paid job, until they return to port, as part of the crew that turns him into a mature, considerate young man.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Captains Courageous?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Where the Red Fern Grows

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Victor Fleming

Written by

John Lee Mahin · Dale Van Every · Marc Connelly · Tom Kilpatrick

Freddie Bartholomew

Freddie Bartholomew

Harvey Cheyne

Spencer Tracy

Spencer Tracy

Manuel Fidello

Lionel Barrymore

Lionel Barrymore

Captain Disko Troop

Melvyn Douglas

Melvyn Douglas

Frank Burton Cheyne

Charley Grapewin

Charley Grapewin

Uncle Salters

Mickey Rooney

Mickey Rooney

Dan Troop

John Carradine

John Carradine

Long Jack

Court is in session

Put Captains Courageous on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Sentimental Softie

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Cool Ironist

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.