''The Mystery of the Mary Celeste'' is a 1935 British

mystery film A mystery film is a genre of film that revolves around the solution of a problem or a crime. It focuses on the efforts of the detective, private investigator or amateur Detective, sleuth to solve the mysterious circumstances of an issue by means ...

directed by

Denison Clift Denison Clift (1885 – 1961) was an American playwright, novelist, screenwriter and film director. He directed in both America and Great Britain, mainly during the Silent Era. Biography Clift was educated at Stanford University. He began his ca ...

and starring

Béla Lugosi Béla Ferenc Dezső Blaskó (; October 20, 1882 – August 16, 1956), known professionally as Bela Lugosi (; ), was a Hungarian and American actor best remembered for portraying Count Dracula in the 1931 horror classic Dracula (1931 English-lan ...

Shirley Grey Shirley Grey (born Agnes Zetterstrand; April 11, 1902 – August 12, 1981) was an American actress. She appeared in more than 40 films between 1930 and 1935. Biography Born in Naugatuck, Connecticut, Grey was the daughter of E. A Zetterstr ...

and

Arthur Margetson Arthur Margetson (27 April 1887 – 13 August 1951) was a British stage and film actor. Margetson worked as a stockbroker before he became an actor. In 1936, Margetson married actress Shirley Grey. Filmography * ''Wolves'' (1930) as Mark (fil ...

. It is one of the early films from

Hammer Film Productions Hammer Film Productions Ltd. is a British film production company based in London. Founded in 1934, the company is best known for a series of Gothic horror and fantasy films made from the mid-1950s until the 1970s. Many of these involve clas ...

. It is based on the story of the ''

Mary Celeste ''Mary Celeste'' (; often erroneously referred to as Marie Celeste) was an American-registered merchant brigantine, best known for being discovered adrift and deserted in the Atlantic Ocean off the Azores Islands on December 4, 1872. The Cana ...

'', a sailing ship that was found adrift and deserted in the Atlantic Ocean in 1872, and is an imagined explanation of the disappearance of the crew and passengers. The version released in the United States, under the title ''Phantom Ship'', is about eighteen minutes shorter than the original. It is believed that only the shortened version survives.

Plot summary

Captain Briggs (Arthur Margetson) and Captain Morehead (Clifford McLaglen) are best friends. Capt. Morehead is in love with Sarah (Shirley Grey). He brings Briggs to New York to meet her. Briggs himself falls in love with her. Sarah also falls in love with Briggs. Both men propose to her the same day. Sarah chooses Briggs. Sarah and Briggs open their marriage plans to Morehead and he gets furious with jealousy. He's also mad with Briggs for going behind his back. But Briggs tells him that he will marry Sarah even if that means the end of their friendship. As the couple plans to sail, the husband, Briggs, is short on crew. He asks Morehead to forgive him and help. Morehead agrees and sends a man, Volkerk Grot (

Herbert Cameron Herbert may refer to: People Individuals * Herbert (musician), a pseudonym of Matthew Herbert Name * Herbert (given name) * Herbert (surname) Places Antarctica * Herbert Mountains, Coats Land * Herbert Sound, Graham Land Australia * Herbert, ...

), not to help, but to do something to the ship. Briggs also recruits some other men, including Anton Lorenzen (Béla Lugosi) who is a sailor who has suffered a lot and is about to break down. As the sail begins, the crew realizes that there is a murderer among them who is killing them off one by one. Meanwhile, a crewmember tries to rape Sarah, but Lorenzen saves her by killing the man. But then he cries because he can't stand the pain of killing a man. Soon, everybody has died or disappeared except 1st mate Bilson, Lorenzen and a third crewmember, Ponta Katz ( Gunner Moir). They decide that one of them is a killer. Katz realizes that Lorenzen could not kill, he was too soft, so he runs after Bilson. Bilson shoots Katz and then celebrates with Lorenzen on becoming the new captain of ship, making plans for future. Lorenzen gets mad and tells Bilson that it is he who was

shanghaied Shanghaied may refer to: *Shanghaiing, or forced conscription * ''Shanghaied'' (1915 film), a film starring Charlie Chaplin * ''Shanghaied'' (1927 film), a 1927 American silent film * ''Shanghaied'' (1934 film), an animated short film starring Mi ...

6 years before, on the same ship. And he was doing all this to get revenge. Then he shoots Bilson and throws him into the sea. Just after killing Bilson, Lorenzen is hit on the head by the boom. He runs everywhere on ship in hope of finding Bilson, and in his madness, he jumps off the ship. The ship drifts with the wind until it is spotted by another ship. The ship is totally abandoned except for a black cat. A final scene shows Morehead handing money to his man Grot, commenting "I am thinking of Briggs and her, dead!"

Cast

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mystery of the Mary Celeste, The 1935 films 1930s historical films British historical films British mystery films British black-and-white films Films directed by Denison Clift British films set in New York City Hammer Film Productions films Seafaring films based on actual events 1930s mystery films Mary Celeste 1930s English-language films 1930s British films