Passage to Marseille

On the horizon a canoe that's a small crew, without sustenance, they're all just about through, the Ville de Nancy brings them in, a war wages from Berlin, through several flashbacks there's a story that comes through. As it transpires that they've escaped from Devil's Island, they are keen to get to France to fight for their land, but a Vichy sympathiser, and his sycophant adviser, try to scupper this bedraggled, ragged band. It's not the greatest film with folks you may admire, Sydney has an odd accent, that's rather dire, but generally it's fine, as they sail across the brine, you can tick it off your list if you require.

Considering that the cast is headed by Humphrey Bogart,Claude Rains, Sydney Greenstreet and Peter Lorre--and that it is backed by a good Max Steiner score with its patriotic French themes--PASSAGE TO MARSEILLE is a disappointing film in the final analysis. What might have been a straightforward story of escapees from a penal colony during the height of World War II has become a mishmash of a tale smothered by three flashbacks-within-flashbacks. It may have lured audiences into the theaters by promising them another CASABLANCA, but in no way, shape or form does this Bogart film ever reach that level of excellence. The storyline pits the French freedom fighters against the Vichy major (Sydney Greenstreet) who opposes their patriotism to France during the German occupation. If you can overlook the clumsy story structure and stay with it beyond the extensive opening exposition, you may find compensation in the performances Michael Curtiz has wrung from every cast member--including Helmet Dantine, George Tobias, Philip Dorn, Victor Francen, John Loder and French actress Michele Morgan. And if you watch it closely you can spot Mark Stevens (as a British airman), Hans Conreid (as a treacherous radio operator) and Peter Miles (the little boy from THE RED PONY). It's always interesting to see how many who became well-known actors are uncredited in films of the forties. There's even a Rock Hudson lookalike (with no dialogue) in an early scene but I doubt very much it can be him. The action sequences during the last twenty minutes are directed about as well as any of those in a Curtiz-directed film. But it is curious that all of the accents in the film are wrong--except for Miss Morgan. And Bogart doesn't even attempt a French accent in his role as a disillusioned Frenchman--instead choosing no accent at all. Despite the weaknesses, it's an acceptable--if curious--sort of wartime adventure obviously designed to appeal to audiences who responded so strongly to CASABLANCA. But oh those detailed flashbacks!!!

Actor John Loder appears throughout the film in Bogie's trenchcoat. There's a flashback within a flashback. Sydney Greentreet tries his darndest to do a French accent. A few other 'Casablanca' regulars appear but you don't care. Boring, boring, boring. I wonder if any investors were suckered into sinking money into this trite film based on the cast list and promises of 'Casablanca'-like returns. Just like Clark Gable's comeback flm, 'Adventure', this movie promises you the world -but delivers only disappointment and boredom.

Passage to Marseille remains an entertaining film despite the fact that it's riding on Casablanca's successful coat tails. The movie has an odd flashback-within-a-flashback-within-a-flashback structure, and the acting is fine (although there's little chemistry between Bogie and Michele Morgan). The boat battle near the end is pretty good. Bogie's actions during the fight must have seemed particularly shocking at the time of the movie's release. With the French resistance theme as well as the presence of Bogie, Claude Raines, Peter Lorre, Sydney Greenstreet, and even Helmut Dantine (Garou), who had a small part in Casablanca, it couldn't be anything other than a movie capitalizing on Casablanca's success. But it's a good movie, nonetheless.

For me, as a teenager, it was definitely an education that some film structures are not simple, and sometimes, complexity can add an interesting narrative. Having discovered Bogart through war dramas such as "All Through the Night", "Across the Pacific" and of course "Casablanca", I was intrigued by this film which reunited many of the actors featured in those three films. They all have one thing in common, the allies of World War II fighting the enemy in one way or another. This drama does indeed feature several flashbacks within the main and sub narratives, but at least, once you are used to that structure (or have seen it multiple times), it becomes easier to follow. Bogart is seen in the opening sequences but his character does not really get a story until the fourth flashback within the third flashback. Moving along like this was Merlin's life in reverse, it does take some getting used to. The narrative is provided in a story told by Claude Rains who proves that he does know if the meaning of a beautiful friendship. Bogart is a French war hero who, according to Rains, suffered much indignity at the hands of law keepers in a South American version of Hell's Island. Old Warner pals like Peter Lorre and George Tobias are among his escapees, aided when rescued by Rains but endangered with being turned over to the police by fellow officer Sydney Greenstreet. The plot line deals with the efforts of these pretty unsavory characters to return to France to fight against the Nazis. Even if somewhat amoral, they are all patriotic. That was the purpose of these war propaganda films, some better than others, but some of the best coming out of Warner Brothers. Michael Curtiz gets an almost perfect gem with four of his "Casablanca" cast members providing outstanding performances. Philip Dorn is almost a replica of Paul Henreid, while Bogart's arrest in Marsaille is almost identical to his separation with Ingrid Bergman in Paris in regards to wife Michele Morgan. The tension is constant, aided by beautiful photography, sharp editing and an excellent musical score. Of course, Warners really had the best sound department in the movies. Greenstreet makes an intriguing villain (aided by Hans Conreid), and Peter Lorre, while rather underused, gets some of the best lines. This isn't a film to have in the background. It is one that requires focus and at just under two hours, it flies by.

This is one of the better American propaganda films made during WWII--as it not only did an excellent job of entertaining and encouraging the folks at home, but it was also well made--with some wonderful performances. I am not just saying that because I am a huge Humphrey Bogart fan--after all, despite his having top billing, it is really an ensemble film. No, Warner Brothers did a bang-up job of getting excellent character actors, combining them with excellent direction as well as an excellent story. About the only serious negative about the film was the structure of the film itself (not the plot). The film begins with two men talking and the movie is told through flashbacks. This is a common theme in older films and I don't mind it at all,...within limits. But, when the flashback begins to have a flashback and this other flashback diverges into yet another flashback, it just looks like sloppy writing--and this is a real shame as the dialog and plot are very good. So my advice is to still watch the film and try to look past this odd style. If you do, you will be rewarded with an excellent film filled with excellent acting, dialog and a rousing and not too unbelievable series of adventures. By the way, for historians and airplane lovers out there, the film is really a mixed bag. In the beginning of the film, Bogart's bomber changes from what appears to be a B-17 A, B, C or D to a B-17 E or F in mid-flight. While in some planes the differences between versions of a model are usually pretty insignificant, in the B-17 it was such a radical redesign, it really does look like two totally different planes. So in this case, they did a lousy job of paying attention to details. However, late in the film when the ship is attacked by a German patrol plane, the attacking plane really does look like a real FW-200--the standard German plane for such anti-shipping details. This type of plane is rarely, if ever, shown in movies and I liked how someone at Warner Brothers really cared to try to get it right.

Another scheme to trick "Casablanca" fans into the theater by including favorite actors from that film in a war story with an exotic setting, this idiotic mess has a famously convoluted structure involving flashbacks within flashbacks that renders it virtually unwatchable. Don't bother.

Many serious film buffs have made the comparison between this movie and Casablanca. The director and cast are almost identical. They also take issue with the nested flashbacks, claiming that it confuses the story. I disagree. Think for a moment; if Casablanca had never been made, this would certainly be a riveting movie in it's own right. It deserves to stand alone and be recognized - for the propaganda it was. I won't go into the story itself, but I couldn't help making an observation about the cast. This is supposed to be a story about French convicts who recognize the errors of their ways and come to France's aid when she needs them most. Humphrey Bogart and George Tobias were from New York (the accents prove it), Philip Dorn from the Netherlands, Helmut Dantine from Austria, Peter Lorre from Hungary, Victor Francen from Belgium, Vladimir Sokoloff from Russia, and Claude Rains, John Loder, Sidney Greenstreet from England. Only Michelle Morgan was French and she seemed more like an afterthought. An honorable mention for my favorite director: Michael Curtiz. Many people have called him a studio hack and criticized him for his dictatorial rather than directorial attitude toward cast and crew alike, but anybody who could construct such diverse masterpieces as "Casablanca" and "The Adventures of Robin Hood", deserves much more credit than he ever got. I urge you to review his screen credits. He was prolific and uncompromising in the quality of his work.

Quite a good film. I didn't have any trouble following the flashback-in-a-flashback scheme. Bogart was Bogart. What can you say? Greenstreet and Lorre were good. Claude Rains was excellent. Apparently, some people are upset at this film because it isn't "Casablanca". I don't really think it tried to be. It was probably just that the actors and director liked working together, and if that sold more tickets, well, no one would complain. Clint Eastwood and Woody Allen frequently cast their films with the same actors, presumably friends (and lovers), and no one thinks twice about it.

Passage to Marseille's flashback within a flashback format is of course structurally weak, but its characters and storytelling are compelling. Most interesting is the cynical disillusionment Bogart's character experiences after his opposition newspaper confronts the French government's Nazi appeasement. His newspaper is destroyed by pro-government mobs while fascist-leaning police look on. For his trouble Bogart is falsely convicted of murder and sent to a hell-on-earth prison colony in French Guyana. Formerly the staunchest of patriots, Bogart comes to feel that the France living in his heart has finally died. Bogart and cohorts escape with the aid of a freed prisoner who selects and compels them with a promise to return to France and fight for its freedom. The third flashback finds them adrift in the Caribbean in their river canoe where they are rescued by a French freighter bound for Marseille. Things get complicated when some passengers and crew members led by a utilitarian French Army officer played by Sydney Greenstreet attempt to seize control of the ship. The ship's captain and Claude Rains' character had plotted a course to England in defiance of their now Nazi-controlled government's orders. As the free French loyalists retake control of the ship, a traitorous radio operator broadcasts their position which is picked up by a patrolling Nazi bomber. The prisoners' true convictions (no pun intended) are demonstrated both in retaking the ship and in fighting off the plane's attack. In leading the ship's defense, Bogart's true feelings are realized and his choice is made to once again fight for his country, this time with bombs and bullets instead of ink and paper.