Ship of Fools is a 1965 film which tells the overlapping stories of several passengers aboard an ocean liner during the 1930s. It stars Vivien Leigh, Simone Signoret, José Ferrer, Lee Marvin, Oskar Werner, Michael Dunn, Elizabeth Ashley, George Segal, José Greco and Heinz Rühmann.
The movie was adapted by Abby Mann from the novel of the same name by Katherine Anne Porter. It was directed by Stanley Kramer.
It was to be Vivien Leigh's last film.
It won Academy Awards for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Black-and-White and Best Cinematography, Black-and-White. It was nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Oskar Werner), Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Michael Dunn), Best Actress in a Leading Role (Simone Signoret), Best Costume Design, Black-and-White, Best Picture and Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium. Vivien Leigh was awarded the French equivalent of the Oscar for her role.
"It's a ship of fools," says the philosophical dwarf, Glocken (our narrator), of the Mexican vessel sailing to a pre-Hitler Germany. The fateful cruise follows the lives of its passengers including disciples of Naziism, wealthy Jewish men, sleazy dance troupes and bitter lovers along the 36-day-voyage. From the sad love affair between the ship's doctor, Wilhelm Schumann, and La Contessa, a doomed Spanish noblewoman, to the fading relationship of two young, American artists, the ship serves many characters. Written by Bronwen Nemaric
Passengers on a ship traveling from Mexico to Europe in the 1930s represent society at large in that era. The crew is German, including the ship's doctor who falls in love with one of the passengers, La Contessa. A young American woman, Jenny, is traveling with the man she loves, David. Jenny is fascinated and puzzled by just who some of the other passengers are. The once famous Mary Treadwell gets much of her attention. Written by Dale O'Connor
