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the audience applauded

Expected more

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

"Plymouth Adventure" somehow manages to avoid being corny or sappy and also avoids being religiously preachy. By sticking to straightforward storytelling it gets the job done in a dignified way that retains your interest as the story unfolds.Spencer Tracy is too old and craggy for the romantic scenes with a much younger actress, but utterly dominates the film in a constructive manner through extreme talent and skill. He manages to dominate the film without being noisy or over-acting. As usual an amazing demonstration of acting skill by Tracy.Van Johnson, basically a humble, kindly sort of actor is appropriately cast as a poor man in the hard-working carpentry profession. Leo Genn of the golden voice and saintly countenance is well cast as a gentle, religious-minded leader. Actually Genn's voice is beyond golden- I would describe his voice as 24-carat gold or maybe even platinum. Gene Tierney, a complex and tragic beauty and fine actress, is cast as what else... you guessed it, her character is beautiful and tragic. And on and on I could comment about the triumphs of good casting that add immeasurably to the success of "Plymouth Adventure".The script is not very dynamic, and while not intense in the movie-drama sense, manages to avoid all the maudlin or preachy traps that it could have fallen into. So, while being far from great, this movie is watchable and generally succeeds in my opinion.

A fascinating historical drama, but in typical Hollywood fashion, incorporating a frustrating(for the historical purist) blend of meticulous historical fact and pure fabrication. Actually, Hollywood was not primarily responsible for the plot fabrications,as the film was based upon the then recent novel of the same title by Ernest Gebler. In contradiction to some reviewers, I consider this Spencer Tracy's greatest characterization, albeit a superficially negative one. All the major characters were well cast, even if Gene Tierney made an unlikely beautiful Dorothy Bradford, whom Tracy, as Captain Christopher Jones, lusted after. Some object that Dorothy could not have found Jones romantically attractive, being old, very grumpy, and contemptuous of the colonists. I sensed that it was more a case of pity on her part, and may have included some dissatisfaction with her husband and hope that she could charm Jones into not leaving for England until spring. Without the ship as a sanctuary until the colonists built adequate housing, they surely would all perish from exposure and starvation. Dorothy presumably felt that this divided loyalty between two men was an unforgivable sin or an unsolvable problem, necessitating her death. Would Jones have stayed with the colonists overwinter, had she not presumably killed herself? I doubt it. It was her sacrificial death that shortly preceded his changed attitude toward the colonists.John Aldren's flirtation with the comely teen Dawn Addams has possible historical accuracy, as they would eventually marry....Lloyd Bridges is great as Jone's piratical-looking swarthy first mate and enforcer, ready to lead a mutiny when Jones inexplicably decided to stay the winter with the colonists.The long episode of the severe storm is quite riveting. The bit about a large passenger screw being used to help support a cracked beam is historically true....Actually, it was another passenger, not William Brewster, who was washed overboard during a storm. Making it Brewster added to the drama with Jones over Dorothy.The screen writer presumably followed Gebler in exploiting several common myths to add important fictional plot components. Thus, the implication that the initial landing near Cape Cod instead of the targeted Chesapeake region was a planned conspiracy by financial backers, with the cooperation of Jones, is an unnecessary clear fabrication, if adding to the frictional drama between the colonists and Jones. In contrast to common myth, the agreed upon target was the present NYC area, which was included in the Virginia Charter of the times, not the present state of Virginia! Most of the Separatist colonists had recently been living in Holland, and had heard good reports of this area from the Dutch. After making landfall in the Cape Cod area due to repeated storms, the Mayflower made an attempt to sail south to this area, but weather and current difficulties, along with the storm-battered condition of the Mayflower, caused them to return to their original landing area. Of course, the Dutch would soon begin settlements in the NYC-Hudson area.The central love/hate triangle between Jones, William and Dorothy Bradford has no historical support, if much adding to the drama. Dorothy did die of drowning after disappearing from the Mayflower soon after it docked along Cape Cod. However, there is no clear reason to believe it was a suicide rather than accidental.This accusation originates from a mid-19th century fictional magazine story, presumably repeated in Gebler's novel(which I haven't read).The characterization of Captain Jones as a disagreeable extreme world-weary cynic has no historical support. There are, however, several historical facts or misconceptions that might lend some credence to this characterization. He had fathered 10 children, most of whom had died as infants or small children. Secondly, during the 19th century, it was thought that the captain was one Thomas Jones: a sometimes pirate and slave trader, thus presumably a rather rough cynical character. This might also lend credence to the rather piratical charisma of the first mate, Mr.Coppin, a genuine historical name. Thirdly, there was a seaman who repeatedly belittled the colonists as having no chance of surviving this voyage or their desired destination. Interestingly, this seaman was one of only two to die during the voyage! Surprisingly, this seaman is not included in the film story, hence probably was incorporated into the Captain's character.Some reviewers think Tracy was too old for the part of Captain Jones. Well, the real Jones was only 2 years younger and died only a year after returning to England..Incidentally, his return trip took only 1 month compared to the more than 2 months getting to Cape Cod. This shows the influence of favorable winds, the Gulf Stream, and generally fewer storms in spring.

PERHAPS WITH AN eye looking back at the success of historical novels having been brought to the screen the form of highly $ucce$$ful films at the Box Office, MGM took this story of the Pilgrioms' flight to the New World and gave it a whirl. Their reasoning was sound; for, after all, hadn't there been both critical acclaim and popular acceptance of the story of the French & Indian Wars in NORTHWEST PASSAGE* (MGM, 1940)? IN MUCH THE same manner, this PLYMOUTH ADVENTURE took some top stars from the MGM stable; adding some new ones and even borrowed Miss Gene Tierney from 20th Century-Fox, just for good measure. Spencer Tracy and Van Johnson headed up the fine cast; which also included Leo Genn, Dawn Adams, Lloyd Bridges and Welshman, Rhys Williams.AS WITH MANY a "Sure thing-Can't miss" project, it sort of fell short of its expected mark. While providing an interesting (and obviously embellished) version of the trials and tribulations of this outlawed religious sect, it left us just a little bored at times.RELYING ON STRONG characterizations, the story gave us a great contrast in personalities. The protagonists ranged from the cynical and world weary Captain Jones (Spence), skipper of the Mayflower, to the fine and virtuous-such as portrayed by Miss Tierney and Mr. Genn, to the totally unscrupulous merchant (Rhys Williams)and the insubordinate and mutinous first mate (Lloyd Bridges). True to the characterization by one William Henry Longfellow, the character of military man, Miles Standish, is relegated to that of comic relief.IN SOME WAYS the movie has the look of a History Channel docudrama, what with the costuming and the sets often seeming to take on more importance than the story line. Indeed, much of the scene location imagery looks very much like it could be used as illustrations for junior high school level history books. Even the selection of the level of color being used seems to be a level or two below that of the previously mentioned NORTHWEST PASSAGE.HAVING BEEN RELEASED for the Thanksgiving Holiday in 1952, PLYMOUTH ADVENTURE certainly must have been well received; even to the extent of being in the mode of those films that were endorsed by educators as being recommended for the whole family. Which makes us wonder if this was at least the partial motivation in making the movie. You know, it was sort of MGM's contribution to the National Image. the popular myth; knda like "Ma's Apple Pie". (Oh, excuse us, please. We meant "Pumpkin Pie!" We almost forgot about which Holiday we were celebrating!) NOTE: * The full title included a subtitle. It was and remains in today's prints: "NORTHWEST PASSAGE: BOOK I, ROGERS' RANGERS."

Spencer Tracy is tied right up there with Cary Grant as being my favorite actor. And I like (not love) this film. It certainly has a lot going for it -- Tracy, Gene Tierney (whose co-starring role is pivotal, yet smaller than one might expect), Van Johnson, and Leo Genn. The scenes at sea are done well, particularly the storm sequences. Yet, somehow, this film seems to come up just a bit short.While it's definitely fictionalized, there's a lot of history here, too. I tend to read up on historical films, and this one seems more realistic with the history than one is used to. Oddly enough, Van Johnson -- in my view an "okay" and "pleasant enough" actor -- probably comes off best of actor in this film. Spencer Tracy comes off waaaaay too dour for most of the film, although that does facilitate his redemption after landing at Plymouth; I would have to say that in regard to that characterization, perhaps the director overdid it. Gene Tierney plays who role well, but I think she might have been disappointed in the scope of it. There appears to be at least a possibility that her character did indeed commit suicide in real life, as portrayed in the film. Leo Genn does well as William Bradford (husband of the Tierney character). Lloyd Bridges isn't quite a swashbuckler here -- too earth for that, but plays his role nicely.So what is it that's missing here. Well, perhaps its that this is a story that should have been inspiring, yet in this rendition seems depressing. A number of Clarence Brown's (director) films are quite notable and enjoyable, and he had worked with Tracy (as Edison) before. But this time the results are disappointing. Interestingly, although this was his last film (1952), he lived another 35 years. Perhaps he realized he no longer had the spark.