Joan Crawford and Clark Gable starred in eight films together, all for MGM. Strange Cargo was the final one. It is a weird one. It was condemned by the Catholic League of Decency and was banned in various places.
Buy Strange Cargo from MovieZyngSet in a penal colony in French Guiana, Gable stars as André Verne, a thief who has but three months left on his sentence. That’s three months too long for him, and he’s determined to escape. He’s already made multiple attempts, and as the film opens, he’s being let out of a long stint in solitary confinement.
Despite this, the warden Grideau (Frederick Worlock) lets him work outside the prison grounds, in the nearby village. Security seems pretty lax overall. Guards barely pay attention to the prisoners and don’t seem all that bothered when anyone breaks the rules. I guess they don’t have to be since the prison is surrounded by treacherous jungle and it’s on an island, hundreds of miles from the mainland.
During one of his village workdays, he meets Julie (Joan Crawford), a waitress at the local diner. He’s immediately infatuated with her. He basically threatens that he’s going to break out of prison that night and come see her. He does exactly that. But before he can do much more than talk to her, the guards arrive downstairs. She turns him in.
But because everyone on this island is either a crook, corrupt, or stupid, Grideau decides that Julie was conspiring with Verne and tells her she must leave the island. Meanwhile, Verne learns that another prisoner, Moll (Albert Dekker) has masterminded a plan to escape the island. Verne and Moll don’t like each other much, but overhearing Moll’s plan, Verne forces his way into it.
Several others join them, and Verne grabs Julie on the way. The route is treacherous, full of quicksand, alligators, snakes, and more. None of the men trust each other, and all of them look at Julie with lust in their eyes.
All of this is pretty standard stuff. It is a prison-break story and an adventure. It is pretty good at that. The way they treat Julie is pretty gross. Verne gives her nothing but abuse and orders her around, but naturally, she falls in love with him. It is the sort of tale we’ve seen plenty of times.
And then there is Cambreau (Ian Hunter). He’s something like a religious mystic. He seems to be able to predict the future. He somehow seems to have money exactly when they need it. He never tires and will often wander off into the jungle and find exactly what they need at that moment. He’s also terribly concerned with everyone’s soul. Throughout the film, he’ll give little lectures on turning to God, and when a character dies, he is always there to hear their confession or give them comfort. But he isn’t a priest, and he never once mentions Jesus Christ, which is probably why the Catholic Church condemned it (not to mention the raw sexuality Joan Crawford and Clark Gable continually give off).
It is all very weird. Its aiming at a redemption story, but it is also a prison story, a treacherous jungle adventure, and then a desperate voyage by sea where food and water become scarce. None of this gels together very well, making the film seem overlong and a bit of a mess. The parts that work, work well, but a lot of it
The direction by Frank Borzage is good and the acting across the board are excellent. Crawford is especially wonderful even if the script does her no favors. As the only woman in the film, she’s stuck being all things and forced into being the love interest. But Crawford does her best with it, and Crawford’s best is spectacular.
The Warner Archive presents Strange Cargo with a new 4K restoration from the best preservation elements. That wording indicates the original print was not available, which can sometimes spell trouble, but this looks quite good.
Buy Strange Cargo from AmazonExtras include the following:
- Gable and Crawford: An archival feature on the two actors.
- MGM Cartoon “Home on the Range”
- MGM Our Gang Short “Goin’ Fishin’
- Original Theatrical Trailer
Strange Cargo is a strange film, but it is worth watching just to see Crawford and Gable together again.
