Dangerous Voyage [DVD]

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Erm, there are a few hills south of Resolute,’ says Oliver. ‘The rest is shingle bank and slight undulations. For me, the attraction is spending time in remote places and making an effort to get there. Bear Grylls, a friend whom I hugely respect, has been through the Passage in a speedboat. Where is the fun in that?’

Newlyweds Ruth and John Bowman embark on a wondrous cruise, however soon after they set off, John vanishes, and leaves behind no trace, Ruth knows full well he's on board, but people question her very sanity. Also known as Terror Ship, this 1954 crime mystery revisits the setting of director Vernon Sewell’s earlier feature Ghost Ship, starring athletic New Yorker (and future Men into Space lead) William Lundigan in an intriguing tale of peril in the English Channel. Shot at Merton Park Studios, Dangerous Voyage is featured here in a brand-new transfer from the original film elements, in its as-exhibited theatrical aspect ratio. I know what the voyage is costing,’ says Stirling, ‘but am not prepared to discuss it!’ They have some limited support: The Gino Watkins Memorial Fund and The Arctic Club have funded cold-climate safety and first aid training. The Andrew Croft Memorial Fund has supported the installation of a ‘cross-reference depth sounder’ to mitigate the risk posed by incomplete nautical charts, and Plymouth Gin has also chipped in. Panerai is gifting two watches: ‘One for Will, the other to be engraved and sold at auction next year,’ says Martina Sklenarova of Bucherer Watches, adding, ‘Profits will go either to fund this voyage or support the next.’ Omar Epps, the film's star, spoke a bit more positively about his experience in Ghana. He said that he was able to spend a good deal of time with Ofosu in preparing for the role. Epps also said that he had learned to speak a little bit of Twi. [3] Will never thinks about his character,’ says Sara. ‘But when people go to the Arctic, it becomes an obsession. And you have that obsession.’Beneath his affable, friendly, unassuming manner, Stirling is a driven and determined idealist with a curious innocence that can seem eccentric. After Eton, he read languages at Edinburgh but left after two years. In 1999 he cycled to Morocco then in 2000 sailed the Atlantic. An attempt at crossing France by canoe failed when a canal ran dry. ‘I wanted to be an explorer but wasn’t brave enough,’ he says. The Canadian government supports Inuit settlements partly to reinforce claims of sovereignty. ‘Living alongside the Inuit are “qablunas” [Inuit for white men],’ says Oliver. ‘Most qablunas are either in government service or running away from something. The typical answer to the question, “How did you end up here?” is, “I got divorced three times and the money is good.”’ Newlyweds Jeanne Crain and Carl Betz board an ocean liner for a honeymoon cruise to Europe. He then promptly vanishes. Crain, reacting with swooning spells and hysterical outbursts, comes under the doting care of ship's doctor Michael Rennie, who's forever "prescribing" her things like shuffleboard or Champagne. (His cheekbones, meanwhile, threaten to pop right through his skin.)

The story, supporting this parade of no-talent, is even less appealing. Mercilessly padded out with circular, repetitious and boringly inconsequential dialogue, "Dangerous Cargo" is a chore to sit through. COMMENT: An excellent example of the worst in British B- picture=making. With the exception of the engaging Susan Stephen, the players are both unattractive and uninteresting. Sara grew up on an island off Donegal. After reading psychology, she did an MA in maritime history, set up a boat-building business with her ex, and then did a course in child psychology, while bringing up five children: Oona, now 33, Harry 31, Esme, 23, Alfie, 15 and Grace, 13. (‘Will produced the last two.’)

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In Blokes Up North, the book in which Oliver and Lancashire record their adventure, there is a telling line: ‘Royal Marines do tend to see themselves as somewhat indestructible and it takes a lot to change that mindset and turn down a challenge.’

The film was shot at Merton Park Studios in London, [2] with sets designed by art director George Haslam. Location shooting took place in the English Channel, in Honfleur in France, and Shoreham in Sussex. I ask what has made the Passage ‘fashionable’. ‘Google Maps,’ shrugs Oliver. ‘Anyone can plan and dream from their armchair. GPS has fundamentally changed yachting, and EPIRB [emergency position-indicating radiobeacon] means that a rescue party will probably find you – eventually. Navigating the Passage is easier, more accessible and safer than ever, but not cheap.’Meanwhile, Stirling’s boat-building business was growing. ‘Stirling & Son has 12 employees,’ he says. ‘A welder, engineer, finisher, two apprentices – we fund our own apprenticeship scheme – and the rest are shipwrights. It is entirely commercial. We new-build and restore wooden and steel vessels from dinghy up to 200 tonnes.’ Miss the original, and not only do you miss one good movie, but you miss seeing Jeanne Crain, one of the sweetest and most beautiful stars ever in films, who rightly held a place in not only GIs', but all mens' hearts and second only to Betty Grable in receiving the most fan mail.

Dangerous Crossing' has its flaws. The melodrama does get a little much in the latter stages and Crain's character as others have said is pretty one-dimensional and could have done with more subtlety in the writing. A British b-pic heist thriller from ACT Productions, a company founded by the film technicians union with the aim of countering unemployment in the industry and it specialised in low budget programmers such as this. It went out on the Gaumont-British circuit supporting the Rita Hayworth picture, Miss Sadie Thompson in 1954. Trivia buffs will like to know that the storyline was provided by none other than Percy Hoskins who was chief crime reporter for the Daily Express newspaper.US) Peace Corps volunteers in Ghana were recruited as extras to play the ship's crew members, although many of these scenes do not appear in the final production.