A mismatched group of passengers embarks on a journey from Mexico to Nazi Germany in the 1930s. The ship's doctor, concealing a dangerous heart condition, falls in love with a drug-addicted countess who is heading for Spain to begin a prison sentence. Drama based on Katherine Anne Porter's novel, starring Oskar Werner, Simone Signoret, Vivien Leigh and Lee Marvin
A big, bloated and often boring drama that marked the final screen appearance of Vivien Leigh, the once stunningly beautiful but tormented star of Gone with the Wind and A Streetcar Named Desire. The story concerns a group of refugees - exiles, Jews, aristocrats, and oddballs - who leave Mexico for Germany in 1933, just as Hitler was lying in wait for them. It's a giant allegory that takes itself very seriously indeed but - as Kenneth Tynan said - "it's not Grand Hotel afloat but Grand Hotel aground in the shallows of Mr Kramer's imagination". However, Leigh's performance as a lonely divorcee is desperately sad and absolutely riveting to watch, and there's an amazing supporting cast as well, ranging from Lee Marvin to Simone Signoret.
| role | name |
|---|---|
| Mary Treadwell | Vivien Leigh |
| La Condesa | Simone Signoret |
| Rieber | José Ferrer |
| Tenny | Lee Marvin |
| Dr Schumann | Oskar Werner |
| Jenny | Elizabeth Ashley |
| David | George Segal |
| Pepe | José Greco |
| Glocken | Michael Dunn |
| Lieutenant Heebner | Werner Klemperer |
| role | name |
|---|---|
| Director | Stanley Kramer |
