"Plymouth Adventure" is a 1952 MGM historical drama filmed in color, about the 1620 voyage of the Mayflower and settlement at Plymouth Rock. It's based on a 1950 novel, "The Plymouth Adventure," by Ernest Gebler. This is a highly fictionalized account of the Mayflower voyage. While the main characters of the actual voyage and first colony are here, some of the stories about them are fictional. Van Johnson plays John Alden, Dawn Addams plays Priscilla Mullins, Barry Jones plays William Brewster, and Noel Drayton plays Miles Standish.
William Bradford, played by Leo Genn, was not a prominent member of the Mayflower pilgrims, as the movie shows, until after the Plymouth colony was established. The Bradfords had a 3-year-old son whom they left with her parents when they made the Mayflower voyage. Although Bradford's wife fell overboard and drowned while he was in the party exploring the land, it's preposterous to conclude that she and the ships' captain were in love or had anything like an affair. Hollywood just has to sensationalize, even if it means fabricating history and distorting the truth.
One very good aspect of this film is its portrayal of the hardships in the voyage. Another is the depiction of tall ships of that time battling the North Atlantic storms. The Mayflower indeed suffered serious damage as record by Bradford and others. But, the general attitude of Captain Jones, played by Spencer Tracy, must be suspect. He clearly harbors disgust, if not outright hatred toward the pilgrims. Although the printed reports of the harsh conditions of ocean crossings had circulated in England and other European centers for years before this, other common reports were about the opportunities and horizons the New World offered. So, explorers, pilgrims, adventurers and others setting out for or dreaming about the New World were common. Many, if not most mariners also had a sense of adventure and wouldn't have looked down on or despised the passengers they carried to the New World. But then, that depiction in this film also may have been for dramatic effect. Perhaps Spencer Tracy would not have been satisfied playing a mild-mannered or otherwise pleasant captain of such a famous ship from history.
The movie has several prominent actors of the day, but no noteworthy performances. It won the Oscar for special effects.
For an action picture at sea and with such a cast, this film failed to pack 'em in at the box office. It actually lost money for MGM because of it's high budget. It's not a particularly good film for its history - then, only for the general fact of the pilgrims, the ship and founding of Plymouth Colony. The best reason for seeing the film is the depiction of the tall ships sailing and weathering severe storms at sea.
William Bradford, played by Leo Genn, was not a prominent member of the Mayflower pilgrims, as the movie shows, until after the Plymouth colony was established. The Bradfords had a 3-year-old son whom they left with her parents when they made the Mayflower voyage. Although Bradford's wife fell overboard and drowned while he was in the party exploring the land, it's preposterous to conclude that she and the ships' captain were in love or had anything like an affair. Hollywood just has to sensationalize, even if it means fabricating history and distorting the truth.
One very good aspect of this film is its portrayal of the hardships in the voyage. Another is the depiction of tall ships of that time battling the North Atlantic storms. The Mayflower indeed suffered serious damage as record by Bradford and others. But, the general attitude of Captain Jones, played by Spencer Tracy, must be suspect. He clearly harbors disgust, if not outright hatred toward the pilgrims. Although the printed reports of the harsh conditions of ocean crossings had circulated in England and other European centers for years before this, other common reports were about the opportunities and horizons the New World offered. So, explorers, pilgrims, adventurers and others setting out for or dreaming about the New World were common. Many, if not most mariners also had a sense of adventure and wouldn't have looked down on or despised the passengers they carried to the New World. But then, that depiction in this film also may have been for dramatic effect. Perhaps Spencer Tracy would not have been satisfied playing a mild-mannered or otherwise pleasant captain of such a famous ship from history.
The movie has several prominent actors of the day, but no noteworthy performances. It won the Oscar for special effects.
For an action picture at sea and with such a cast, this film failed to pack 'em in at the box office. It actually lost money for MGM because of it's high budget. It's not a particularly good film for its history - then, only for the general fact of the pilgrims, the ship and founding of Plymouth Colony. The best reason for seeing the film is the depiction of the tall ships sailing and weathering severe storms at sea.