![]() ![]() As for his crew, his First Mate (Wallce Beery) seems to adore the life! Following this trip, the Captain meets a decent lady and falls in love. The Captain seems to hate this life.but he does it and is responsible for much wickedness. ![]() Captain Lovett (Warner Baxter) and his crew are out to illegally transport more Africans to a life of slavery. The new mission of this merchant ship is to illegally transport slaves to America-something banned both by the British and United Stares for most of the 19th century. After the deaths of many of its crew due to illnesses and accidents, the ship is sold very cheaply. When the film begins, you see a heavy-handed scene where it's meant to illustrate that the ship in the picture is cursed. While I wouldn't exactly call this movie the best in portraying blacks as was way ahead of most films of the day. There were a few examples, such as Hattie McDaniel receiving an Oscar for her performance in "Gone With the Wind" (though she did play a slave) and this film, "Slave Ship". Considering the popularity of the caricatures played by the likes of Steppin Fetchit and Willie Best, it would seem that most studios saw black people as slightly less than people. The 1930s was a terrible decade for black actors in films in many ways. ![]()
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