Outward Bound (film)
| Outward Bound | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Robert Milton |
| Written by |
Sutton Vane (play) J. Grubb Alexander |
| Starring |
Leslie Howard Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. Helen Chandler Beryl Mercer Dudley Digges Alec B. Francis |
| Cinematography | Hal Mohr |
| Distributed by | Warner Brothers |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 83 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Outward Bound (1930) is an all-talking dramatic film based on the hit 1923 play of the same name by Sutton Vane. The film stars Leslie Howard, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Helen Chandler, Beryl Mercer, Montagu Love, Alison Skipworth, Alec B. Francis, and Dudley Digges. The film was later remade, with some changes, as Between Two Worlds (1944).
Plot
Henry and Ann (Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Helen Chandler), a pair of young lovers, are planning to commit suicide and are worried about what will happen to their dog when they are gone. The scene then changes to a disparate group of passengers who find themselves aboard a darkened, fog-enshrouded crewless boat, sailing to an unknown destination. Their stories are revealed one by one. Tom Prior, a prodigal son, discovers that he's travelling with his ex-boss Mr. Lingley, a captain of industry; Tom's mother, Mrs. Midget, whose identity the son does not know, is curious about how her son is doing; Mrs. Cliveden-Banks, an affected socialite, chats with the steward Scrubby; Rev. William Duke, a clergyman, is keen about his missionary work in the London slums; and the young couple, Henry and Ann, who are facing an impossible love affair and have decided that they cannot live without each other. They now wonder if they will be together forever.
In time, the passengers slowly realize what is going on: they are all dead. They will be judged during the course of the voyage and go either to Heaven or to Hell. Arriving at their destination, they await judgment by Thompson, the "examiner".
Henry and Ann, who unsuccessfully committed suicide and now hover in a sort of limbo between life and death, have not quite crossed over yet. Scrubby, the ship's steward, has already been condemned to sail the ship for eternity, having committed suicide. Henry is eventually saved from asphyxiation by his dog breaking a window pane; he calls to Ann, she revives, and together they are rescued by an ambulance.
Cast
- Leslie Howard as Tom Prior
- Douglas Fairbanks Jr. as Henry
- Beryl Mercer as Mrs Midget
- Dudley Digges as Thompson
- Helen Chandler as Ann
- Alec B. Francis as Scrubby
- Montagu Love as Mr Lingley
- Lyonel Watts as Reverend William Duke
- Alison Skipworth as Mrs Cliveden-Banks
Preservation
The film survives intact and has been broadcast on television and cable.