I Watch Films: Lord Jim (1965)

 

Lord Jim (1965)

Jim (Peter O’Toole) is a promising young merchant seaman under Captain Marlow; injured he’s put ashore at Java to recover. He signs on the next ship, the SS Patna, a poorly maintained freighter carrying pilgrims on Haj. In a storm the ship seems in trouble; the rest of the crew decide to abandon ship and in a moment of weakness and confusion he joins them. Arriving in port they are shocked to discover the Patna has been brought in ahead of them. The rest of the crew vanish but Jim insists on a formal enquiry. The British president of the enquiry wishes he had just run or perhaps killed himself. The French captain who rescued the Patna is more forgiving, noting that he was not there on the spot, and the rule about the crew being last to leave was drawn up by insurance companies to avoid salvage being claimed.

Jim, disgraced, becomes an anonymous sailor in the Indian Ocean. Using a lighter to bring some cargo to shore, one of the crew sets fired to the boat to try and destroy the gunpowder aboard. Jim, thinking quickly extinguishes it with the beer in one of the barrels. Stein, the owner of the cargo, is impressed and takes Jim on.

The gunpowder and rifles are to go up river to the distant district of Patusan. An old friend of Stein, the village chief, is leading an uprising against a warlord called The General (Eli Wallach). Jim volunteers to take the boat upriver; on the way one of the crew betrays him, but he manages to hide the weapons and gunpowder before being captured. He refuses to talk to the surprise of Cornelius (Curd Jürgens), the agent for the company who is corrupt and a drunk. That night Jim is rescued by a girl called The Girl (Delilah Lavi) and they join the rebellion which succeeds. The General is killed and Cornelius escapes. Jim decides to stay, is given a title that might mean “Lord” and courts The Girl.

Cornelius, knowing where The General’s treasure is, joins up with “Gentleman” Duncan Brown (James Mason) yo go upriver and get the treasure. They are discovered. Jim attempts to negotiate in a manner that will lead him to finally expiate his former cowardice.

A fairly straightforward adventure film with Jim’s need for redemption driving the main story. Loses a few of the more interesting bits of the novel.

Watch This: Strong sea-faring and jungle adventure
Don’t Watch This: Cliched villains, a dull hero and a bit of orientalism