Plymouth Adventure Reviews

An adventure-filled tale of the voyage of the Mayflower from England to America in 1620 with a cargo of 102 pilgrims. Captained by the stern, disapproving Tracy, the ship departs from the British shores with a list of passengers that includes William Bradford (Genn), who will be the new colony's first governor, his wife (Tierney), John Alden (Johnson), Priscilla Mullins (Addams), Miles Standish (Drayton), and William Brewster (Jones). Their journey is a dangerous one filled with blinding storms, high winds, and choppy seas. The embittered Tracy riles his puritanical passengers by trying to seduce Tierney, who intends to remain loyal to Genn. Tracy finally comes to a point where he understands and respects the pilgrims' plight, but this revelation comes too late. Tierney, having fallen overboard, drowns in the dark and violent sea. The Mayflower eventually reaches its destination. Tracy brings his passengers to shore but in respect for Tierney's memory chooses to keep his ship in the coastal waters to help assure the colonists' survival over their first winter, rather than heading back to England immediately, as planned. Hampered by a mindless script, PLYMOUTH ADVENTURE holds interest only because of Brown's fine ability at directing the action sequences. One can't help but shudder at the sight of the thundering waves against the Mayflower's hull which rock the ship with all their power. Brown, who had been working in films for 37 years and had become best known for his direction of Greta Garbo (FLESH AND THE DEVIL, 1927, and ANNA CHRISTIE, 1930), threw in the directorial towel after PLYMOUTH ADVENTURE. Winner of the Best Special Effects Oscar for 1952.