My views
- Notable actors:
- Edward G Robinson (~48 years-old)
Plot
Fiction writer Humphrey Van Weyden and escaped convict Ruth Webster are passengers on a ferry that collides with another vessel and sinks. They are rescued from drowning by the Ghost, a seal-hunting ship. The Ghost's captain is Wolf Larsen, who delights in abusing his crew.
Larsen refuses to return to port early and forces Van Weyden to work in the kitchen under the supervision of "Cooky", the ship's cook. He also compels Van Weyden to spend time alone with him in his cabin, where the two discuss philosophy and the nature of humanity. Larsen asserts the Nietzschean proposition that man is essentially an amoral animal, and that morality is a construct that has no bearing on life onboard his ship. He predicts that Van Weyden's character will change as he accustoms himself to the uncivilized life among the crew, where no one has any value higher than his own personal gain.
When Dr. Prescott, the ship's drunken doctor, determines that the unconscious Webster needs a transfusion to survive, Larsen "volunteers" George Leach, even though there is no way to test if his blood is compatible. The blood ends up being compatible, and Ruth Webster recovers. She comes to depend on Leach for protection. Larsen humiliates Prescott, who retaliates by revealing to the crew that Larsen's own brother, Death, another sea captain, is hunting him, having vowed to kill him; Prescott then commits suicide.
Fear of being hunted drives some members of the crew to mutiny, led by George Leach. They ambush Larsen and throw him and his first mate overboard. However, Larsen manages to grab a trailing rope, climb back aboard, and put down the mutiny. He announces that an informant revealed to him who the conspirators were. However, instead of punishing them, he betrays the informant, Cooky. They punish Cooky by dropping him into the water, dragging him behind the ship as he holds onto a rope for dear life. This is at first intended as a practical joke; however, a shark bites off one of Cooky's legs. The crewmen pull him and his life is saved.
Eventually, Leach, Webster, Van Weyden, and a crewman, Johnson, escape on a dory. However, they discover that Larsen replaced their water supply with vinegar. Later, while the others sleep, Johnson sacrifices himself by going overboard to help conserve the little water they have.
Larsen suffers from intense headaches that leave him temporarily blind, but hides his condition from the crew, knowing that he will eventually lose his sight permanently. When Larsen's brother catches up with him, the Ghost is attacked by cannon and, after several hits, begins to sink. The Ghost escapes into a fog bank, but Larsen is blind again and his debility is revealed to all. Thus, the crew seizes this opportunity to abandon ship by taking to the lifeboats and will leave Larson aboard by himself.
Van Weyden, Leach, and Webster sight the outline of a ship through the fog, but realize that it is the Ghost and, having no other choice, reboard it. The ship appears to be deserted, George Leach goes below for provisions. He is ambushed by Wolf Larsen, who locks him in a storage compartment. Larsen is determined to go down with the Ghost and take as many others with him as he can. Van Weyden tries to get the key from Larsen and is fatally shot, but manages to hide the fact from the now near completely blind captain. He tricks Larsen into giving Webster the key by promising to stay with Larsen to the bitter end. This act of seeming self-sacrifice disturbs Larsen, causing him to question his whole philosophy, until he realizes that Van Weyden is dying from his bullet wound. Vindicated in his own mind, Larsen awaits his demise. Leach and Webster reboard the dory and sail toward a nearby island.
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