Voyage of the Damned

PG

Released Dec 22, 1976

2h 38m

Drama

War

List

77%

13 Reviews

Tomatometer

52%

250+ Ratings

Audience Score

Based on the true story of a ship carrying German-Jewish refugees which was sent to Havana in 1939 by the Nazis but was denied permission to land anywhere. The ship was eventually obliged to return to Germany, where certain death awaited its passengers. This terrible outcome had been cynically anticipated by the Nazis when granting permission for the voyage in the first place.

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Alec B

The movie gets undermined by its overabundance of characters and melodrama as if the filmmakers didn't trust the core of the story to be dramatic enough.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/09/24

Full Review

dustin d

Voyage of the Damned may have flopped in its day because audiences were uninterested in or not ready for a serious treatment of the Holocaust. Modern criticisms of the film seem to suggest the film was not weighty enough. I think the movie sacrifices depth for breadth in the shameful historical incident of the St. Louis. Instead of a character study or a deep-dive into the significance of the St. Louis, the film rushes from one character to another, showing the role they played in the fate of the St. Louis, or perhaps a fictionalized amalgamation of the stories of the ship's passengers. The characters tended to be two-dimensional archetypes rather than rounded, dynamic characters. I didn't mind this treatment. The film was well-made, contained enough drama, and treated the subject matter seriously enough to achieve what it set out to do. It is a good pre-Schindler's List Holocaust film.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Sobering movie about the true story of the plight of German Jews just before WW2.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/29/23

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s r

Interesting true story, but the drama embellished to distraction.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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steve d

A tough watch that may have you in tears even if the script fails to capture the entire agony.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

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Audience Member

I'm old enough to remember this movie! I think it is VERY WELL DONE. I have seen it more than once. Great writing and acting! Personally, I do NOT believe that the atrocities done by the Nazis can ever be over emphasized. In fact, they are rarely shown today. Be BLESSED by viewing it!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/26/23

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Stuart Rosenberg

Director

Faye Dunaway

Denise Kreisler

Max von Sydow

Captain Schroeder

Oskar Werner

Professor Egon Kreisler

Malcolm McDowell

Max Gunter

Orson Welles

José Estedes

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Rene Jordan

El Nuevo Herald (Miami)

Banality is contagious and the sin of Voyage of the Damned is having bartered one of the biggest stories of our time into this dull multi-star vehicle of frivolous dressing room gossip. [Full review in Spanish]

Aug 15, 2023

Full Review

David MacDonald

Philadelphia Gay News

While the film does have its drawbacks, it is an enlightening look back.

May 26, 2020

Full Review

Bernard Drew

Gannett News Service

[The actors] all do their best but the cliche ridden, on the nose, boom, boom, boom screenplay defeats nearly all of them.

Nov 4, 2019

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Ruth Batchelor

Los Angeles Free Press

Besides carrying the impact of an issue morally greater than the fate of individuals, the film is a study in personal heroism, cowardice, dignity, fear, hope and betrayal.

Oct 25, 2019

Full Review

Matt Brunson

Creative Loafing

If anyone emerges as first among equals, it would be Max von Sydow, who lends enormous dignity to the role of the ship's captain.

Rated: 3/4

Oct 5, 2013

Full Review

J.C. Maçek III

PopMatters

There is no Indiana Jones to save the day and no pat Hollywood ending to revise history. Voyage of the Damned is unquestionably a serious drama and treats its subject matter with the dignity that it should.

Rated: 7/10

Sep 26, 2013

Full Review

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Synopsis

Based on the true story of a ship carrying German-Jewish refugees which was sent to Havana in 1939 by the Nazis but was denied permission to land anywhere. The ship was eventually obliged to return to Germany, where certain death awaited its passengers. This terrible outcome had been cynically anticipated by the Nazis when granting permission for the voyage in the first place.

Director: Stuart Rosenberg
Distributor: AVCO Embassy Pictures
Production Co: Associated General Films, ITC Entertainment
Rating: PG
Genre: Drama, War
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 22, 1976, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 12, 2017
Runtime: 2h 38m

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