Review of Strange Cargo (1940) by Carlos P — 10 Apr 2011

Eighth and final on-screen pairing of Gable & Crawford, whose illicit and adulterous affair was soon to be stamped out by papa LB Mayer. Unusual in its absence of MGM's typical glamor and dazzle in this period, it also signals Crawford's evolution into stronger performances and better characters. The melodrama tends to run high, and the religious overtones are almost painfully layered on (I doubt any modern viewer is going to be very surprised with the 'revealing' final image, I even doubt anyone back in 1940 was).

All in all, an interesting film, certainly considering how it broke out of the 1940's mold and anticipated the darker, grittier style of films that would once again rule in years to come, but nowhere near a masterwork.