Ship of Fools (film)
Updated: 12/20/2025, 12:00:27 PM Wikipedia source
Ship of Fools is a 1965 American drama film directed by Stanley Kramer, set on board an ocean liner bound for Germany from Mexico in 1933. It stars a prominent ensemble cast of 11 stars — Vivien Leigh (in her final film role), Simone Signoret, Jose Ferrer, Lee Marvin, Oskar Werner, Elizabeth Ashley, George Segal, Jose Greco, Michael Dunn, Charles Korvin, and Heinz Rühmann. Ship of Fools, which was based on Katherine Anne Porter's 1962 novel of the same name, was highly regarded, with reviewers praising the cast's performance but also noting, at 150 minutes, the movie's overlong (for 1965) runtime. The film was nominated for eight Academy Awards in 1966, including for Best Picture, Best Actor for Oskar Werner, Best Actress for Simone Signoret, and Best Supporting Actor for Michael Dunn. It won for Best Art Direction, Black-and-White and Best Cinematography, Black-and-White. The title is also a reference to the popular allegory and the medieval satire of the same name.
Infobox
Directed by
Stanley Kramer
Screenplay by
Abby Mann
Based on
Ship of Fools1962 novelby Katherine Anne Porter
Produced by
Stanley Kramer
Starring
Vivien LeighSimone SignoretJose FerrerLee MarvinOskar WernerElizabeth AshleyGeorge SegalJose GrecoMichael DunnCharles KorvinHeinz RuehmannLilia Skala
Cinematography
Ernest Laszlo
Edited by
Robert C. Jones
Music by
Ernest Gold
Color process
Black and white
Productioncompany
Stanley Kramer Productions
Distributed by
Columbia Pictures Corporation
Release date
mw- July 29, 1965 (1965-07-29)
Running time
150 minutes
Country
United States
Languages
EnglishGermanSpanish
Box office
$3,500,000 (rentals) Anticipated rentals accruing distributors in North America
Tables
· Awards and nominations
Academy Awards
Academy Awards
Award
Academy Awards
Category
Best Picture
Nominee(s)
Stanley Kramer
Result
Nominated
Best Actor
Best Actor
Award
Best Actor
Category
Oskar Werner
Nominee(s)
Nominated
Best Actress
Best Actress
Award
Best Actress
Category
Simone Signoret
Nominee(s)
Nominated
Best Supporting Actor
Best Supporting Actor
Award
Best Supporting Actor
Category
Michael Dunn
Nominee(s)
Nominated
Best Screenplay – Based on Material from Another Medium
Best Screenplay – Based on Material from Another Medium
Award
Best Screenplay – Based on Material from Another Medium
Category
Abby Mann
Nominee(s)
Nominated
Best Art Direction – Black-and-White
Best Art Direction – Black-and-White
Award
Best Art Direction – Black-and-White
Category
Art Direction: Robert Clatworthy; Set Decoration: Joseph Kish
Nominee(s)
Won
Best Cinematography – Black-and-White
Best Cinematography – Black-and-White
Award
Best Cinematography – Black-and-White
Category
Ernest Laszlo
Nominee(s)
Won
Best Costume Design – Black-and-White
Best Costume Design – Black-and-White
Award
Best Costume Design – Black-and-White
Category
Jean Louis and Bill Thomas
Nominee(s)
Nominated
British Academy Film Awards
British Academy Film Awards
Award
British Academy Film Awards
Category
Best Foreign Actor
Nominee(s)
Oskar Werner
Result
Nominated
Best Foreign Actress
Best Foreign Actress
Award
Best Foreign Actress
Category
Simone Signoret
Nominee(s)
Nominated
Golden Globe Awards
Golden Globe Awards
Award
Golden Globe Awards
Category
Best Motion Picture – Drama
Nominee(s)
Nominated
Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama
Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama
Award
Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama
Category
Oskar Werner
Nominee(s)
Nominated
Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama
Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama
Award
Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama
Category
Simone Signoret
Nominee(s)
Nominated
Laurel Awards
Laurel Awards
Award
Laurel Awards
Category
Top Male Supporting Performance
Nominee(s)
Michael Dunn
Result
4th Place
National Board of Review Awards
National Board of Review Awards
Award
National Board of Review Awards
Category
Top Ten Films
Nominee(s)
4th Place
Best Actor
Best Actor
Award
Best Actor
Category
Lee Marvin (also for Cat Ballou)
Nominee(s)
Won
New York Film Critics Circle Awards
New York Film Critics Circle Awards
Award
New York Film Critics Circle Awards
Category
Best Actor
Nominee(s)
Oskar Werner
Result
Nominated
Writers Guild of America Awards
Writers Guild of America Awards
Award
Writers Guild of America Awards
Category
Best Written American Drama
Nominee(s)
Abby Mann
Result
Nominated
| Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
| Academy Awards | Best Picture | Stanley Kramer | Nominated | |
| Best Actor | Oskar Werner | Nominated | ||
| Best Actress | Simone Signoret | Nominated | ||
| Best Supporting Actor | Michael Dunn | Nominated | ||
| Best Screenplay – Based on Material from Another Medium | Abby Mann | Nominated | ||
| Best Art Direction – Black-and-White | Art Direction: Robert Clatworthy; Set Decoration: Joseph Kish | Won | ||
| Best Cinematography – Black-and-White | Ernest Laszlo | Won | ||
| Best Costume Design – Black-and-White | Jean Louis and Bill Thomas | Nominated | ||
| British Academy Film Awards | Best Foreign Actor | Oskar Werner | Nominated | |
| Best Foreign Actress | Simone Signoret | Nominated | ||
| Golden Globe Awards | Best Motion Picture – Drama | Nominated | ||
| Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama | Oskar Werner | Nominated | ||
| Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama | Simone Signoret | Nominated | ||
| Laurel Awards | Top Male Supporting Performance | Michael Dunn | 4th Place | |
| National Board of Review Awards | Top Ten Films | 4th Place | ||
| Best Actor | Lee Marvin (also for Cat Ballou) | Won | ||
| New York Film Critics Circle Awards | Best Actor | Oskar Werner | Nominated | |
| Writers Guild of America Awards | Best Written American Drama | Abby Mann | Nominated | |
References
- At one point in the pre-production, Katharine Hepburn was considered for the role of Mary Treadwell, but dropped out and
- L'Étoile de Cristal was the French equivalent of the Oscar.
- The Sony re-release was bundled with The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T., The Wild One, The Member of the Wedding, and Guess Who
- Other films that are included are Bobby Deerfield, Baby the Rain Must Fall and The Chase.
- "Top Grossers of 1965". Variety, January 5, 1966, p. 36.
- Porter 1984, p. 3.
- Steinberg, Jay. "Articles: Ship of Fools." Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved: September 3, 2022.https://web.archive.org/web/20111104091312/http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/27532/Ship-of-Fools/#articles-reviews?articleId=29945
- Andersen 1997, pp. 552–553.
- David 1995, p. 46.
- Walker 1987, p. 281.
- "Ottawa Citizen - Google News Archive Search"https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=QBJtjoHflPwC&dat=19650522&printsec=frontpage&hl=en
- Epstein 2013, p. 149.
- Crowther, Bosley. "Review: Ship of Fools". The New York Times, July 29, 1965. Retrieved: October 10, 2013.https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=EE05E7DF173BE270BC4151DFB166838E679EDE
- "Review: Ship of Fools". Variety, December 31, 1964. Retrieved: October 10, 2013.https://variety.com/1964/film/reviews/ship-of-fools-1200420786/
- "Huelva homenaje hoy a los hermanos Salao, Justo y Carmen"[permanent dead link]http://sevilla.abc.es/hemeroteca/historico-16-01-2007/sevilla/Gente/huelva-homenajea-hoy-a-los-hermanos-salao-justo-y-carmen_163948102071.html
- Rotten Tomatoeshttps://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ship_of_fools
- oscars.orghttp://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1966
- "Awards: Ship of Fools". The New York Times. Retrieved: October 10, 2013.https://web.archive.org/web/20110204121546/http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/44377/Ship-of-Fools/awards
- BAFTAhttp://awards.bafta.org/award/1966/film
- HFPAhttps://www.goldenglobes.com/film/ship-fools
- National Board of Reviewhttps://nationalboardofreview.org/award-years/1965/
- New York Film Critics Circlehttps://www.nyfcc.com/awards/?awardyear=1965
- wga.orghttps://archive.today/20121205095022/http://www.wga.org/awards/awardssub.aspx?id=1551
- Bean 2013, p. 279.
- "AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores Nominees"http://www.afi.com/Docs/100Years/scores250.pdf
- Krauss, David. "Columbia TriStar Home Video presents Ship of Fools (1965)." Archived 2018-07-11 at the Wayback Machine Dhttp://www.digitallyobsessed.com/displaylegacy.php?ID=5468
- "ship of Fools DVD". CD Universe. Retrieved: October 11, 2013.http://www.cduniverse.com/search/xx/movie/pid/6368853/a/ship+of+fools.htm