Leave it up to the noble and sexy and ex- footballer and extremely capable Woody Strode and Edmond O'Brien to save the day on this one. I can't believe I've never seen this movie before being a fan of the catastrophe genre of the day. Of course I wasn't even born yet when this movie was made but I'm a die hard fan of TCM and prefer the classic movies over most anything put out today. I was pleasantly surprised to see George Sanders as the Captain here as well....

it is a special film. not only for story or for cast. but for extraordinary care for details. for the art to give soul to a spectacular subject but almost common in a period of catastrophic scenes. a kind of gem , realistic, touching, fresh at each new discover. because a gray story becomes, in this case, a lesson about powerful art. a splendid contribution - George Sanders in an ambiguous - convincing role. the other - the admirable work of Woody Strode. its virtue - science to transform the story in a different case by disaster movies. and brave science to transform a personal case in key of tragedy. impressive, admirable, perfect work, it remains a brilliant model for this genre of movie.

Back in the days before "Titanic," 3D and CGI -- 1960 to be precise -- writer-director Andrew Stone decided there was only one way to make a disaster movie at sea. Obtain a real ocean liner and destroy it. The ship in question was the Ile De France which was headed for the scrap heap after three decades of trans-Atlantic service. And what a difference that legendary liner makes. The flooded engine room where chief engineer Edmond O'Brien tries to keep the ocean from crashing through a bulkhead is clearly the real thing. Probably hell to shoot in but full of authentic hardware that even the most gifted set designer would have been challenged to contrive. Same for the art deco dining salon where the ocean swamps the portholes. As the ship founders, several sub-plots play out, primarily Robert Stack's desperate attempt to rescue wife Dorothy Malone, trapped beneath twisted metal and ambitious Captain George Sanders' refusal to accept the reality of his vessel's fate. Deduct one star for the aspiring Shirley Temple who plays a hysterical tyke. But otherwise the acting, particularly Sanders, O'Brien, Malone and Woody Strode as a muscular Samaritan, is terrific. If you haven't seen "The Last Voyage," take a look and recall those glorious days when people traveled by steamship and special effects weren't computer-generated.

This movie isn't too bad for 1960. It is a G rated film and is kind of nerve racking. The narration reminds me of a docu-drama type of film along the lines of 13 Rue Madeleine or Boomerang. Some of the rescue scenes are very amplified and prolonged for tension effect. The lack of a film score in most of the movie is quite effective too. Dorothy Malone is quite beautiful in this and the little girl, although overly dramatic, does pretty well for such a small child.There is a major blooper at the end. No one thus far has mentioned it. I caught it right away when I saw it. This is the first time I have seen the movie since 1960 at the Boulevard Drive In Theatre on Camp Bowie in Ft. Worth. I recall this movie back then. It impressed me for its realism being an 11 year old at the time.The blooper concerns Edmund O' Brien. Count the people getting off the ship at the end and watch closely you will catch it. Also count them getting in the lifeboat once they swim out there and count them swimming. You will see the error. Its pretty big.JW.