Two Years Before the Mast

Duration: 22

Genre: Drama | Educational | Historical

Year Published: 1946

Creator: Paramount News Service

Format: 16mm

Color: B&W

Sound: sound

Description: Dramatizes incidents from Richard Henry Dana's log book, and stresses the significance of his writing in bettering the conditions of merchant seamen. Excerpted from the feature film., Teaching Film Custodians classroom film of excerpts from the 1946 Paramount Pictures feature film, "Two Years Before the Mast", based on incidents from Richard Henry Dana's log book. This film dramatizes the cruise of the merchant ship Pilgrim "around the horn" to California. Dana is portrayed recording in his diary between watches, the events of the journey and the brutality and hardships endured by seamen. Charles Stewart, the ship owner's son, finds himself shanghaied on his father's ship commanded by cruel Captain Thompson. After scurvy breaks out, he leads a mutiny and is slapped in irons. Floggings and torture abound before the crew takes the law into their own hands. Upon his return to Boston, publication of Dana's book is influential in effecting legislation to improve the working conditions of merchant seamen.

Complete Record: Dramatizes incidents from Richard Henry Dana's log book, and stresses the significance of his writing in bettering the conditions of merchant seamen. Excerpted from the feature film., NOTE: Two (or more) records have been merged together to create this data.