Outward Bound | 1930 | Fantasy, Drama

Title: Outward Bound | 1930 | Fantasy, Drama Director: Robert Milton Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc. and The Vitaphone Corp. Starring: Leslie Howard, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Helen Chandler, Beryl Mercer, Dudley Digges, Alec B. Francis, Montagu Love, Alison Skipworth, Lyonel Watts Based on: Outward Bound by Sutton Vane Release Date: November 29, 1930 Runtime: 83 Format: Black-and-white; Vitaphone sound; 10 reels Country: United States Language: English Genres: Fantasy, Drama --- Chapters: 00:00:00 Fog and a pact 00:17:00 Passengers aboard the empty liner 00:35:00 Realization of the afterlife 00:56:00 The Examiner’s judgments 01:12:00 Fates resolved --- Summary: A disparate group of travelers awaken aboard a fog-shrouded ocean liner with no crew and no memory of boarding. As their stories emerge, the passengers—among them the dissolute Tom Prior, the kindly Mrs. Midget, a socialite, a clergyman, and an industrialist—gradually understand they are dead and en route to judgment. Young lovers Henry and Ann, who attempted suicide rather than live apart, occupy a liminal state between life and death. All await the Examiner, whose interviews confront them with the consequences of their choices and determine their destinations. The film explores moral reckoning, compassion, and second chances within a restrained, atmospheric setting. --- Background: Adapted from Sutton Vane’s 1923 stage success, the film was directed by Robert Milton, who had staged the play on Broadway. Several actors—Dudley Digges, Beryl Mercer, and Lyonel Watts—reprised their stage roles, while Leslie Howard shifted from playing Henry on stage to Tom Prior on screen, marking his Hollywood feature debut. Produced by Warner Bros. with Vitaphone sound technology, the picture later inspired a 1944 Warner Bros. remake, Between Two Worlds, which updated the premise to a World War II setting. --- Trivia: The onscreen credits misspell actor Dudley Digges’s surname as “Diggs.” Outward Bound opened in New York on September 17, 1930, ahead of its general U.S. release on November 29, 1930. Promotional cards and opening titles emphasized the property’s theatrical origins and billed the film as a Vitaphone talking picture. Leslie Howard, who had created the role of Henry on stage, took over the screen role of Tom Prior; Douglas Fairbanks Jr. played Henry in the film. The film survives intact, has aired on television, and is preserved in the Library of Congress collection. --- Public Domain / Rights: Original Release: November 29, 1930 Original Studio / Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc. --- Hashtags: OutwardBound1930 OutwardBound LeslieHoward DouglasFairbanksJr WarnerBros ClassicFilm FantasyDrama PreCode 1930sCinema Source page: https: //commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Outward_Bound_(1930).webm Direct media URL: https: //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b1/Outward_Bound_%281930%29.webm