The Hate Ship

Aboard a yacht, a Russian nobleman argues with one of his guests, and threatens to expose him. The camera cuts to his other guests. There is a gunshot. The nobleman, it is announced, has shot himself. Now, some time later, we are told there is a party, with no one permitted to bring company. Eventually, one of the guests is shot, with no one present to do the shooting. As he lies in his cabin, perhaps recovering, an investigation occurs which quickly reveals how, if not who nor why.

No mystery there, so far as I was concerned. This very early British International Pictures soundie has most most of the problems of its brethren that year: an immobile camera and dialogue delivered in a stilted, stagey fashion. Sam Simmonds's rapid editing covers the immobile camerawork, but nothing helps the performances, nor the obvious script.