Strange Cargo

Ace melodramatist Borzage always injected his tales of romance and hardship with more than a touch of spiritual redemption, and this is one of his most explicit statements about the uplifting power of love. Gable is one of a group of convicts who escapes from the prison on Devil's Island; through his relationship with Crawford, which develops from basic sexual attraction to intense emotional commitment, and through his hardships as they trek through the jungle, he finds not only physical but also spiritual liberation. Most remarkable, however, is the Ian Hunter character, who helps lead them to salvation: omniscient and at one with nature, he becomes almost a Christ-figure endowed with strange powers and the gift of mercy. Borzage lends the tale quite extraordinary conviction.