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War drama

The Long Voyage Home (1940): Cast & Plot

The Long Voyage Home (1940) movie poster

The Long Voyage Home is a 1940 war drama directed by John Ford, starring Blue Washington as Black Cook on Glencairn, Wyndham Standing and Thomas Mitchell. It runs 1 hour 45 minutes.

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Read the plot summary
The Long Voyage Home (1940) movie poster
Released
Runtime
1h 45m (105 min)
Director
John Ford
Genres
Drama , War
Original language
English
Studio
United Artists
After the credits
No No extra scene
The story

What Is The Long Voyage Home About?

The premise of The Long Voyage Home without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.

A poetic portrait of love and hardship at sea, the film follows the merchant vessel Glencairn and its multinational crew as they strive to survive a perilous transatlantic crossing in World War II. The narrative weaves together four one‑act plays by Eugene O’Neill, blending personal drama with wartime tension.

The Long Voyage Home Themes & Keywords

· 50 tags
  • merchant marine
  • death
  • ginger beer
  • swedish accent
  • beer
  • world war two
  • nazi
  • sailor
  • homosexual subtext
  • prostitution
  • male bonding
  • male male relationship
+38 more
  • manipulative female
  • pipe smoking
  • drink
  • drinking
  • storm at sea
  • dancer
  • dancing
  • flute player
  • party
  • mustached man
  • hit in the face
  • ship's crew
  • hit over the head with a bottle
  • drinking from a bottle
  • man wears suspenders
  • bunk beds
  • knocked unconscious
  • mother son relationship
  • pince nez
  • cargo ship
  • ammunition
  • shore leave
  • porthole
  • flashlight
  • jumping ship
  • running man
  • chase
  • pursuit
  • capture
  • lantern
  • food
  • eating
  • ship's captain
  • injured man
  • nickname
  • reference to buenos aires argentina
  • reference to caracas venezuela
  • memory
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Cast & crew

The Long Voyage Home Cast & Characters

Blue Washington leads the cast as Black Cook on Glencairn, with Wyndham Standing as British Naval Officer and Thomas Mitchell as Driscoll. Directed by John Ford; 45 actors are credited in all.

Also Starring in The Long Voyage Home

· 41 more
Show all 45 cast members
From the director

More from John Ford

More films directed by John Ford, best-rated first: The Grapes of Wrath, The Searchers, Young Mr. Lincoln and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.

Full filmography
Plot

The Long Voyage Home Plot Summary

What happens in The Long Voyage Home from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 10 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 3-minute read.

Spoilers ahead

On a long voyage home from the West Indies to Baltimore and then onward to England during World War II, a British tramp steamer named the SS Glencairn carries a rough-and-ready crew who live for the moment. At their head stands the consensus leader, a middle-aged Irishman named Driscoll; close behind him are a young Swedish ex-farmer, Ole Olsen; a spiteful steward nicknamed Cocky; a brooding Lord Jim–like Englishman named Smitty; and a burly, utterly dependable bruiser, Davis. The crew is a motley mix—fun-loving, hard-drinking, quick with a joke and quicker with a quarrel—yet the camaraderie is real, and their shared life at sea binds them through seasons of sun, spray, and strain.

Full summary

The whole story of The Long Voyage Home, scene by scene

Read the full summary
Quiz

How Well Do You Know The Long Voyage Home?

10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.

Question 1 of 10

  1. Question 1: not answered
  2. Question 2: not answered
  3. Question 3: not answered
  4. Question 4: not answered
  5. Question 5: not answered
  6. Question 6: not answered
  7. Question 7: not answered
  8. Question 8: not answered
  9. Question 9: not answered
  10. Question 10: not answered

Who is the middle‑aged Irishman who leads the crew on the SS Glencairn?
Details

The Long Voyage Home Also Known As

17 alternative titles, including “Viaggio senza fine” and “Hombres del mar”.

Also known as
  • Viaggio senza fine
  • Hombres del mar
  • 果てなき船路
  • Hombres intrépidos
  • Les Hommes de la mer
  • Lungo viaggio di ritorno
  • Der lange Weg nach Cardiff
  • A Longa Viagem de Volta
  • Hosszú az út haza
  • Долгий путь домой
  • 归途路迢迢
  • 머나먼 항해
+5 more
  • Długa podróż do domu
  • El retorn a casa
  • Lungul drum spre casă
  • سفر طولانی خانه
  • Vaarallisilla vesillä

Seen The Long Voyage Home?
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Movies Like The Long Voyage Home

Films with a similar story, tone or audience, including The Last Voyage, The Long Ships and Long Day’s Journey Into Night.

FAQ

The Long Voyage Home FAQ: Cast, Runtime & Release Date

Runtime, release date, director, cast and post-credit scenes of The Long Voyage Home, each answered in a sentence.

How long is The Long Voyage Home?

The Long Voyage Home runs 1 hour 45 minutes (105 minutes).

When was The Long Voyage Home released?

The Long Voyage Home was released on October 8, 1940.

Who directed The Long Voyage Home?

The Long Voyage Home was directed by John Ford.

More films by John Ford

Who is in the cast of The Long Voyage Home?

The Long Voyage Home stars Blue Washington as Black Cook on Glencairn, Wyndham Standing as British Naval Officer and Thomas Mitchell as Driscoll, among 45 credited actors.

Does The Long Voyage Home have a post-credit scene?

No. The Long Voyage Home has no extra scene during or after the credits.

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