World Cinema: Ships in French, Italian, German, Japanese, Korean and Russian Films
Le Crabe-Tambour, Plein Soleil, L'Avventura, Ugetsu, The Naked Island, Moonzund, Fire at Sea and Io capitano. Great maritime cinema is not only in English.
This chapter of Ships on Screen holds 118 ships and boats. For each one you will find the film or the book, the year, who was in it, what the ship does in the story, and the scene we would bring to life. See all 1,404 ships on one page.
Marea can build every one of these ships as a scale model, with the maximum detail the scale permits, finished to be inspected. But we don’t stop at the ship. We bring the scene with it: a few hand painted figurines on deck, caught in the one moment you remember. It isn’t a diorama. It’s the ship, with its story on board.
This database was put together by Ai Refloat™, Marea’s own artificial intelligence. Ai Refloat is still young & like any teenager, it can be a little volatile and unpredictable at times, but above all, it is learning fast. So this list may well contain mistakes and we welcome the input of everyone who knows these films, books and ships better than we do: listening, correcting and learning is one of the many ways we work towards perfection in this craft.
Have you spotted a mistake? Tell us which film, series, book, cartoon or boat, and we will amend it accordingly. Tell us here
The ships
World Cinema · Algeria
Harraga boat to Spain Fictional
Harragas (2009)
Directed by Merzak Allouache
Starring Nabil Asli, Lamia Boussekine, Seddik Benyagoub
Ten young people from Mostaganem pay the smuggler Hassan to take them across 200 kilometres of sea to Spain in a small open boat. The word harraga means those who burn their papers.
The Marea scene The overloaded boat leaving the Algerian beach at night.
On set Real small boat.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
World Cinema · Brazil
Xica's sailing ship on the lake Real ship
Xica da Silva (1976)
Directed by Carlos Diegues
Starring Zezé Motta, Walmor Chagas, José Wilker
The freed slave Xica da Silva has never seen the sea, so her lover, the diamond contractor João Fernandes, digs a lake in the hills of Minas Gerais and builds her a sailing ship to float on it.
The Marea scene Xica in court finery on the deck of her ship on the inland lake while guests watch from the shore.
On set Replica ship built for the film.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
World Cinema · Chile
Esmeralda Real ship
Esmeralda 1879 (2015)
Directed by Elías Llanos
Starring Fernando Godoy, Jaime Omeñaca
The film tells the Battle of Iquique in 1879, when Arturo Prat's old wooden corvette Esmeralda fought the Peruvian ironclad Huáscar. Prat died leading a boarding party onto the Huáscar's deck.
The Marea scene Arturo Prat leaping from the Esmeralda onto the Huáscar's deck with his sword drawn.
On set Floating full size sets of both ships, a year in the building, with Chilean Navy support.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
World Cinema · Chile
Huáscar Real ship
Esmeralda 1879 (2015)
Directed by Elías Llanos
Starring Fernando Godoy, Jaime Omeñaca
Admiral Miguel Grau's turret ship Huáscar rams and sinks the Esmeralda at Iquique. The real Huáscar was later captured by Chile and survives as a museum ship.
The Marea scene The Huáscar's ram bow driving into the Esmeralda's side.
On set Floating film set; the real Huáscar is preserved at Talcahuano, Chile.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
World Cinema · Chile
HMS Beagle and Kawésqar canoes Real ship
The Pearl Button (El botón de nácar) (2015)
Directed by Patricio Guzmán
Presented by Patricio Guzmán (narrator), Kawésqar and Yaghan elders
Guzmán's essay film on Chile's sea includes the canoe peoples of Patagonia and the story of Jemmy Button, bought for a mother of pearl button and taken to England aboard HMS Beagle in 1830.
The Marea scene A Kawésqar bark canoe beside the Beagle anchored in a Patagonian channel.
On set Archive images and reconstructions.
World Cinema · China and Hong Kong
Refugee boat from Da Nang Fictional
Boat People (Tau Ban No Hoi) (1982)
Directed by Ann Hui
Starring George Lam, Andy Lau, Season Ma, Cora Miao
A Japanese photojournalist in post war Da Nang befriends a girl and her brother. The film ends with the children escaping on a refugee boat, one of the defining images of Hong Kong New Wave cinema.
The Marea scene The children crouched in a crowded boat heading for the open sea.
On set Filmed on Hainan.
World Cinema · China and Hong Kong
Marine Police boats and pirate ships Fictional
A Gai Waak (Project A) (1983)
Directed by Jackie Chan
Starring Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Yuen Biao, Dick Wei
The Hong Kong Marine Police battle pirates who have been raiding ships for months; the pirates hold a ship hostage with a Rear Admiral aboard.
The Marea scene Jackie Chan in a white sailor uniform leaping onto a pirate boat.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · China and Hong Kong
Taiping Real ship
Taiping Lun (The Crossing) (2014)
Directed by John Woo
Starring Zhang Ziyi, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Song Hye-kyo, Huang Xiaoming
The two part epic follows lives converging on the Taiping, which sank after a collision in 1949 during the Chinese Civil War with over 1,500 dead.
The Marea scene Passengers crowding the listing deck of the steamer at night as lifeboats are lowered.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · China and Hong Kong
Chinese cargo ships on the Mekong Real ship
Operation Mekong (2016)
Directed by Dante Lam
Starring Zhang Hanyu, Eddie Peng
Based on the 2011 Mekong River massacre, when thirteen Chinese sailors on two cargo ships were murdered in the Golden Triangle. A Chinese task force hunts the drug lord behind it.
The Marea scene The two cargo boats drifting on the brown Mekong with their crews gone.
On set Real case involved the Hua Ping and Yu Xing 8.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · China and Hong Kong
Lisbon Maru Real ship
The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru (2024)
Directed by Fang Li
Presented by Survivors' families and historians
In 1942 the Lisbon Maru, carrying more than 1,800 British prisoners of war, was torpedoed by an American submarine off Zhoushan. Chinese fishermen saved hundreds of men. Fang Li found the wreck by sonar in 2016 and made this film.
The Marea scene Zhoushan fishermen in sampans hauling British prisoners from the sea.
On set Real wreck off the Zhoushan islands.
World Cinema · Czechoslovakia
Count Artigas's submarine and the sinking of the Amelie Fictional
Invention for Destruction (Vynález zkázy) (1958)
Directed by Karel Zeman
Starring Lubor Tokoš, Arnošt Navrátil, Miloslav Holub
Karel Zeman's film, styled like the engravings in the original Jules Verne books, follows Professor Roch kidnapped by Count Artigas, who sinks ships from his submarine base inside a volcano. The sinking of the ship Amelie is a set piece.
The Marea scene The engraved style submarine towing the pirates' schooner past a sinking steamer.
On set Miniatures and animated engravings.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · East Germany
J. G. Fichte Real ship
At Sea (Zur See) (1977)
Created by Wolfgang Luderer
Starring Horst Drinda, Günter Naumann, Günter Schubert
This nine part East German series follows the training and cargo ship J. G. Fichte from Rostock to Havana, with the lives of captain, crew and families ashore. It was one of the most watched GDR television productions.
The Marea scene Captain Kaminski on the bridge of the Fichte as she clears the Warnemünde moles.
On set Filmed aboard the real training ship J. G. Fichte.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · East Germany
SS Cap Arcona Real ship
Der Mann von der Cap Arcona (The Man from the Cap Arcona) (1982)
Directed by Lothar Bellag
Starring Erwin Geschonneck, Jürgen Polzin
DEFA television film based on the experience of actor Erwin Geschonneck, who survived the bombing of the Cap Arcona in the Bay of Lübeck on 3 May 1945, when the ship was crowded with concentration camp prisoners and more than 3,000 died. An old actor returns to Hamburg and remembers.
The Marea scene The great three funnelled liner anchored in the grey Bay of Neustadt in spring 1945.
On set The real liner was sunk in 1945 and later broken up; the same ship had played Titanic in the 1943 German film.
Photo: Public domain
World Cinema · Egypt
Nile steamboat carrying the royal mummies Real ship
The Night of Counting the Years (Al-Mummia) (1969)
Directed by Shadi Abdel Salam
Starring Ahmed Marei, Ahmad Hegazi, Nadia Lutfi
Based on the 1881 discovery of the royal cache at Deir el-Bahari, the film ends with archaeologists loading the sarcophagi of the pharaohs onto a steamboat that carries them down the Nile to Cairo.
The Marea scene Sarcophagi carried in procession down to the steamboat while village women mourn on the bank.
On set Real Nile steamer.
Photo: Public domain
World Cinema · France
Liner leaving Algiers Fictional
Pépé le Moko (1937)
Directed by Julien Duvivier
Starring Jean Gabin, Mireille Balin
The gangster Pépé, trapped in the Casbah, finally comes down to the port to follow Gaby onto her ship for France. Held back behind the harbour gates, he calls her name as the ship leaves.
The Marea scene Gaby at the stern rail, not hearing Pépé's cry as the ship's siren drowns it.
On set Studio and port footage.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · France
Ship for Venezuela Fictional
Le Quai des brumes (Port of Shadows) (1938)
Directed by Marcel Carné
Starring Jean Gabin, Michel Simon, Michèle Morgan, Pierre Brasseur
The ship in the fog bound port of Le Havre on which army deserter Jean plans to escape to Venezuela. He abandons the plan at the last moment to say goodbye to Nelly, with fatal consequences.
The Marea scene Jean Gabin in his army greatcoat on the misty quay, the steamer waiting at the berth behind him.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · France
Monsieur Hulot's kayak Fictional
Monsieur Hulot's Holiday (Les Vacances de M. Hulot) (1953)
Directed by Jacques Tati
Starring Jacques Tati, Nathalie Pascaud
Hulot's canvas kayak folds in half on the water, snapping shut around him like a pair of jaws, and the bathers on the beach flee thinking it is a shark.
The Marea scene The kayak folded shut like a shark's mouth with Hulot trapped inside.
On set Prop kayak filmed at Saint-Marc-sur-Mer.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · France
Marge (real yacht Lasse) Fictional
Plein Soleil (Purple Noon) (1960)
Directed by René Clément
Starring Alain Delon, Marie Laforêt, Maurice Ronet, Billy Kearns
Philippe Greenleaf's yacht, named after his girlfriend Marge, on which Tom Ripley murders Philippe at sea off the Italian coast. The yacht later brings about Tom's downfall when it is hauled out of the water.
The Marea scene Alain Delon at the helm of the white cutter under a blazing sun, with Maurice Ronet lounging on deck.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · France
The adventurers' boat Fictional
Les Aventuriers (The Last Adventure) (1967)
Directed by Robert Enrico
Starring Alain Delon, Lino Ventura, Joanna Shimkus, Serge Reggiani
The boat that carries the three adventurers off the African coast to search for treasure in a sunken aircraft. The quest ends at Fort Boyard, the sea fort off the Charente coast where the film's best remembered sequences were shot.
The Marea scene Delon and Ventura in the boat beneath the massive stone walls of Fort Boyard, with Joanna Shimkus in a diving suit on deck.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · France
Jauréguiberry (D637) Real ship
Le Crabe-Tambour (The Drummer-Crab) (1977)
Directed by Pierre Schoendoerffer
Starring Jean Rochefort, Jacques Perrin, Claude Rich, Aurore Clément
The French naval escort on which a terminally ill commander makes his last voyage, supporting the fishing fleet off Newfoundland. On board, he and his officers remember the legendary Willsdorf, the 'Crabe-Tambour', whom he hopes to meet one last time.
The Marea scene The grey escort ship rolling in a North Atlantic swell, the gaunt commander on the bridge wing watching a trawler through binoculars.
On set The real escorteur Jauréguiberry, lent by the French Navy; the film was her last mission before she was decommissioned. The navy first offered the tug Centaure, judged not warlike enough.
World Cinema · France
Willsdorf's trawler (filmed aboard the Shamrock III) Fictional
Le Crabe-Tambour (The Drummer-Crab) (1977)
Directed by Pierre Schoendoerffer
Starring Jean Rochefort, Jacques Perrin, Claude Rich, Aurore Clément
The fishing vessel commanded by Willsdorf, now a trawler skipper on the Grand Banks, which is due to rendezvous with the warship. Documentary style sequences of the cod fishermen at work were shot aboard a real Fécamp trawler.
The Marea scene The rust streaked trawler rising on a grey Atlantic wave, fishermen in oilskins gutting cod on the open deck.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · France
Junks of Ha Long Bay Fictional
Indochine (1992)
Directed by Régis Wargnier
Starring Catherine Deneuve, Vincent Pérez, Linh Dan Pham
Camille goes to the Dragon Islet in Ha Long Bay to find Jean-Baptiste, and after their escape the pair spend days adrift in the Gulf of Tonkin among the limestone islands.
The Marea scene A junk under red sails threading between the limestone towers of Ha Long Bay.
On set Real Vietnamese junks filmed on location.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · France
Méduse and her raft Real ship
Le Radeau de la Méduse (1998)
Directed by Iradj Azimi
Starring Jean Yanne, Daniel Mesguich, Claude Jade, Laurent Terzieff
The wreck of the frigate Méduse off Mauritania in 1816 and the ordeal of those set adrift on the raft, framed by the painter Géricault's work on his great canvas. Shot between 1987 and 1990 and released only in 1998.
The Marea scene The survivors on the raft sighting the sail of the brig Argus on the horizon.
On set Full size raft and a ship built for the film.
World Cinema · France
DCNS 1000 Fictional
En solitaire (Turning Tide) (2013)
Directed by Christophe Offenstein
Starring François Cluzet, Samy Seghir, Virginie Efira, Guillaume Canet
The racing yacht sailed single handed by Yann Kermadec in the Vendée Globe around the world race. When he discovers a young stowaway on board, his race and his solitude are thrown into question.
The Marea scene François Cluzet at the helm of the heeling racing yacht in the Southern Ocean, the stowaway peering from the companionway.
On set Marc Thiercelin's former racing yacht DCNS 1000, bought by producer Jean Cottin for the shoot.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
World Cinema · Germany
Padua Real ship
Große Freiheit Nr. 7 (Great Freedom No. 7) (1944)
Directed by Helmut Käutner
Starring Hans Albers, Ilse Werner, Hans Söhnker, Hilde Hildebrand
Hans Albers plays Hannes, a former sailor turned singer in a St. Pauli bar in Hamburg, who in the end returns to the sea. Portions of the film were shot aboard the barque Padua.
The Marea scene Hans Albers in a sailor's cap singing 'La Paloma' against the rigging of the great barque.
On set The Flying P-Liner Padua, which survives as the Russian sail training ship Kruzenshtern.
Photo: Żeglarz, Public domain
World Cinema · Germany
Yorikke Fictional
The Death Ship (Das Totenschiff) (1959)
Directed by Georg Tressler
Starring Horst Buchholz, Mario Adorf, Elke Sommer
A sailor without papers is stranded in Europe and ends up shovelling coal on the Yorikke, a rotting ship crewed by stateless men and sailing only to be sunk for the insurance.
The Marea scene Stokers in the red glow of the Yorikke's boiler room.
On set Shot on location in Spain.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · Germany
The conquistadors' rafts Fictional
Aguirre, der Zorn Gottes (Aguirre, the Wrath of God) (1972)
Directed by Werner Herzog
Starring Klaus Kinski, Helena Rojo, Ruy Guerra, Del Negro
Lope de Aguirre's expedition in search of El Dorado floats down the Amazon's tributaries on rafts. One raft is trapped in rapids and the rest are lashed into one larger raft, which ends overrun by monkeys; the men also sight a wooden ship lodged in a tree.
The Marea scene Kinski alone on the drifting raft, surrounded by dead men and swarming monkeys.
On set Rafts built on location in the Peruvian rainforest; not preserved.
World Cinema · Germany
MS Deutschland Real ship
Das Traumschiff (The Dream Ship) (1981)
Created by Wolfgang Rademann
Starring Heinz Weiss, Siegfried Rauch, Sascha Hehn, Florian Silbereisen
The long running ZDF cruise series follows guests' stories resolved with happy endings while the ship visits destinations worldwide. The MS Deutschland was the main ship of the series until 2014.
The Marea scene The captain in white uniform greeting guests at the top of the gangway beside the ship's red funnel.
On set The real cruise ship MS Deutschland.
Photo: Pjotr Mahhonin, CC BY-SA 4.0
World Cinema · Germany
Pamir Real ship
The Sinking of the Pamir (Der Untergang der Pamir) (2006)
Created by Kaspar Heidelbach
Starring Klaus J. Behrendt, Jan Josef Liefers, Herbert Knaup
The two part television film tells the loss of the German sail training barque Pamir in a hurricane in the Atlantic in September 1957, when 80 of 86 men died.
The Marea scene The Pamir heeled over in the hurricane with her barley cargo shifted and sails blown out.
On set The Russian four-masted barque Sedov, repainted in Pamir colours, for exteriors; her sister Passat at Travemünde for below deck scenes.
World Cinema · Germany
Ayesha Real ship
The Men of the Emden (Die Männer der Emden) (2012)
Directed by Berengar Pfahl
Starring Ken Duken, Sebastian Blomberg, Felicitas Woll
After SMS Emden is destroyed by HMAS Sydney at the Cocos Islands in 1914, the landing party under Hellmuth von Mücke seizes the old schooner Ayesha and sails her across the Indian Ocean on the long road home to Germany.
The Marea scene Von Mücke's men hoisting the war ensign on the little Ayesha as they slip away from Direction Island.
On set Filmed in Greece, Sri Lanka, Tunisia, Malta and Germany.
Photo: Public domain (US)
World Cinema · Germany
SMS Emden Real ship
The Men of the Emden (Die Männer der Emden) (2012)
Directed by Berengar Pfahl
Starring Ken Duken, Sebastian Blomberg, Felicitas Woll
The raider Emden, famous for her dummy fourth funnel and chivalrous captain, is caught and wrecked by HMAS Sydney at the Battle of Cocos in 1914, setting the landing party's odyssey in motion.
The Marea scene The burning Emden driven ashore on North Keeling Island.
On set Effects and models.
Photo: Unknown, CC BY-SA 3.0 de
World Cinema · Germany
MS Amadea Real ship
Das Traumschiff (The Dream Ship) (2015)
Created by Wolfgang Rademann
Starring Sascha Hehn, Florian Silbereisen
From 2015 the series moved to the MS Amadea, which became the new 'dream ship' for its guest stories and exotic destinations.
The Marea scene The captain and crew lined up on the Amadea's deck as the ship leaves port to a brass band.
On set The real cruise ship MS Amadea.
Photo: Ivan T, CC BY-SA 3.0
World Cinema · Greece
Danube barge with the statue of Lenin Fictional
Ulysses' Gaze (To Vlemma tou Odyssea) (1995)
Directed by Theo Angelopoulos
Starring Harvey Keitel, Maia Morgenstern, Erland Josephson
A film director searching the Balkans for lost reels rides down the Danube on a barge carrying a huge dismantled statue of Lenin, a modern Cyclops, while people on the banks cross themselves as it passes.
The Marea scene The giant stone head of Lenin lying on the barge deck as it glides down the Danube.
On set Real Danube barge with a prop statue.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · India
Chembankunju's fishing boat Fictional
Chemmeen (1965)
Directed by Ramu Kariat
Starring Sheela, Madhu, Sathyan, Kottarakkara Sreedharan Nair
The fisherman Chembankunju's ambition to own his own boat and nets drives the tragedy of his daughter Karuthamma. Her husband Palani is lost at sea hunting a shark, fulfilling the legend of the sea goddess.
The Marea scene Palani alone in his canoe on the stormy sea at night, locked in a struggle with a shark.
On set Real Kerala fishing boats at Nattika beach.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
World Cinema · India
Kuber's boat on the Padma Fictional
The Boatman of the River Padma (Padma Nadir Majhi) (1993)
Directed by Goutam Ghose
Starring Raisul Islam Asad, Rupa Ganguly, Utpal Dutt
The poor fisherman Kuber works the Padma with his boat until the trader Hossain Miya lures him to a distant island settlement.
The Marea scene Kuber's boat with its patched sail on the vast grey Padma at dusk.
On set Real Padma river boats.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
World Cinema · India
INS Mysore Real ship
Rustom (2016)
Directed by Tinu Suresh Desai
Starring Akshay Kumar, Ileana D'Cruz, Esha Gupta, Arjan Bajwa
Inspired by the 1959 Nanavati case, the film follows naval commander Rustom Pavri, who returns early from sea on his ship to find his wife's affair. His ship's name follows the real case, where Nanavati served in INS Mysore.
The Marea scene Commander Pavri in whites saluting on the deck of his warship as it returns to Bombay.
On set Naval scenes filmed at the Historic Dockyard Chatham, Kent.
Photo: Public domain
World Cinema · India
Kunjali Marakkar's fleet and Portuguese warships Real ship
Marakkar: Arabikadalinte Simham (Marakkar: Lion of the Arabian Sea) (2021)
Directed by Priyadarshan
Starring Mohanlal, Arjun Sarja, Suniel Shetty, Prabhu
Kunjali Marakkar IV, naval chief of the Zamorin of Calicut, fights the Portuguese fleet of Viceroy Francisco da Gama.
The Marea scene Mohanlal on a burning Portuguese deck, sword raised.
On set Four life size ship replicas filmed in a water tank at Ramoji Film City, Hyderabad.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · India
Chola fleet of Arulmozhi Varman Fictional
Ponniyin Selvan: I (2022)
Directed by Mani Ratnam
Starring Vikram, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Karthi, Jayam Ravi, Trisha
Based on Kalki's novel, the Chola prince Arulmozhi Varman is attacked by Pandya assassins as his fleet prepares to sail from Lanka, and is swept into the sea when a cyclone tears the fleet apart.
The Marea scene Arulmozhi fighting on the deck of his ship as the cyclone breaks over the Chola fleet.
On set Set ships and effects; some sequences shot in Thailand.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · Iran
Captain Khorshid's launch Fictional
Captain Khorshid (Nakhoda Khorshid) (1987)
Directed by Nasser Taghvai
Starring Dariush Arjmand, Ali Nassirian, Parvaneh Masoumi
An Iranian version of Hemingway's To Have and Have Not moved to the Persian Gulf. The one armed sailor Khorshid is hired to smuggle criminals across the Gulf and fights them alone in his boat.
The Marea scene Khorshid, wounded, at the helm of his little boat among the dead smugglers.
On set Local Gulf boat.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · Israel
Kedma Fictional
Kedma (2002)
Directed by Amos Gitai
Starring Andrei Kashkar, Helena Yaralova, Yussuf Abu-Warda, Juliano Mer-Khamis
In May 1948 an old ship brings Holocaust survivors illegally to the coast of Palestine. They are landed by the Palmach, evade British soldiers and are thrown straight into the war.
The Marea scene Refugees wading ashore from the Kedma's boats on a grey beach.
On set Real ship used.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · Israel
Love boat to Lebanon Fictional
Waltz with Bashir (Vals Im Bashir) (2008)
Created by Ari Folman
Starring Ari Folman, Ori Sivan, Ronny Dayag (voices)
A veteran recalls sailing to the 1982 Lebanon War on a ship full of soldiers, and a dream in which a giant naked woman swims to him and carries him away before the ship is hit.
The Marea scene The soldier asleep on the giant woman's body as the troop ship burns in the distance.
On set Animated.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · Italy
Roman fleet burned by Archimedes' mirrors Fictional
Cabiria (1914)
Directed by Giovanni Pastrone
Starring Lidia Quaranta, Umberto Mozzato, Bartolomeo Pagano
In this landmark silent epic of the Second Punic War, the Roman fleet attacking Syracuse is destroyed when Archimedes turns a giant array of mirrors on the ships and sets their sails ablaze.
The Marea scene Archimedes angling his great mirror as the Roman galleys' sails burst into flame.
On set Full size galley sets and models of 1914.
World Cinema · Italy
Enrico Toti Real ship
Alfa Tau! (1942)
Directed by Francesco De Robertis
Starring Real crew of the Regia Marina
De Robertis followed Uomini sul fondo with this docudrama about a submarine crew played by real sailors, on shore leave and at sea on the Enrico Toti.
The Marea scene The submarine's crew returning to the boat at Taranto after home leave.
On set Real submarine Enrico Toti.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
World Cinema · Italy
Provvidenza (the Valastro family boat) Fictional
La terra trema (1948)
Directed by Luchino Visconti
Starring Non professional fishermen of Aci Trezza
The Valastro fishermen mortgage their house to buy their own boat so they can escape the wholesalers. A storm wrecks it and the family is ruined. In Verga's novel the family boat is the Provvidenza.
The Marea scene The family hauling the battered boat up the black lava beach of Aci Trezza after the storm.
On set Real Aci Trezza fishing boats.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · Italy
The yacht Fictional
L'Avventura (1960)
Directed by Michelangelo Antonioni
Starring Gabriele Ferzetti, Monica Vitti, Lea Massari, Dominique Blanchar
Wealthy Italians cruise to the Aeolian Islands on a yacht. Anna disappears on a barren island during the excursion, and Sandro and Claudia's search for her drives the rest of the film.
The Marea scene Monica Vitti and Gabriele Ferzetti at the yacht's rail off the rocky island of Lisca Bianca, scanning the shore for Anna.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · Italy
The quarantined ship at Porto Corsini Fictional
Red Desert (Il deserto rosso) (1964)
Directed by Michelangelo Antonioni
Starring Monica Vitti, Richard Harris
In fog at Porto Corsini a ship moors beside the shack where Giuliana and her friends idle, and hoists the flag for infectious disease. Giuliana panics and nearly drives off the pier. Ships looming over industrial Ravenna haunt the whole film.
The Marea scene A ship's bow sliding out of the fog behind the red wooden shack.
On set Real ships at Ravenna harbour.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · Italy
SS Rex Real ship
Amarcord (1973)
Directed by Federico Fellini
Starring Bruno Zanin, Magali Noël, Pupella Maggio, Armando Brancia
The townspeople of Rimini row out at night to see the Rex, the Fascist regime's proudest technological achievement, pass by. After falling asleep, they wake to its foghorn as the lit liner glides past, and its wake capsizes their boats.
The Marea scene A flotilla of small rowing boats full of villagers in their best clothes waving at the towering illuminated liner in the dark.
World Cinema · Italy
Sandokan's praus Fictional
Sandokan (1976)
Created by Sergio Sollima
Starring Kabir Bedi, Carole André, Philippe Leroy, Adolfo Celi
Emilio Salgari's Tiger of Malaysia leads his pirates from the island of Mompracem in fast praus against the British rajah James Brooke. The 1976 RAI series was a huge European hit and a new version with Can Yaman followed in 2025.
The Marea scene Sandokan standing in the bow of his prau as it closes on a British gunboat.
On set Filmed in Malaysia and India with local sailing craft.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
World Cinema · Italy
Folgore Fictional
The Black Corsair (Il Corsaro Nero) (1976)
Directed by Sergio Sollima
Starring Kabir Bedi, Carole André, Mel Ferrer, Angelo Infanti
Emilio di Roccabruna, the Black Corsair, sails the Caribbean for revenge on Governor Van Gould, who murdered his brothers. In Salgari's novels his ship is the Folgore.
The Marea scene The Black Corsair on the quarterdeck of the Folgore as she bears down on a Spanish galleon.
On set Ship name from Salgari's novels.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · Italy
The emigrant ship Fictional
Nuovomondo (Golden Door) (2006)
Directed by Emanuele Crialese
Starring Charlotte Gainsbourg, Vincenzo Amato, Aurora Quattrocchi, Vincent Schiavelli
The ship carries a Sicilian peasant family to America in the early 20th century, and class distinctions emerge among its passengers. On board, Salvatore meets Lucy, who proposes marriage for 'administrative reasons' so she can enter America.
The Marea scene The overhead shot of the crowd splitting as the ship pulls away, those on the dock separated from those on board.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · Italy
Ernesto's fishing boat Fictional
Terraferma (2011)
Directed by Emanuele Crialese
Starring Filippo Pucillo, Donatella Finocchiaro, Mimmo Cuticchio, Giuseppe Fiorello
The fishing boat of a family on the island of Linosa. Young Filippo at first refuses to help migrants, then changes his mind and rescues a mother, a little boy and a newborn baby adrift at sea.
The Marea scene Filippo's small boat at night surrounded by swimmers reaching up from the dark water.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · Italy
Coast guard and migrant boats off Lampedusa Real ship
Fire at Sea (Fuocoammare) (2016)
Directed by Gianfranco Rosi
Presented by Samuele Pucillo, Dr Pietro Bartolo
Rosi's Golden Bear winner contrasts the daily life of a Lampedusa boy with the rescues at sea, as navy and coast guard units answer radio calls from overcrowded migrant boats.
The Marea scene Rescuers in white suits lifting survivors from a crowded boat onto a navy ship at night.
On set Real Italian Navy and Coast Guard units.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · Italy
The migrant boat Fictional
Io capitano (Me Captain) (2023)
Directed by Matteo Garrone
Starring Seydou Sarr, Moustapha Fall, Issaka Sawagodo
Unable to pay for passage from Libya, the teenager Seydou is made to pilot a boatload of migrants across the Mediterranean himself. He steers towards Sicily through fights and a birth on board, and when a coast guard helicopter appears he cries 'Io capitano!'
The Marea scene Seydou at the wheel of the packed boat, shouting to the helicopter overhead, passengers crowded on deck around him.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · Japan
Boat on Lake Biwa in the mist Fictional
Ugetsu (Ugetsu Monogatari) (1953)
Directed by Kenji Mizoguchi
Starring Masayuki Mori, Kinuyo Tanaka, Mitsuko Mito, Eitaro Ozawa
Two potters and their wives cross Lake Biwa to sell their wares. In the mist they meet a drifting boat with a dying man who warns them of pirates, one of the most famous shots in Japanese cinema.
The Marea scene The potters' boat gliding out of the fog towards a drifting boat carrying a dying man.
On set Shot in a studio pool with smoke effects.
Photo: Daiei, Public domain
World Cinema · Japan
The family's rowing boat Fictional
Hadaka no Shima (The Naked Island) (1960)
Directed by Kaneto Shindō
Starring Nobuko Otowa, Taiji Tonoyama, Shinji Tanaka, Masanori Horimoto
A family on a tiny waterless island in the Seto Inland Sea must row fresh water across from a neighbouring island every day to water their crops. The dialogue free film is built around this endless routine.
The Marea scene The mother sculling the small boat with two water buckets balanced in it, across the calm Inland Sea.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · Japan
Gotengo (Atragon) Fictional
Atragon (Kaitei Gunkan) (1963)
Directed by Ishirō Honda
Starring Jun Tazaki, Tadao Takashima, Yōko Fujiyama
A rogue Imperial Navy captain has secretly built the super submarine Gotengo, with a great drill on its bow and an absolute zero cannon. It is humanity's only defence against the Mu Empire and can also fly.
The Marea scene The Gotengo bursting from the sea and rising into the air with its drill spinning.
On set Five Toho miniatures, the largest 4.5 metres long.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · Japan
Heike ships at Dan-no-ura Real ship
Kwaidan (Hoichi the Earless) (1964)
Directed by Masaki Kobayashi
Starring Katsuo Nakamura, Tetsurō Tamba
As the blind musician Hoichi chants the Tale of the Heike, the film shows the sea battle of Dan-no-ura in a painted, stylised studio sea, where the Taira clan and the child emperor perished.
The Marea scene Heike warriors on their boats as the court ladies leap into the red sea with the child emperor.
On set Studio sets with painted skies.
World Cinema · Japan
Ferry lost in the Tsugaru Strait (based on the Toya Maru) Fictional
A Fugitive from the Past (Kiga Kaikyō) (1965)
Directed by Tomu Uchida
Starring Rentarō Mikuni, Sachiko Hidari, Ken Takakura, Junzaburō Ban
Crime drama from the novel by Tsutomu Minakami. In 1947 a ferry sinks in a typhoon in the Tsugaru Strait, and among the bodies washed ashore are two men who did not belong on board. The disaster was modelled on the 1954 loss of the train ferry Toya Maru.
The Marea scene A lighthouse and a quiet shore at Hakodate after the storm, rescuers searching the beach.
On set Studio and location filming; the Toya Maru disaster is commemorated at Nanae beach, Hakodate.
Photo: Public domain
World Cinema · Japan
Kermadec Fictional
Japan Sinks (Nihon Chinbotsu) (1973)
Directed by Shirō Moritani
Starring Keiju Kobayashi, Hiroshi Fujioka, Ayumi Ishida
Scientist Tadokoro and pilot Onodera dive in the bathyscaphe Kermadec into the Japan Trench and discover the signs that the whole archipelago will sink into the sea.
The Marea scene The Kermadec's lights revealing a vast underwater crack and turbidity current on the ocean floor.
On set Toho miniature; name from Sakyo Komatsu's novel.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
World Cinema · Japan
Sōya Real ship
Nankyoku Monogatari (Antarctica) (1983)
Directed by Koreyoshi Kurahara
Starring Ken Takakura, Tsunehiko Watase, Eiji Okada, Masako Natsume
The Sōya carried Japan's Antarctic expeditions. In 1958 it failed to relieve the first wintering team in time, forcing the men to leave their sled dogs chained at Showa Station.
The Marea scene The Sōya trapped in pack ice as the expedition members look back towards the abandoned huskies.
On set The real Sōya, preserved as a museum ship in Tokyo.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · Japan
Clover Fictional
Limit of Love: Umizaru (2006)
Directed by Eiichiro Hasumi
Starring Hideaki Itō, Ai Kato, Nene Otsuka, Mitsuru Fukikoshi
The passenger ferry with 620 people aboard which runs aground and begins to sink off Kagoshima. Japan Coast Guard rescue diver Senzaki and his colleagues race to save those trapped inside.
The Marea scene Senzaki in diving gear guiding survivors through the flooded, tilting ferry corridor.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · Japan
Ertuğrul Real ship
Kainan 1890 (125 Years Memory; Ertuğrul 1890) (2015)
Directed by Mitsutoshi Tanaka
Starring Seiyo Uchino, Kenan Ece, Shioli Kutsuna, Alican Yücesoy
This Japanese Turkish co-production tells how the villagers of Kushimoto rescued the survivors when the Ottoman frigate Ertuğrul was wrecked off Kii Ōshima in 1890, and how Turkey repaid the debt by evacuating Japanese from Tehran in 1985.
The Marea scene Villagers carrying half drowned Turkish sailors up the cliff beside the Kashinozaki lighthouse.
Photo: Osman Nuri, Public domain
World Cinema · Japan
Yamato (ex Seabat) Fictional
Chinmoku no Kantai (The Silent Service) (2023)
Directed by Kohei Yoshino
Starring Takao Osawa
Adapted from Kaiji Kawaguchi's manga. Captain Shiro Kaieda takes the secretly built nuclear submarine Seabat, renames her Yamato and declares her an independent state.
The Marea scene Kaieda standing calm in the control room of the Yamato as torpedoes close in.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · Kuwait
Pearl diving dhow Fictional
The Cruel Sea (Bas Ya Bahar) (1972)
Directed by Khaled Al Siddiq
Starring Mohammed Al-Mansour, Amal Bakr, Saad Al Faraj
Kuwait's first feature film shows life before oil, when young Moussaed goes out with the pearl diving fleet against his father's wishes to earn the money to marry.
The Marea scene Divers dropping from the side of the dhow with stones tied to their feet.
On set Traditional Kuwaiti dhows.
Photo: Fg2, Public domain
World Cinema · Latin America
The canoe Fictional
El abrazo de la serpiente (Embrace of the Serpent) (2015)
Directed by Ciro Guerra
Starring Jan Bijvoet, Nilbio Torres, Antonio Bolívar, Brionne Davis
In two journeys decades apart, European and American scientists travel up the Amazon by canoe with the shaman Karamakate in search of the sacred yakruna plant.
The Marea scene Karamakate paddling the canoe through the black and white jungle river.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · Martinique / France
Slave ship Fictional
Le Passage du milieu (The Middle Passage) (2000)
Directed by Guy Deslauriers
Starring Maka Kotto (narrator)
Docudrama without dialogue, written by Patrick Chamoiseau, that follows a slave ship's voyage from Senegal to the sugar plantations of Martinique, narrated by the voice of a captive who died on the passage.
The Marea scene The ship at anchor off a West African shore at dawn, canoes coming out from the beach.
On set A sailing ship used for filming.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · Mexico
Trajinera of Xochimilco Fictional
María Candelaria (1944)
Directed by Emilio Fernández
Starring Dolores del Río, Pedro Armendáriz
The indigenous flower seller María Candelaria and her lover Lorenzo Rafael travel the canals of Xochimilco in 1909 by flower laden canoe. At the end Lorenzo carries her body through the Canal of the Dead.
The Marea scene María Candelaria standing in a canoe piled with flowers as it glides along a Xochimilco canal.
On set Real Xochimilco boats.
Photo: Bgabel, CC BY-SA 3.0
World Cinema · Mexico
Kino's canoe Fictional
The Pearl (La perla) (1947)
Directed by Emilio Fernández
Starring Pedro Armendáriz, María Elena Marqués
The pearl diver Kino finds a huge pearl from his family canoe, and greed around him turns it into a curse. The canoe, his livelihood, is later smashed by those who want the pearl.
The Marea scene Kino surfacing beside his canoe with the great pearl in his hand.
On set Real Mexican dugout canoes; filmed in Acapulco.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
World Cinema · Netherlands
Nieuw Hoorn Real ship
The Ship's Boys of Bontekoe (De Scheepsjongens van Bontekoe) (2007)
Directed by Steven de Jong
Starring Martijn Hillenius, Pepijn Schoneveld, Billy Zomerdijk
Based on Johan Fabricius's 1924 children's classic, three ship's boys sail to the Indies with Captain Willem Bontekoe. His real ship Nieuw Hoorn caught fire and blew up in 1619.
The Marea scene The boys scrambling into the longboat as the burning Nieuw Hoorn explodes behind them.
On set Replica East Indiaman.
World Cinema · Netherlands
Willem Barentsz's ship Real ship
Nova Zembla (2011)
Directed by Reinout Oerlemans
Starring Derek de Lint, Robert de Hoog, Victor Reinier, Doutzen Kroes
The first Dutch 3D feature follows Barentsz and Jacob van Heemskerck searching for the Northeast Passage. Their ship is trapped in the ice at Novaya Zemlya and the crew winter in Het Behouden Huys before escaping in open boats.
The Marea scene The ship locked in pack ice with the crew building their hut from its timbers.
On set Replica and effects.
World Cinema · New Zealand
Ship and Māori canoe (waka) Fictional
The Piano (1993)
Directed by Jane Campion
Starring Holly Hunter, Harvey Keitel, Sam Neill, Anna Paquin
Ada and Flora arrive in colonial New Zealand by ship and are left on the beach with their piano. At the end, the piano is tied to a Māori canoe and Ada has it thrown overboard.
The Marea scene The piano standing on the beach with the ship's longboat pulling away.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · North Korea
Ukishima Maru Real ship
Souls Protest (Sarainnun ryonghondul) (2000)
Directed by Kim Chun-song
Starring Kim Chol, Kim Ryon Hwa, Ri Yong Ho
North Korean film about the Ukishima Maru, which was repatriating Korean labourers from Japan when it exploded and sank at Maizuru on 24 August 1945; the film presents the Korean view of the disaster.
The Marea scene The transport crowded with families going home, steaming along the Japanese coast in summer 1945.
On set Studio and location filming.
Photo: Fukui Shizuo, Public domain
World Cinema · Pakistan
Fishermen's boat on the Meghna Fictional
The Day Shall Dawn (Jago Hua Savera) (1959)
Directed by A. J. Kardar
Starring Khan Ataur Rahman, Tripti Mitra, Anees
Written by Faiz Ahmed Faiz, the film follows a fishing family in East Bengal struggling to buy their own boat free of the moneylender. It was Pakistan's first Oscar submission.
The Marea scene The fisherman and his son poling their boat home through a monsoon squall.
On set Real Bengal fishing boats.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · Poland
ORP Orzeł Real ship
The Eagle (Orzeł) (1959)
Directed by Leonard Buczkowski
Starring Aleksander Sewruk, Wieńczysław Gliński
The film tells the Orzeł incident of September 1939, when the Polish submarine was interned in neutral Tallinn and escaped under fire, later reaching Britain without charts.
The Marea scene Orzeł slipping out of Tallinn harbour at night under searchlights.
On set The sister submarine ORP Sęp played Orzeł; the real Orzeł was lost in 1940.
Photo: Witold Pikiel, Public domain
World Cinema · Poland
Schleswig-Holstein Real ship
Westerplatte (1967)
Directed by Stanisław Różewicz
Starring Zygmunt Hübner, Arkadiusz Bazak
The film recreates the seven day defence of the Westerplatte depot in September 1939. The German battleship Schleswig-Holstein opened the Second World War by shelling the Polish garrison at dawn on 1 September.
The Marea scene The battleship's guns flashing in the Danzig canal at 4.45 in the morning.
Photo: A. Klein, CC BY-SA 3.0 de
World Cinema · Poland
Vistula river cruise boat Fictional
The Cruise (Rejs) (1970)
Directed by Marek Piwowski
Starring Stanisław Tym, Jan Himilsbach, Zdzisław Maklakiewicz
A stowaway boards a Vistula pleasure cruise and is taken for the cultural officer, then leads the passengers through absurd meetings. The film became Poland's most quoted cult comedy.
The Marea scene The passengers holding a solemn meeting on the open deck as the boat drifts down the Vistula.
On set Real Vistula passenger boat.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · Portugal
Rabelo boats of the Douro Real ship
Douro, Faina Fluvial (Labour on the Douro River) (1931)
Directed by Manoel de Oliveira
Presented by Porto dockers and boatmen
Oliveira's first film is a city symphony of the Porto riverside, with rabelo boats, cranes and dockers at work on the Douro.
The Marea scene A rabelo with its square sail passing under the Dom Luís I bridge.
On set Real rabelo boats; several survive at Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia.
Photo: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 3.0
World Cinema · Portugal
Cruise liner to Bombay Fictional
A Talking Picture (Um Filme Falado) (2003)
Directed by Manoel de Oliveira
Starring Leonor Silveira, Catherine Deneuve, John Malkovich, Irene Papas
A history lecturer and her daughter take a cruise from Lisbon through the Mediterranean towards Bombay, visiting ancient sites. At the captain's table famous women talk across languages until terrorists plant a bomb on the ship.
The Marea scene Mother and daughter left on the deck as the lifeboats pull away and the captain runs back for them.
On set Real cruise ship.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · Romania
L'Esperance (Speranța) Fictional
All Sails Up (Toate pânzele sus) (1977)
Created by Mircea Mureșan
Starring Ion Besoiu, Ion Dichiseanu, Ilarion Ciobanu, Jean Constantin
Captain Anton Lupan sets out to find his missing French friend Pierre Vaillant and sails their ship across the Atlantic to Tierra del Fuego, facing pirates on the way. It is Romania's best loved adventure series.
The Marea scene Lupan's crew raising every sail as the schooner runs south towards Cape Horn.
On set Probably the Romanian motor schooner Speranța, converted in 1970 for film work.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
World Cinema · Russia and Soviet Union
Duncan Fictional
Captain Grant's Children (Deti kapitana Granta) (1936)
Directed by Vladimir Vainshtok
Starring Nikolai Cherkasov (Paganel), Yakov Segel, Ivan Chuvelev
The Soviet adaptation of Jules Verne's novel sends Lord Glenarvan's yacht Duncan around the world along the 37th parallel in search of the shipwrecked Captain Grant. It was one of the most popular Soviet adventure films of the 1930s.
The Marea scene Paganel and the children at the Duncan's rail as she steams out in search of Captain Grant.
Photo: Édouard Riou, Public domain
World Cinema · Russia and Soviet Union
Derbent Fictional
Tanker Derbent (Tanker "Derbent") (1941)
Directed by Aleksandr Faintsimmer
Starring Vasili Merkuryev, Yefim Kopelyan, Tatyana Govorkova
Mechanic Basov turns the slack crew of the Caspian tanker Derbent into a model crew. When the rival tanker Agamali catches fire, the Derbent races to rescue her crew.
The Marea scene The Derbent coming alongside the burning tanker Agamali in a Caspian storm.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · Russia and Soviet Union
Russian Black Sea Fleet at Sinop Real ship
Admiral Nakhimov (1947)
Directed by Vsevolod Pudovkin
Starring Aleksei Dikiy, Ruben Simonov, Vsevolod Pudovkin
Pudovkin's biopic shows Pavel Nakhimov charging into Sinop Bay in 1853 to destroy a larger Turkish squadron. Later, during the siege of Sevastopol, the sailors scuttle their own sailing fleet to block the harbour mouth.
The Marea scene Russian sailors watching their beloved ships go down across the entrance of Sevastopol Bay.
On set Studio models and sets.
World Cinema · Russia and Soviet Union
St. Paul (Svyatoy Pavel), Ushakov's flagship Real ship
Admiral Ushakov (1953)
Directed by Mikhail Romm
Starring Ivan Pereverzev, Boris Livanov, Sergei Bondarchuk
The film follows Fyodor Ushakov as he builds the Black Sea Fleet and wins the battles of Fidonisi, Tendra and Kaliakra against the Ottoman navy. His flagship St. Paul leads the line, supported by frigates such as Berislav and Strela.
The Marea scene Ushakov on the quarterdeck of St. Paul as the Russian line closes on the Ottoman fleet at Kaliakra.
On set Large scale studio models and full size deck sets built for the film.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · Russia and Soviet Union
Ushakov's squadron at the siege of Corfu Real ship
Attack from the Sea (Korabli shturmuyut bastiony) (1953)
Directed by Mikhail Romm
Starring Ivan Pereverzev, Gennadi Yudin, Sergei Bondarchuk
The sequel to Admiral Ushakov follows the Mediterranean campaign of 1798 to 1799. Ushakov's ships bombard the island of Vido before the storming of the French fortress of Corfu, a rare case of a sailing fleet taking a fortified island.
The Marea scene Russian ships of the line firing broadsides at the shore batteries of Vido while landing boats pull for the beach.
On set Studio models and deck sets.
World Cinema · Russia and Soviet Union
Sadko's ship Fictional
Sadko (1953)
Directed by Aleksandr Ptushko
Starring Sergei Stolyarov, Alla Larionova
The gusli player Sadko sails from Novgorod in search of the bird of happiness, visiting India and Egypt. The Sea Tsar's daughter, charmed by his music, helps him on his voyage in this colourful fairy tale epic.
The Marea scene Sadko playing his gusli on deck while the ship is becalmed and the Sea Tsar demands a tribute.
On set Full size ship built for the film.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · Russia and Soviet Union
Secret Fictional
Alye parusa (Scarlet Sails) (1961)
Directed by Aleksandr Ptushko
Starring Vasily Lanovoy, Anastasiya Vertinskaya
Adapted from Alexander Grin's 1923 novel. Captain Arthur Grey fits his ship Secret with scarlet sails to fulfil the prophecy told to Assol, that a prince would come for her on a ship with scarlet sails.
The Marea scene Assol on the shore, arms outstretched, as the Secret approaches under its scarlet sails.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
World Cinema · Russia and Soviet Union
Medusa (Pedro Zurita's schooner) Fictional
Amphibian Man (Chelovek-amfibiya) (1962)
Directed by Vladimir Chebotaryov and Gennadi Kazansky
Starring Vladimir Korenev, Anastasiya Vertinskaya, Mikhail Kozakov
The pearl dealer Pedro Zurita uses his schooner to hunt the mysterious sea devil, the young Ichthyander, and later keeps him captive to dive for pearls. Based on Alexander Belyaev's novel, it was the top Soviet box office hit of 1962.
The Marea scene Ichthyander trapped in the net beside Zurita's schooner as the crew haul him aboard.
On set Filmed in Baku; schooner name from the novel.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · Russia and Soviet Union
Imperatritsa Mariya Real ship
The Dirk (Kortik) (1973)
Created by Nikolai Kalinin
Starring Sergei Shevkunenko, Andrei Kasyanov, Ivan Pereverzev
The story opens with the explosion of the battleship Imperatritsa Mariya at Sevastopol in 1916, where a naval officer is murdered for his dirk. The dirk hides a secret that the boys Misha and Genka set out to unravel in the 1920s.
The Marea scene The battleship Imperatritsa Mariya ablaze and exploding in Sevastopol harbour.
On set Real ship sank in 1916; film used models and archive style effects.
World Cinema · Russia and Soviet Union
The white steamer on Lake Issyk-Kul Fictional
The White Ship (Bely parokhod) (1976)
Directed by Bolotbek Shamshiev
Starring Nurgazy Sydygaliev, Sabira Kumushalieva
Based on Chingiz Aitmatov's novella, a lonely boy on the shore of Issyk-Kul dreams of turning into a fish and swimming to the white steamer where he believes his father serves.
The Marea scene The boy watching the white steamer pass far out on the lake through his grandfather's binoculars.
On set Real Issyk-Kul lake steamer.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
World Cinema · Russia and Soviet Union
The Flying Ship Fictional
The Flying Ship (Letuchiy korabl) (1979)
Created by Garri Bardin
Starring Mikhail Boyarsky (singing voice), Anatoly Papanov
In this Soyuzmultfilm musical, the chimney sweep Vanya wins the Tsar's daughter by building a ship that sails through the sky, as the folk tale demands.
The Marea scene Vanya and Zabava sailing above the clouds on the little flying ship.
World Cinema · Russia and Soviet Union
Mercury Fictional
Piraty XX veka (Pirates of the 20th Century) (1980)
Directed by Boris Durov
Starring Nikolai Yeremenko Jr., Pyotr Velyaminov, Talgat Nigmatulin, Rein Aren
The pirates' ship, which poses as an abandoned vessel to lure the Nezhin into stopping. It then serves as the base for the attack.
The Marea scene Pirates in martial arts poses leaping from the rusty derelict onto the Soviet freighter.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · Russia and Soviet Union
Baltic Fleet ships of 1917 (including the cruiser Rurik) Real ship
Moonzund (1987)
Directed by Aleksandr Muratov
Starring Oleg Menshikov, Vladimir Gostyukhin, Lyudmila Nilskaya
Based on Valentin Pikul's novel, the film follows young officer Sergey Artenyev through the collapse of discipline in the Baltic Fleet and the defence of the Moon Sound islands against the German Operation Albion in 1917.
The Marea scene Artenyev on the bridge of his destroyer as German battleships force the Moon Sound strait.
On set Soviet navy ships and models.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · Russia and Soviet Union
Slavyanka Fictional
72 metra (72 Meters) (2004)
Directed by Vladimir Khotinenko
Starring Sergei Makovetsky, Marat Basharov, Andrey Krasko, Dmitriy Ulyanov
An old Second World War mine drifts into the submarine Slavyanka and sinks her, trapping survivors 72 metres down. The crew must find a way out before their air runs out.
The Marea scene Survivors in the flooded compartment, faces lit by torchlight, tapping on the hull.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · Scandinavia
Harry's father's motorboat Fictional
Summer with Monika (Sommaren med Monika) (1953)
Directed by Ingmar Bergman
Starring Harriet Andersson, Lars Ekborg
Two Stockholm teenagers spend their first night in Harry's father's docked boat, then quit their jobs and take it out into the Stockholm archipelago for one idyllic summer, until the food runs out.
The Marea scene Monika sunbathing on the cabin roof as the boat lies at anchor among granite islands.
On set Real archipelago motorboat.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · Scandinavia
Charlotta Fictional
Utvandrarna (The Emigrants) (1971)
Directed by Jan Troell
Starring Max von Sydow, Liv Ullmann, Eddie Axberg, Allan Edwall
The brig that carries Karl Oskar, Kristina and their fellow Swedish emigrants to New York in the mid 19th century. The long crossing brings sickness, death and a first taste of the hardships of emigration.
The Marea scene Emigrant families crowded in the dark between decks of the brig as it pitches in an Atlantic storm.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
World Cinema · Scandinavia
The superyacht (real Christina O) Real ship
Triangle of Sadness (2022)
Directed by Ruben Östlund
Starring Harris Dickinson, Charlbi Dean, Dolly de Leon, Zlatko Burić
The luxury cruise yacht on which models and super rich guests holiday until a storm and a disastrous captain's dinner turn it into chaos. Its fate strands the survivors on an island where the social order is reversed.
The Marea scene The drunken captain and the Russian oligarch reading Marx and Reagan quotes to each other over the PA as the yacht rolls in a storm.
On set Aristotle Onassis's former yacht Christina O, filmed in the Mediterranean.
Photo: Stef Bravin, CC BY-SA 4.0
World Cinema · Senegal
Liner to France Fictional
Touki Bouki (1973)
Directed by Djibril Diop Mambéty
Starring Magaye Niang, Mareme Niang
Mory and Anta scheme to raise the money for passage to Paris. At the last moment on the quay Mory turns back and the ship sails with Anta alone.
The Marea scene Mory running back up the quay as the liner pulls away with Anta at the rail.
On set Believed to be the French liner Ancerville.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · Senegal
The pirogue Fictional
The Pirogue (La Pirogue) (2012)
Directed by Moussa Touré
Starring Souleymane Seye Ndiaye, Laïty Fall, Babacar Oualy
Fisherman Baye Laye reluctantly captains a pirogue carrying thirty migrants from Senegal to the Canary Islands. The voyage brings storms, thirst and death.
The Marea scene The painted pirogue alone on a huge Atlantic swell with its passengers huddled under plastic.
On set Real Senegalese pirogue.
Photo: WRI Staff, CC BY 2.0
World Cinema · Senegal
Pirogue to Spain Fictional
Atlantics (Atlantique) (2019)
Directed by Mati Diop
Starring Mame Bineta Sane, Ibrahima Traoré, Amadou Mbow
Unpaid construction workers in Dakar leave by pirogue for Spain and are lost at sea. Their spirits return to haunt the city. It was the first film by a black woman director in competition at Cannes.
The Marea scene The ocean at dusk off Dakar where the pirogue has vanished.
On set Real Senegalese pirogues.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
World Cinema · South Korea
Floating monastery and rowing boat Fictional
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring (Bom yeoreum gaeul gyeoul geurigo bom) (2003)
Directed by Kim Ki-duk
Starring Oh Young-soo, Kim Young-min, Seo Jae-kyung, Kim Ki-duk
A tiny Buddhist hermitage floats on a raft on a mountain lake, reached only by rowing boat. A monk grows from child to old man there through the cycle of the seasons.
The Marea scene The old monk rowing the small boat to the floating temple under autumn leaves.
On set Set built on Jusanji Pond, Cheongsong County.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · South Korea
The old man's fishing boat Fictional
The Bow (Hwal) (2005)
Directed by Kim Ki-duk
Starring Jeon Seong-hwan, Han Yeo-reum, Seo Ji-seok
An old man and a girl live on a rotting fishing boat anchored at sea that serves as a platform for weekend anglers. He tells fortunes by shooting arrows at a Buddha painted on the hull past her swing.
The Marea scene The girl swinging over the water as the old man's arrows thud into the painted Buddha on the hull.
On set Real boat anchored off the Korean coast.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · South Korea
Tanker at the Gwangan Bridge Fictional
Tidal Wave (Haeundae) (2009)
Directed by Yoon Je-kyoon
Starring Sol Kyung-gu, Ha Ji-won, Park Joong-hoon, Uhm Jung-hwa
When a mega tsunami hits Busan, a leaking tanker is swept against the Gwangan Bridge and explodes, severing the bridge while shipping containers fly into buildings on the shore.
The Marea scene The tanker jammed against the Gwangan Bridge as flames race along the span.
On set Computer effects.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · South Korea
Yeo-wol's pirate ship Fictional
Haejeok: Badaro Gan Sanjeok (The Pirates) (2014)
Directed by Lee Seok-hoon
Starring Son Ye-jin, Kim Nam-gil, Lee Geung-young, Yoo Hae-jin
Mountain bandits and pirates led by the female captain Yeo-wol race at sea to catch a whale that swallowed the Ming Emperor's seal in the early Joseon period.
The Marea scene Yeo-wol on her ship's bow with a sword as a whale breaches alongside.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · South Korea
Jeonjinho Fictional
Haemoo (Sea Fog) (2014)
Directed by Shim Sung-bo
Starring Kim Yoon-seok, Park Yoo-chun, Han Ye-ri, Lee Hee-joon
A struggling fishing boat's crew agree to smuggle Korean Chinese migrants, with tragic results in the fog. Based on a stage play inspired by the 2001 Taechangho tragedy.
The Marea scene The rusty fishing boat alone in thick fog, the young crewman looking down into the hold.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · South Korea
SS Meredith Victory Real ship
Ode to My Father (Gukje Sijang) (2014)
Directed by Yoon Je-kyoon
Starring Hwang Jung-min, Yunjin Kim, Oh Dal-su
The film opens with the Hungnam evacuation of December 1950, when young Deok-su loses his sister while climbing a cargo net onto an American freighter crammed with refugees. The Meredith Victory carried 14,000 refugees on that voyage.
The Marea scene Refugees clinging to the cargo nets on the ship's side as the boy's sister slips from his grip.
On set Effects and set recreation; the real ship was scrapped in 1993.
Photo: Louis Claes, Public domain
World Cinema · South Korea
Nam Chul-woo's fishing boat Fictional
The Net (Geumul) (2016)
Directed by Kim Ki-duk
Starring Ryoo Seung-bum, Lee Won-keun, Kim Young-min
A North Korean fisherman's net fouls his engine and his little boat drifts across the maritime border into South Korea, where he is interrogated as a suspected spy.
The Marea scene The fisherman clinging to his drifting boat as the South Korean patrol boat approaches.
On set Real small fishing boat.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · South Korea
MV Sewol Real ship
Birthday (Saeng-il) (2019)
Directed by Lee Jong-un
Starring Sol Kyung-gu, Jeon Do-yeon, Kim Bo-min
The first South Korean feature film to address the Sewol disaster. A family who lost their eldest son in the sinking prepare, with other bereaved families, a birthday gathering in his memory. The ferry itself is felt through absence rather than shown.
The Marea scene A memorial gathering with yellow ribbons tied along a harbour rail, facing the sea where the ferry was lost.
On set No ship built; the real ferry was raised in 2017 and is displayed at Mokpo New Port.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · South Korea
Hae-rang's pirate ship Fictional
The Pirates: The Last Royal Treasure (Haejeok: Dokkaebi Kitbal) (2022)
Directed by Kim Jeong-hoon
Starring Kang Ha-neul, Han Hyo-joo, Lee Kwang-soo, Kwon Sang-woo
Pirate captain Hae-rang and a band of bandits sail in search of the lost treasure of the Goryeo royal family, fighting a rival fleet and giant waves on the way.
The Marea scene Hae-rang at the helm as her ship rides down a giant whirlpool.
On set Studio ship and effects.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · South Korea
Maengryong-ho Fictional
Milsu (Smugglers) (2023)
Directed by Ryoo Seung-wan
Starring Kim Hye-soo, Yum Jung-ah, Zo In-sung, Park Jeong-min
In the 1970s coastal village of Guncheon, haenyeo divers use a fishing boat for underwater smuggling operations.
The Marea scene Haenyeo divers in white suits jumping from the boat's side to retrieve sunken crates.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · Spain
Cuban rafts (balsas) of 1994 Real ship
Balseros (2002)
Directed by Carles Bosch and Josep Maria Domènech
Presented by Seven Cuban rafters
The documentary follows seven Cubans who built rafts from inner tubes and scrap during the 1994 exodus, when over 37,000 people set out for Florida, and follows their lives for years afterwards.
The Marea scene A family lashing inner tubes to a timber frame on a Havana beach before launching at night.
On set Real rafts of the 1994 Cuban rafter crisis.
Photo: Ivan Curra, CC BY-SA 3.0
World Cinema · Spain
Gold galleon at Sanlúcar Fictional
Alatriste (2006)
Directed by Agustín Díaz Yanes
Starring Viggo Mortensen, Elena Anaya, Unax Ugalde
Adapting Arturo Pérez-Reverte's novels, the film includes the night boarding of a ship smuggling Indies gold at the mouth of the Guadalquivir, taken from the novel The King's Gold, where the galleon is named Virgen de Regla.
The Marea scene Alatriste's mercenaries climbing the galleon's side from rowing boats in the dark.
On set Set and replica.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · Spain
Smugglers' speedboats in the Strait of Gibraltar Fictional
El Niño (2014)
Directed by Daniel Monzón
Starring Luis Tosar, Jesús Castro, Eduard Fernández, Ian McShane
Two young men from Andalusia enter the hashish trade across the Strait of Gibraltar, running speedboats from Morocco, while two police officers hunt the network. The sea chases were filmed at high speed on the Strait.
The Marea scene A speedboat skimming the swell at night with a police helicopter's searchlight on its wake.
On set Real go-fast boats.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
World Cinema · Spain
Galician planeadoras (smuggling speedboats) Fictional
Cocaine Coast (Fariña) (2018)
Created by Carlos Sedes and Jorge Torregrossa (Bambú Producciones)
Starring Javier Rey, Tristán Ulloa, Carlos Blanco
Fisherman and ace speedboat driver Sito Miñanco moves from tobacco smuggling to cocaine in 1980s Galicia. Night runs by the planeadoras across the Ría de Arousa drive the story.
The Marea scene A planeadora running dark across the ría with bales on deck and the Guardia Civil in pursuit.
On set Real speedboats used on location in Galicia.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · Spain
Open Arms rescue vessel Real ship
Mediterraneo: The Law of the Sea (Mediterráneo) (2021)
Directed by Marcel Barrena
Starring Eduard Fernández, Dani Rovira, Anna Castillo, Sergi López
Two Barcelona lifeguards travel to Lesbos after seeing the photo of a drowned child and begin rescuing refugees at sea, founding what became the Open Arms organisation of Òscar Camps.
The Marea scene Lifeguards pulling people from a sinking rubber dinghy off Lesbos.
On set Open Arms NGO vessels (real).
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · Turkey
Oruç Reis's galleys Real ship
Barbaros: Sword of the Mediterranean (Barbaroslar: Akdeniz'in Kılıcı) (2021)
Created by Berat Özdoğan and Doğan Ümit Karaca
Starring Engin Altan Düzyatan, Ulaş Tuna Astepe, Cemre Gümeli
The TRT series follows the brothers Oruç and Hızır Reis, later Barbarossa, as corsairs fighting the Spanish and the Knights across the Mediterranean before joining the Ottoman service.
The Marea scene Oruç Reis leaping from his galley onto a Spanish carrack's deck.
On set Replica galleys built for the series.
Photo: AsiaticLion7, CC0
World Cinema · Vietnam / USA
Refugee boat Fictional
Journey from the Fall (Vượt sóng) (2006)
Directed by Ham Tran
Starring Kieu Chinh, Long Nguyen, Diem Lien, Nguyen Thai Nguyen
After the fall of Saigon a man is sent to a re education camp while his wife, son and mother escape by boat across the South China Sea to Malaysia and a new life in California.
The Marea scene The family crowded aboard a small fishing boat under a starry sky on the South China Sea.
On set Boats filmed in Thailand.
Photo: Wikipedia
Explore Ships on Screen by chapter
- The Second World War at Sea: Dunkirk, the Atlantic and the Mediterranean92 ships
- The Pacific War, the Great War and the Cold War: Warships and Submarines on Screen101 ships
- Pirates, Privateers and the Age of Sail: Galleons, Frigates and Whalers on Screen94 ships
- Explorers, Armadas and the Ancient World: From the Argo to the Santa Maria80 ships
- Ocean Liners, Disasters and Lost at Sea: Titanic, Poseidon and the Survivors92 ships
- Thrillers, Yachts, James Bond and Television: The Boats Everyone Remembers176 ships
- Animation, Comics and Fantasy: From Tintin's Unicorn to the Durmstrang Ship183 ships
- Documentaries and Real Explorers: Calypso, Kon-Tiki, Endurance and the Rainbow Warrior128 ships
- Classic Cinema: Ships of the Silent Era and the Golden Age of Hollywood59 ships
- World Cinema: Ships in French, Italian, German, Japanese, Korean and Russian Films118 ships
- Famous Ships in Books: From the Pequod and the Nautilus to the Hispaniola281 ships
See all 1,404 ships on one page
How a Marea screen ship comes to life
- You choose the ship. Any vessel from any film, series, documentary or book, including the ones missing from this page.
- You choose the moment. A line of dialogue, a storm, an arrival, a farewell. The scene you want to keep.
- We research her. Plans, stills, the real ship used on set where there was one, and our Ai Refloat™ reconstruction when no plans survive at all.
- We place the figurines. Sculpted and painted by hand, in the costumes and poses of the scene.
- We take care of the rights. Some of these ships belong to someone: a film studio, an author’s estate, a boat builder. When that’s the case, we contact the rights holder and pay for the licence ourselves, so the model you receive is entirely legitimate. Each licence is agreed with its owner, and we will always tell you up front where things stand.
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