This film is extremely poignant and moving. It's about a bond that develops between a lowly immigrant sailor and a high class boy who is taken aboard after being shipwrecked and forced to work and learn how to rough it like the others. However in the end the lower class immigrant ends up sacrificing himself for the boy he was so tough on and who came from a drastically different upbringing than him but what connected them was their human nature. I love it. It talks directly about social issues, especially in the form of teaching the young boy morals and a sense of place in society amongst others of various socioeconomic backgrounds. This film is still a little stilted, but it's definitely veering away from the artificiality of hollywood and more towards realistic indie cinema.
Spencer Tracy is absolutely memorable in his role in this film as the no-nonesense sailor.