Albatross (metaphor) Albatross (metaphor) The word albatross is sometimes used metaphorically to mean a psychological burden that feels like a curse. It is an allusion to Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" (1798). In the poem, an albatross starts to follow a ship — being followed by an albatross was generally considered a sign of good luck. However, the titular mariner shoots the albatross with a crossbow, which is regarded as an act that will curse the ship (which indeed suffers terrible mishaps). Even when they are too thirsty to speak, the ship's crew let the mariner know
The Ancient Mariner (film) An anonymous reviewer for the "Philadelphia Bulletin" wrote at the time, "except for a bit of slowness in the unwinding of the theme, the cinema version of Coleridge's famous poem is an entertaining photoplay". Another anonymous review in the "Public Ledger" said the film "is divided into a modern story and an allegory, and it is in the latter that the picture is most realistic and impressive". The Ancient Mariner (film) The Ancient Mariner is a 1925 American fantasy-drama silent film based on the popular poem, "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, first published in 1798.