Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie's plot.
Wake of the Red Witch (1948) Directed by Edward Ludwig
The movie was a thrown together patch work, stealing liberally from Wuthering Heights and Reap the Wild Wind, reshooting several scenes from those movies in an almost plagiaristic fashion. It was actually shot in black and white so that money could be saved on the quality of set pieces. The underwater scenes were almost laughable, the wreck being such an obvious model. And yet this picture not only worked, it is a classic, and one of the finest performances of John Wayne's career.
Told through the eyes of Sam Rosen (Gig Young) the real action takes place between Capt. Ralls, (John Wayne) the hard drinking haunted ships captain, the greedy and obsessed Mayrant Sidneye, (Luther Adler) owner of the shipping line, and the woman they both love, the ethereal Angelique Desaix (Gail Russell).
Rosen is rescued and brought aboard the Red Witch, where he meets the compelling Captain Ralls, and falls under his spell. Ralls is a hard man, brutal and demanding, yet he inspires fanatical loyalty from his men. Rosen is drawn into a plot to scuttle the Red Witch, complete with 5 million pounds of gold bullion.
A less than flawless plan, it none the less succeeds, because of the owner, Sidneye, withdrawing his charges. Now a waiting game begins.
Ralls and his hand picked crew spend a year fishing. They are never out of the sight of one or another naval men, shadowing them, preventing them from recovering the Red Witch. Ralls decides to give them the slip, and set in to find another treasure, one he discovered years before; pearls.
But the island, off the charts, has many hidden dangers, painful memories, and the jealous rival, Mayrant Sidneye. The tragic events of many years before unfolds before the curious Rosen, and he learns of Angelique, a fortune in pearls, and how both men came to loose her.
One of the most important elements of this picture is the clear cut love/hate relationship between Ralls and Sidneye. Each respects his rival, just as much as he hates him. Neither would ever consider doing the other direct injury; that would invalidate their struggle to best the other. Ralls must recover the gold, taking the second most important thing in Sidney's life from him. Sidneye must arrange for Rall's arrest, taking his freedom, the second most important thing in his life. These two performances were among the best of both actors' life. Ralls was a far cry from the one dimensional tough as nails stick to the code of honor at all costs heroes that Wayne usually portrayed. Here, he actually got to act, and proved that indeed, he could. His portrayal of a man slowly destroying himself with booze and guilt was flawless, the driven quality subtle and not overstated, but unmistakable. For Adler's part, his respect for his adversary and his contempt for him oozed from every pore in every frame. Both performances were complemented by Russell's delicate, haunted heroine, caught between the twin forces of these men's egos, and ultimately destroyed by them. Her sweetness was tempered by strength of character; she was no simpering wallflower. You could tell why the men wanted her. Russell's porcelain beauty served the role well.
In an interesting historical note, the octopus from the dive scene was later stolen by Ed Wood for use in his 1955 "classic" Bride of the Monster. However, they forgot to steal the motor that operated the tentacles, so Bela Lugosi had to wrap the tentacles around himself and flail about to animate them.
It is rare that a movie with such obvious flaws and short cuts becomes a classic. The fact that this one did owes to two factors; one, they stole good material, a great combination of romance and high adventure, and two, the strength of the performances turned in by Wayne, Adler, and Russell.
Like Captain Ralls, this review is Lean-N-Mean. It weighs in at 666 words exactly.
- features the original theatrical trailer - includes a reproduction of the theatrical poster - digitally remastered from the original film negative -...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
DVDS. This unusual, dreamlike {$John Wayne} vehicle is set in the East Indies. The focus of the film is the deadly rivalry between two men of the sea....More at DeepDiscount.com
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