Wake of the Red Witch [Blu-ray]

Overview

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. Ship's captain Rails (John Wayne) nurses a long-standing grudge against shipping magnate Van Schreeven (Luther Adler). The reason for the animosity: Van Schreeven stole away Rails' love, Angelique (Gail Russell). Revenge has warped Rails to point that sometimes he seems to be the heavy of the picture. Complications involving valuable pearls ensue before the offbeat climax, which finds Rails scuttling his own vessel, the Red Witch, as means of getting even. The film's resolution is one of the strangest ever concocted for a Wayne picture. Wake of the Red Witch represented the second screen teaming of John Wayne and Gail Russell; the film must also have held some special significance for Wayne, since he named his own production company, Batjac, after the shipping firm depicted in the picture.

Product Details

Release Date:	04/23/2013
UPC:	0887090059404
Original Release:	1948
Rating:	NR
Source:	Olive
Presentation:	[B&W]
Language:	English
Time:	1:46:00
Sales rank:	15,641

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

John Wayne	Capt. Ralls
Gail Russell	Angelique Desaix
Gig Young	Sam Rosen
Adele Mara	Teleia Van Schreevan
Luther Adler	Mayrant Ruysdaal Sidneye
Eduard Franz	Harmenszoon Van Schreeven
Grant Withers	Capt. Wilde Youngeur
Henry Daniell	Jacques Desaix
Paul Fix	Antonio `Ripper' Arrezo
Dennis Hoey	Capt. Munsey
Jeff Corey	Mr. Loring
Erskine Sanford	Doktor Van Arken
Duke Kahanamoku	Va Nuke
John Wengraf	Prosecutor
Henry Brandon	Kurinua
Myron Healey	Seaman on Red Witch
John Pickard	2nd Diver,2nd diver
Harlan Warde	Seaman Handling Diving Line
Fernando Alvarado	Maru,Taluna
Carlos Thompson	Hekkim
Mickey Simpson	2nd Officer
Grant Means	Dirk
Jim Nolan	1st Diver
Harry Vejar	Jarma
David Clarke	Mullins
Fred Fox	Ship's Surgeon
Al Kikume	Native Servant
Leo C. Richmond	Native Priest
Harold Lishman	Kharma
Fred Libby	Sailor
Robert Wood	Young Sailor
Fred Graham	Sailor
Rory Mallinson	Officer
Norman Rainey	Lawyer
Wallace Scott	Sailor,Composer
Kuka Tuitama	Native
George Pliz	Native
Chuck Roberson	Stunts

Technical Credits

Harry Brown

Kenneth Gamet

Edmund Grainger	Producer
Edward Ludwig	Director
Theodore Lydecker	Special Effects,Special Effects
Harry Brown	Screenwriter
Kenneth Gamet	Screenwriter

Editorial Reviews

One of John Wayne's more unusual ventures, Wake of the Red Witch is a mixed bag of a movie, containing some haunting moments that stick in the mind long after the film ends. Chief among these is the ending, a fantasy that shouldn't work but which makes quite an impression. This and the other memorable moments have a strange, dream-like quality to them that demonstrates that at least one of the men at the helm (John Farrow and Edward Ludwig) was going for an odd, poetic approach. That approach is not carried all the way through, and the unevenness of the direction matches that of the script, which is a jumble of the good and the bad, with a good helping of credibility issues thrown in to complicate things. It also doesn't help matters that far too much of this sea picture is clearly filmed in a studio; the artificiality gets seriously in the way of the artifice. Witch does boast solid performances, with Wayne in top form and demonstrating a greater range than was often demanded of him. Luther Adler is a fine foil for him, and Gail Russell is quite believable as the third point of the triangle. Despite its flaws, many will find many moments in Witch that are hard to forget.

All Movie Guide - Craig Butler