Tonight's movie was called "The Sea Chase" (1955), starring John Wayne and Lana Turner, who we recently saw in the excellent melodrama "Another Time, Another Place". I think I noted in my review of that film that Turner, though she is remembered for her image a Blonde Bombshell, was actually a very good actress. Her talent was once again on display in "The Sea Chase" where she plays a German intelligence agent working undercover on board John Wayne's cargo ship at the time WW2 has just broken out.
That may sound convoluted, and it is not only that, but also a little bit off-putting or confusing when the movie starts, because here you have Wayne and Turner, the most American of Movie Stars, playing Germans. They and every other German character on board the ship speak with American accents. I suppose it was one of those decisions made by the director or producer to have the stars use their natural voices because they may not have been adept at accents. In John Wayne's case, this seems to be the most likely explanation. So when the movie starts, you have to get used to John Wayne being a German boat captain and Lana as an Intelligence Agent, which she can pull off, but for some reason the film's producer had her dressing in a form fitting gold lame gown while on the ship. This was done of course for box office appeal and to put "butts in seats" as the saying goes. Lana's fans at the time wanted to see her in all her glamorous glory, but it does look out of place on a cargo steamer, crewed by sweaty men.
Things settle down after the first half hour, though, when you have gotten used to the American accents and when Lana has revisited the wardrobe department to dress for the remainder of the picture in the more realistic naval attire of khakis and a denim workshirt.
She has become a passenger on Wayne's ship through her engagement to a British captain played by the richly-voiced David Farrar, who has been a close friend of Wayne's before the start of the war. Prior to the rise of Hitler and even well into his dictatorship (but before the war), there were many friendships and intermarriages between German and English citizens and those of other European nations. What Hitler did was to promote militant Nationalism, which had a powerful effect, and so as the movie begins, and Lana Turner the German spy arrives on board with her fiancee, the Brit David Farrar, we can understand her predicament when John Wayne tells her she must break off her engagement to the Englishman, because their two countries are now at war and he is the enemy.
This plot development is used for historical purposes but also to give Wayne a chance to play a romantic lead in addition to his main role as sea captain. Because he is John Freakin' Wayne, he is more believable in the latter role. As captain of the cargo ship, he must quickly sneak his boat out of an Australian port where it was docked awaiting a load of goods, because Australia has entered the war under the British Crown (and please remember the proper pronunciation of Brrridt-ishh whenever you read that word). Being that the Aussies are British (remember the pronunciation), they are out to sink Wayne's boat before he can escape their waters. The richly-voiced David Farrar also has a personal motive for going after Wayne, who has in the meantime stolen the heart of Lana Turner. Gruff John Wayne doesn't work in the romance department, but Miss Lana gives her all to make it believable, and there are other reasons for British Captain Farrar to go after Wayne and his crew, which I cannot divulge because of spoilers.
The title of "The Sea Chase" is a little misleading because, going in, you may be expecting an action-packed pursuit with artillery canons firing while the German and English officers strategize below decks. A "tense naval thriller", in other words. "The Sea Chase" is not that, but rather a historical drama with occasional scenes of action. Much downtime is spent on a remote island where the Captain and crew drop anchor to hide and to cut down trees for the ship's fuel, as they have run out of coal.
In this way, the story follows a path of what seems to be real history rather than resorting to any devices by the screenwriter to polish things up.
At one hour and fifty seven minutes, the movie is about 15 minutes too long, but I still give it Two Regular Thumbs Up because of the way in which the story is presented, very straightforward and without cliches (other than the Lana Turner "dress-up" at the beginning), and if the ship was stranded for several days and the crew had to chop up the lifeboats to burn for fuel in order to remain on the run from the Brits, then the director shows all of this and never resorts to exposition.
It is too long a film, and the romantic aspect doesn't work as intended, but overall, because of the highly developed script, in which several threads are simultaneously in play at any given time, including a subplot about a shark attack that has critical results for the crew, "The Sea Chase" is an action drama well worth watching, more because of Turner and the supporting cast than Wayne, though he turns in a workmanlike performance at the very least.
I have seen better John Wayne movies, but "The Sea Chase" has so much more going on that it is bigger than The Duke. Well directed by the craftsman John Farrow (Mia's Dad), I think it is definitely worth a look for the WW2 film buffs in the house tonight. ;)
I am tired beyond measure and so I will sign off and see you in the morning.
With love as always. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
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