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Reap the Wild Wind
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by Universal Studios
Sales Rank: 19239
Price: $13.49
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John Wayne was in the early stages of superstardom when this lavish Cecil B. DeMille adventure was produced in 1942, so it's interesting to see the Duke in a heroic supporting role as opposed to the commanding one. Here he's on equal footing with Ray Milland in the romantic lead; they play a pair of dashing yet wildly different characters who've both fallen for a feisty Southern belle played by Paulette Goddard. It's 1840 on Florida's Key West, and while Wayne plays a daring seaman eager to command a brand-new steamship, his ambitions are hampered by his daredevil reputation and the ruthless profiteering of a salvager (Raymond Massey) who preys on ships that are routinely wrecked in the Key's rocky coastal waters. Milland plays the dapper gentleman who can decide Wayne's future, but Wayne's competitive edge leads to a progression of apparent betrayals and shifting allegiances. Ultimately, both men cast aside their differences to seek justice on the open sea, where an underwater encounter with a giant octopus threatens to bury them both in a watery grave. Providing spectacle and romance as only DeMille could serve it up, this blustery adventure has its share of corny dialogue and obligatory crowd-pleasing action, but that's all part of the movie's considerable charm. It's like <I>Gone with the Wind</I> on the open sea, with the high-spirited Goddard (who had been a candidate for the role of Scarlett O'Hara) holding her own with her chest-thumping costars. DeMille fills his frame with delightful characters and background business, spicing up the story with just enough humor and hokum to offset the movie's forgivable flaws. Presented in glorious Technicolor that's been flawlessly preserved on DVD, the film earned Oscar nominations for its cinematography and costumes, and its still-exciting climax earned an Oscar for Best Special Effects. All in all, this is rousing Hollywood entertainment from the peak years of the studio system that DeMille had dominated for decades. <I>--Jeff Shannon</I>.
Viewer Reviews
Paulette Goddard was the frontrunner to play Scarlett O'Hara in "Gone with the Wind" until Vivien Leigh pipped her at the post. Four years later, Goddard finally got the chance to play another firebrand Southern belle in Cecil B. DeMille's REAP THE WILD WIND, a costume adventure with the emphasis on costume--and filmed in glowing early Technicolor.
Goddard plays Loxi Claiborne, the feisty manager of a ship salvage company in 1840s Key West, Florida. Loxi falls in love with Captain Jack Stuart (John Wayne); but later finds herself caught under the spell of his attractive arch-rival, Steve Tolliver (Ray Milland). Playing one man off the other, Loxi gets caught in the middle of a dangerous battle between rival shipping companies, masterminded by scheming King Cutler (Raymond Massey).
REAP THE WILD WIND, based on a story written by Thelma Strabel, is an energetic movie with something for everyone: costume drama, romance, pirates, action, and a spectacular sequence featuring a giant squid (the film picked up an Academy Award for 'Best Visual Effects' in 1943).
Paulette Goddard is a sensation playing the firebrand heroine Loxi Claiborne; she would have been a superb Scarlett O'Hara. John Wayne and Ray Milland also provide strong performances as the two men vying for Loxi's hand. A very young Susan Hayward and Robert Preston are touching, playing ill-fated forbidden sweethearts (they would later be re-united for "Tulsa" in 1949).
A top movie.
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