Sturmfahrt nach Alaska

This was only one of two films that Gregory Peck and Raoul Walsh made together, the other being Captain Horatio Hornblower the year before. Gregory Peck plays a sea captain in San Franisco who is basically the top man in town and Anthony Quinn is a sort of friend and rival. In the first scene, Peck goes to rescue his men after being stolen by Quinn. The real villain turns out to be some Russians, whom Peck can't stand. Peck meets Ann Blyth, who is also a Russian, but Peck doesn't know that at first and agrees to marry her. She wants to get to Alaska for some reason and Peck wants to buy Alaska for ten million. Gregory Peck is sort of miscast in this part and you don't buy it when Peck knocks out Quinn with one punch. A pretty good film if you don't expect much.

with a lot of senses for this word. because, like each love story, the romanticism is the lead ingredient to define it. but the love story represents only a part for its seduction source. the pure adventure, like in the great films from "50 s, the admirable confrontation between Gregory Peck and Anthony Quinn, the Russian in Alaska and the easy portrait of them in the Cold War period, the title and its meaning, the images and dialogues, Gregory Peck and his great job in a role who seems be, at the first sight, so far by him, all are ingredients of a splendid chain of romanticism nuances who impose this film like a great example of splendid cinema.

This insufficient movie was made in the fifties when a flamboyant pretty boy famous for tough, staunch, dramatic parts and deep performances decides to go the matinée idol/swashbuckler route. This movie followed Peck's earlier and similar Captain Horatio Hornblower and the Fox big budget muck, David and Bathsheba. Captain Horatio was a big hit in the United States but the fate of this movie domestically was not as good. But as many big budget productions that struggle at home, they make a killing or reduce the losses overseas as this movie was number six at the UK box office and top 10 in 1952 in many other countries. Peck is actually good in the role of the gregarious pirate - way better than in Captain Horatio where I felt he was miscast - he seems to sink his teeth into the role of a lovable scalawag with a gritty mien. He walks the part, lashes the part, and punches the part. One could only wonder why he did not bring this kind of intensity to his role of the "bad seed" in Duel in the sun. The movie sorely needed it. While this kind of movies are supposed to light and flimsy, I must say that I think this movie is way too light. Fights happen for no apparent reason than to fight. Portugee brilliantly played by the great actor Anthony Quinn is loud and lascivious and is a great counterpart to Peck's ravenous appetite for calamity. The plot so to speak involves a Russian girl who does not want to leave the haven of San Francisco to return to the obviously evil and vile fiancée. So she needs to get on a boat to get her out. Enter Peck, romance and love. But alas, Mr. Vile and Evil shows up, twirling mustache in hand and kidnaps her. The rest of this movie is as follows................... You get the point. Raoul Walsh who was one of Hollywood's most successful directors at the box office with very few flops throughout his career directs the action scenes with unusual zest even for him. The score is rousing and gives the sailing sequences a palpating calumny. Blyth is terrible in this role and I don't even think she is very pretty. She does not even try to do a Russian accent but speaks with a clear mid-western undertone. And last of all, the final line in this movie is surely a contender for one of the corniest lines ever delivered on screen. You have hear it and see the shot that follows and try not to laugh out loud.

Sometimes you just want to watch real adventure and romance and escape. TWWIHA is that and more, shot in Technicolor and full of character and characters this is escapist melodrama at its best.

Gregory Peck plays the Boston Man, a sailor and a sealer, who lands in port and finds love unexpectedly with a Russian countess. Set against the politics of the purchase of Alaska the film spends the first hour in port and then follows 20 minutes of the best sailing sequences caught on film: two tall masters sailing fullspeed and captured to great effect on film, with gaff sails, bumkins, and bowsprits furling this is one of my favorite sailing scenes from any film.

All in all, this is a wonderful romantic adventure film and a terrific way to spend a rainy afternoon.

Fascinating movie! I felt pleasure in this story. Though at first I did not want to watch it. I'm the Russian and I believe Hollywood makes fables about Russia as it had turned out with this movie. There were a trite Russian tavern, cossacks, balalaikas, the plaintive Russian songs, the funny Russian aristocracy. There were some Russian names sounding strange for the Americans. The Americans do not know that the Russians have a name and patronymic. The Russian countess is not too bad, even it was possible to keep noble pallor and some aristocratic manners. The countess' servant was speaking in Russian almost without accent. Though the countess' dresses were in a British manner. But above all it was LOVE. And Alaska, sold to the USA, played not such large role. Certainly, it was impossible for the Russian, Orthodox countess got married with the Catholic American in a church. And Marina Selanova and Prince Semyon wanted to get married into strange place that was absolutely not similar to an orthodox temple. But it did not irritate me. It would be better, if this movie was made in Russia. But sometimes I believed this movie was made in Russia. I believe Gregory Peck was the best choice for this role. The American steadfast captain and the Russian charming countess were beautiful couple. With what other American could the Russian countess fall in love? Jonathan Clark looked very well and manly. He was smart, just, thoughtful and slightly imprudent. The final scene was dazzling beautiful and it had no equal even DiCaprio's Titanic. I saw this scene at picture and decided to watch this movie and I did not regret. I'm so sorry it was not released on DVD. But in Russia it is easy to buy VHS. We like it!