Wake of the Red Witch

After John Wayne starred in Cecil B. DeMille's answer to "Gone With the Wind," an epic called "Reap the Wild Wind," the Duke wanted to make a similar themed film but with more complex characters. John Wayne made "Wake of the Red Witch," a terrific follow-up that remakes elements of the original film but creates completely new situations and characters, and explores the dark side of people. Both films open with John Wayne as a 19th Century sea captain who's ship is scuttled for the rich cargo. In both films John Wayne fights a big octopus and is involved in a love triangle with a beautiful woman and his boss. The period, style, and sets are similar but there are differences in story. DeMille's story was set in the south and revolved around a southern belle who played with the affections of two men. The characters were somewhat one-dimensional (John Wayne the unquestionable good guy, Ray Milland the unquestionable rich playboy, Paulette Goddard the unquestionable flirt). "Wake of the Red Witch," set in the South Pacific, is much more complex. John Wayne's character is sometimes cruel and dishonest. He is driven by drunken rages to beat men and his performance is perhaps the best in his career. As the camera closes in on his face there is true madness in his eyes and the strength and anger he possesses is truly frightening. In one scene where he has just punched out his crew and jumped ship, running violently through the jungle toward the woman he loves (Gail Russell), he is a monster. The entire story is told by a member of John Wayne's crew (Gig Young) and we are first introduced to John Wayne as a heartless and corrupt captain. As the story unfolds we see a much more complex mystery involving the captain's rich nemesis who respects the captain as a hero and worthy opponent and has driven John Wayne to madness. The end plays out as a haunting romance as the love between the captain and the woman he adores (and who has married his enemy) conquers all amongst all the tragedy. I would suggest you see Cecil B' DeMille's "Reap the Wild Wind" first as it is much less satisfying and might be disappointing compared to the complexity of "Wake of the Red Witch," though both films are terrific entertainment and showcase John Wayne at his non-western best. Note: In the film, The Red Witch (a sailing ship) is owned by a company called Batjac, a name the Duke would use as the name of his own film company.

The first thirty minutes or so of Wake Of The Red Witch has so many characters, and it's so hard to figure out what's happening, it may remind you of The Big Sleep. After two lengthy flashback sequences, told by two different characters, the waters of the plot were a little less muddy. Unfortunately, at that point the story slowed down and sagged a little. Nevertheless, this is a very exotic (as in strangely but appealingly different) and entertaining movie and a different direction for John Wayne, who plays one of the most sinister and cruelest characters of his career.

Republic Pictures was a studio with a reputation for making movies on the cheap without the final product looking cheap. Most of their output were programmers, but they liked to turn out one or two "quality productions" per year. It looks as if Wake Of The Red Witch with a budget of over $1,200,000 was the quality of 1948. The movie premiered in Houston, Texas in late 1948 but did not get a general release until March 1949, which probably indicates some re-editing and perhaps new scenes. It has a terrific cast, headed by Wayne and Gail Russell, excellently supported by Gig Young, Adelle Mara, Luther Adler, Henry Daniel, Eduard Franz, Paul Fix, and Grant Withers. Edward Ludwig's direction is sharp, especially considering the complex script handed him by screen writers Harry Brown and Kenneth Gamet. Cinematography by Reggie Lanning is up to the best standards of beautiful back and white era. Though there is some obvious back projection in places, the South Sea sets by John McCarthy, Jr. and George Milo are lush and convincing, and stock footage from other movies (one of Republic's favorite cost-cutters) is blended in flawlessly. On the other hand the fluid editing we take for granted in pictures from the 'forties is spoiled by too many abrupt, blackout scene changes. This may point to some radical re-editing between the premiere and the general release three months later.

Set in the 1860's Dutch East Indies and surrounding area, the story revolves around a bitter but respectful rivalry between sea captain Wayne and ship owner Adler. These two strong, morally challenged men are locked in a long-standing mutual hatred. But each grudging admires the other as the most ruthless and competent man he knows. Their rivalry eventually becomes the sole reason each has for living.

Wayne was coming off the release of the highly successful Red River, which had actually been filmed two years earlier, when Wake Of The Red Witch was made. There was a little of Tom Dunson, the cruel, tyrannical rancher he played in Red River in practically every movie John Wayne subsequently made. There is a lot of Dunson in his Captain Ralls in Wake Of The Red Witch. He is Dunson magnified. Wayne and Adler's intense character studies are what makes this movie really worth watching. As for the rest of the cast .... judging by this picture, it would seem that Gail Russel, in addition to wrecking her career with booze, just wasn't really much of an actress. Adele Mara should have had the female lead instead of the second lead. And Gig Young should have kept the mustache.

Wake Of The Red Witch is one of John Wayne's best performances, an entertaining, action-packed, and mysterious picture.

I agree with others who liked this 1948 Republic gem of a film. And, although I could see where the story seemed disjointed at times, I think that worked in the film's favor. After all, this is a story of intrigue. Should not the plot have some mystery and inexplicable parts to it? I'm probably not the only movie reviewer here who did not read the book the film is based on. Nor had I ever heard of the book or its author, Garland Roark. I did look him up and found that he wrote a number of seafaring adventures as well as Westerns.

So, I thought the plot developed very nicely with the right amount of intrigue mixed in with some action, sea scenes, and romance. We gradually discover the background of the animosity between John Wayne and his nemesis, played quite ably by Luther Adler. The acting was very good all around, with Adler and "Duke" having the more dramatic and expressive parts.

I enjoyed John Wayne in most of the films he did outside his usual genres of Westerns and War flicks. Besides the good acting and plot, "Wake of the Red Witch" had some good cinematography with sea and sailing shots, and very good underwater action. All of this adds up to a very good and entertaining film.

This is kind of out-of-way stuff for the duke, closest he got to again in "Reap the wild wind". It is basically a Wuthering Heights of the Southern Seas, with a very young and slim Wayne being pulled into a story of intrigue and lost love by the most beautiful Gail Russell. Great pity that her early death prevented her from rising to true stardom, but she truly holds her own next to the Duke in this strange, patchwork story of a true love. If you can hold of it, view it and enjoy it. And it once again convinces me, that John Wayne could pull off almost everything convincingly, giving tribute to him being a real quality actor after all.

I have to say that for all those other reviewers who compared Wake of the Red Witch to Wuthering Heights I am grateful. I'd never really thought of it that way, but it is definitely true.

The Duke is hardly the classically trained actor that Laurence Olivier is, but as I've remarked in other reviews his was one of the great faces for movie closeups. His expressions are worth ten pages of dialog. And he is probably in his most romantic role as Captain Ralls of the Red Witch.

Of course this film is most compared to Reap the Wild Wind where also for romantic reasons, John Wayne piled a ship on the reefs and later went after the salvage. But though the other film is a big budget product from one of the premier studios, Wake of the Red Witch is a much better story.

The story is seen through the eyes of Gig Young as Wayne's first mate. Wayne sinks the Red Witch because his employer, the malevolent Luther Adler has taken the lovely Gail Russell from him, through the connivance of her father Henry Daniell.

Wayne gets not one, but three underwater scenes unlike in Reap the Wild Wind. He rescues young Fernando Alvarado from a giant claim, kills a giant octopus for native pearls and searches for gold bullion on the sunken Red Witch. All the sequences are nicely done.

The ending, some elements of Wuthering Heights are here. But I think it has more of a Maytime flavor to it.