Mares Violentos

John Wayne as the captain of a German ship during the early days of World War II? The same John Wayne who rode tall in the saddle, saved a doomed airliner, and led the Green Berets? All right, he does not support German policies, but, nevertheless, casting Wayne in the part of Captain Karl Ehrlich was a bizarre choice. The Duke does not even attempt a German accent, and he actually mispronounces the only German words that he utters, "Auf Wiedersehn." Perhaps the lure of starring opposite the luscious, if decidedly petite next to Wayne, Lana Turner was reason enough to ignore the mediocre script and listless direction by John Farrow.

Whatever Wayne's motives for appearing in "The Sea Chase," he plays John Wayne relatively well and outmaneuvers the pursuing British in the grand heroic style he pioneered. Of course, why the audience should be pulling for the Germans to escape the British during World War II is a moral dilemma with which to wrestle. However, somewhat akin to "Das Boot," only one dastardly German serves among the otherwise apolitical crew, and a Nazi flag only appears once and briefly.

As Ehrlich, Wayne sails from Sydney just after hostilities begin in Europe, and, with a British ship in pursuit, which is captained by an officer that Wayne managed to insult over a woman, the glowing Ms. Turner, Wayne maneuvers his ship through the South Pacific towards safety in Valparaiso. Just before leaving Sydney, the German counsel tells Captain Ehrlich that he will be carrying a passenger, a spy who also seeks refuge in Valparaiso. Of course, the increasingly stunning Lana Turner is the passenger, who has managed to escape Sydney with only one bag. And what a bag that must have been, because, throughout the voyage, she has endless changes from one glamorous costume to another. Her makeup is never less than perfect, and the hairspray alone to keep her immaculately coiffed must have weighed a ton. How she maintained the perfection of her platinum blonde hair without a dye specialist on board remains a mystery. Of course, "The Sea Chase" is pure Hollywood hokum, and such questions of logic should never be asked.

Unfortunately for the film and perhaps for Wayne, there appears to be little chemistry between the Duke and Turner. In the one kissing scene, Wayne seems to be biting Turner's jugular while holding his breath rather than exuding any passion. Turner does not turn up the heat either. In spite of her famous looks and figure, Lana exudes a chill towards most of the men in the film, although she tempts the sex-starved crew with tightly filled sweaters from her private deck. The decidedly non-Teutonic actors in the supposedly German crew include such familiar faces as James Arness, Tab Hunter, Claude Akins, Paul Fix, and Alan Hale, and each is decidedly superior to the lines they are forced to recite.

Although the film is a supposedly a chase, there is a shortage of action, and the film plods along with little suspense other than that provided by Turner's wardrobe changes. John Wayne fans likely will want to see "The Sea Chase," if only for the curiosity value. Others perhaps should steer clear unless it is a particularly rainy day with absolutely nothing else but reruns of "My Mother the Car" on the tube.

This film is purely for entertainment and not of any historical background. Still, navy/sea warfare buffs will enjoy the story of the pursuit by a British destroyer of a German merchant ship across several oceans. The cast is so-so but with the "Duke" (John Wayne) in the lead role the story manages to limp along with some degree of success. The "destroyer" used in the film is in fact HMCS New Glasgow, a frigate then in service with the Royal Canadian Navy. I saw the movie shortly after it's release in 1955 while in my mid-teens; a number of years later I served on New Glasgow and recalled the part played by the ship and crew in the film. Shows how Hollywood will use any "prop" available to fill in scenes. The crew never did get any extra pay for their appearance (nor did the ship)but at least they have the satisfaction of knowing the true identity of the "destroyer." Despite all the above the film is good viewing and will be of interest to many.

My John Wayne Marathon continues.

This is one of those Wayne movies that might fit in on a double bill with Chained Heat. It is not one of his better efforts, but it is still watchable.

John Wayne as a German might be a stretch, but it still features a strong woman part by Lana Turner, and a good supporting cast, including Paul Fix (Giant) as a former soldier turned cook, Lyle Bettger (The Lone Ranger) as a borderline psycho first officer, and James Arness (Gunsmoke) as a crewman frustrated to the point of near-mutiny.

It's a pretty good yarn about sailors wanting to go home.

There are several aspect to the selection of a favorite movie star. One would like to view with interest the full potential of said actor when playing different roles in films. However, the true test of any given actor is when the actor can effectively play heroes as well as playing the heavy convincingly. It is difficult to see one of the most prominent leading actors in Hollywood, the Duke, Mr. All American in obvious bad guy roles. For the most part he always played the hero. Thus it is with amusement to see Wayne in this film, " The Sea Chase " playing Capt. Karl Ehrlich a German Officer during World War Two. Further, his ship's crew is loaded with additional actors who have a history of playing good guys siding with him. If you look closely you'll see Jeffrey Hunter, Tab Hunter, James Arness, John Qualen, Paul Fix, Alan Hale Jr., John Doucette and even Claude Akins. The story is of a German cargo vessel, which is believed interned by the British, abruptly escapes and plans on making it's way back home to Germany. With David Farrar playing Cmd. Jeff Napier, who gives reluctant chase, Lyle Bettger as Chief Officer Kirchner, Waynes' foil, and sultry Lana Turner playing Ehrlichs' former heartthrob, the movie has a great deal of potential. However, as a fan of Wayne, it's difficulty to snarl at him for being a German. In addition, him being in the close quarters of Lana Turner on board ship, one can only feel disappointment as so little happens. Still, the movie is entertaining and since Wayne remains true to his screen image, one can enjoy all the action, slight as that might be. ****

No, John Wayne and his crew don't speak German, but what do you expect of a film from this era? In Ben-Hur the Romans speak with British accents and the Jews speak with American accents. The same line of reasoning applies here. The English have British accents and the Germans have American accents. Accept it and move on. Once one can get past the accent issue, this is really quite a good film. All of the credit in the world goes to John Wayne for making this film. Made in the mid-50's, just ten years after the end of World War II, I would imagine it was not very popular subject matter at the time. It is one of the few Hollywood films to try to show the Second World War from the German point of view. Karl Ehrlich (Wayne) is a man torn between his love for his country and his personal hatred for the ideals of Hitler. He is an officer of the old school Prussian monarchy still loyal to the Kaiser who does not like the new regime. As Jeff Napier (David Farrar) notices, he flies the swastika outside on his ship but still has the old imperial battle flag hanging in his cabin. He must decide whether to allow his ship to be taken or defy the entire British Navy and try to bring the Ergenstrasse back safely to the Fatherland. The flag he flies during the final battle is a telling sign of where his loyalty lies and (in my opinion) is Ehrlich's explanation for his actions. An interesting, intriguing, and thought-provoking war film.