The Sea Wolf [Blu-ray]

Director: Michael Curtiz Michael Curtiz

Overview

In this film version of Jack London's tale, Edward G. Robinson stars as the tyrannical Wolf Larsen, the captain of the scavenger ship Ghost. Idealistic writer Humphrey Van Weyden and fugitive Ruth Webster are picked up by the Ghost when their ferryboat capsizes and must struggle to escape Larsen's clutches.

Product Details

Release Date:	10/10/2017
UPC:	0888574541958
Original Release:	1941
Rating:	NR
Source:	Warner Archives
Presentation:	[B&W]
Language:	English
Time:	1:40:00
Sales rank:	18,425

Special Features

Screen Director's Playhouse radio broadcast 2/3/1950; Theatrical trailer

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Edward G. Robinson	Wolf Larsen
Ida Lupino	Ruth Webster
John Garfield	George Leach
Alexander Knox	Humphrey Van Weyden
Gene Lockhart	Dr. Louis Prescott
Barry Fitzgerald	Cooky
Stanley Ridges	Johnson
Francis McDonald	Svenson
David Bruce	Young Sailor
Howard da Silva	Harrison
Frank Lackteen	Smoke
Ralf Harolde	Agent
Louis Mason	Crew Member
Dutch Hendrian	Crew Member
Cliff Clark	Detective
William Gould	Detective
Ernie Adams	Pickpocket,Pickpocket
Jeanne Cowan	Singer
Wilfred Lucas	Helmsman
Ethan Laidlaw	Sailor
George Magrill	Sailor
Charles Sullivan	1st Mate
Erich Wolfgang Korngold	Composer

Technical Credits

Robert Rossen

Michael Curtiz	Director
Robert Rossen	Screenwriter
Henry Blanke	Producer
Byron Haskin	Special Effects
H.F. Koenekamp	Special Effects

Editorial Reviews

Seafaring adventure movies rarely come any better than this muscular adaptation of The Sea Wolf. The story has been filmed numerous times, and it's easy to see why: it has all the basic elements of a good tragedy plus the added appeal of an oceanic setting and opportunities for meditations on the nature of good and evil in man. If that last part sounds like heavy going, it's not; in Robert Rossen's expert screenplay, the moral arguments are among the most exciting moments in the movie. Rossen knows exactly how to highlight and phrase the dissertations on morality so that they create sparks and fire, but don't become overblown; the result is a screenplay that's all lean, no fat, but that doesn't feel rushed or skimpy. Of equal importance, Rossen (with more than able assistance from Jack London's original book) has created in Wolf Larsen the kind of towering, repugnant but fascinating character that makes an indelible impression on viewers and stays with them for weeks after. As Larsen, Edward G. Robinson gives an unforgettable performance, one of the finest of his many remarkable performances. Brooding, evil, insecure, frightened -- Robinson captures every facet of this terrible character, never more effectively than when Larsen is pretending kindness in order to set a victim up for a cruel joke. With Robinson, there's no clue that the kindness is an act until the very last minute, when he delivers his devastating blows. The rest of the cast is also top-notch, from Ida Lupino's tough but tender escapee to Barry Fitzgerald's smarmy Cooky, and Michael Curtiz deserves special praise for his spot-on direction, which never makes a false step and which creates a film that positively drips with atmosphere while never stinting for one second on the drama. The Sea Wolf has some minor flaws, but the film is so strong that they barely even register.