Reap the Wild Wind Movie

Product Description

Cecil B. DeMille directs an all-star cast in this turbulent, swashbuckling tale, set in 1840s Key West, that earned an Academy Award for Special Effects. Ray Milland, John Wayne, Paulette Goddard and Susan Hayward star in what Daily Variety hails as "a potent combination of the romantic, the sensational... in vivid Technicolor trappings."

 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 Gone with the Wind 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. --Jeff Shannon.

Product Details

• Actors: John Wayne, Susan Hayward, Ray Milland, Paulette Goddard, Raymond Massey
• Directors: Cecil B. DeMille
• Writers: Alan LeMay, Charles Bennett, Jr. Jesse Lasky
• Producers: Cecil B. DeMille
• Format: Multiple Formats, Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
• Language: English (Mono), Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
• Subtitles: English, Spanish, French
• Dubbed: Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. DVD formats.)
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Universal Studios
• DVD Release Date: December 15, 1998
• Run Time: 124 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (86 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 0783230400

Customer Reviews

This film is lovely to look at. It is shot in typical DeMille fashion with the spectacle and action scenes given more importance than the stars of the film. How I wish Mr. DeMille had a few more close-up shots of the actors, especially Ray Milland. Ray as usual displays that magical charm and wonderful wit in a role that would otherwise make lesser actors fade into insignificance when up against the standard macho-hero character rival of John Wayne. This film is great escapism, and very fun to watch. The colour photography is quite beautiful. All in all a very satisfying film full of humour, romance, and action. My only real complaint is the fact that the marketing of the video bills John Wayne and Susan Hayward above Ray Milland and Paulette Goddard, when they were actually the main stars as evident in the opening credits of the film.