The Sea Chase (1955)

Wow! Such a good movie.

One of my all time favorites.

It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

This is just as bad and unconvincing as the other film "The Conqueror" that John Wayne made playing a Mongoliian war lord.First there has to be a note to the other inebriated reviewers of this film. The ship was in the German Merchant Marine. There is no North Sea storm. They are not heading for home in Germany and the captain played by John Wayne is not one of Hitler's supporters. The story line is ostensibly supposed to be that the captain heads out of Sydney harbor with a British naval captain in hot pursuit because the German captain takes his girl. Unbeknownst to the British naval captain "his girl" is suspected by the German captain as being a German spy for the Nazis. Where are they heading to? To Valparaiso, Chile where the captain and crew can hopefully wait out the war rather than rotting in some allied prisoner camp.Okay, what went wrong? The storyline should have been worked out well in advance for such a scenario. It wasn't. The captain should have been somebody like Curd (alias Kurt) Jurgens. Why didn't they do it? Because the director while maybe understanding naval matters was totally unversed in the intricacies of internaional politics. Lana Turner was eye candy that was totally unsuitable and should have been replaced by an unknown actress that was more convincing. The direction should have been nuanced with much greater subtlely so that you could believe it.John Wayne should have turned the role down and recommended Jurgens and another actress for the woman and said the director was unsuitable for anything other than an advisory capacity just to make sure they didn't pressure him into taking the part just for the money.In short, even if you are a John Wayne fan avoid this stinker if it comes your way.

John Wayne plays an anti-Nazi German freighter captain who feels duty bound to get his ship back to Germany after World War II breaks out. Lana Turner comes on board. She is a carrier of secrets that the Nazi's want. Of course she turns out to be Wayne's love interest as the movie progresses. After escaping from the harbor in Australia Wayne sets a course to evade the pursuing British war ships. Running out of fuel they put in to an out of the way island to cut trees for fuel. This is a little hard to believe as green trees will not burn well at all and produce a LOT of smoke. The smoke would make it easier for the chase ships to locate them, especially if there is any air search.

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. ****

Well, it's the Iron Duke's kind of role alright. He's the captain of a run-down German freighter that out gambles the Royal Australian Navy for most of the movie, even though there's one of those treacherous, committed Nazis aboard to foul things up. John Wayne had probably played so many similar characters -- tough in pursuit of a lofty goal but with a sympathetic streak which he keeps well hidden -- that he could have sleepwalked through it. Yet it's strangely comfortable to find him playing this part again. All the tension associated with not knowing what he'll do next is removed and we can relax. Yes, he's a good, firm skipper. Alas, he's not much of a good, firm German skipper. We can at least be thankful that he and his crew speak good old-fashioned American except once, when Duke tries to wrap his speech organs around "auf wiedersehen, Sidney," and it comes out with a "w".Lana Turner. Not to say anything harsh about Lana Turner the woman, but as an actress she made one good movie -- "The Postman Always Rings Twice" -- and the rest of her career is simply inexplicable. She was not an actress but a star, and her role in this film could have been edited out without much loss.Considering that she has only half a crew, and they're all scoundrels as the narrator tells us, the Ergenstrasse is in pretty good shape inside and out except for her hull. There are some beautiful scenes at sea. And ships are fun anyway. Life aboard a ship is lived askew. A ship has no room, no floor, no ceiling, no wall, no window, no bathroom, no staircase, and no upstairs or downstairs. It has a compartment, a deck, an overhead, a bulkhead, a port, a head, a ladder, and a "below" and "topside." And we see this crew really working, sawing wood and whatnot, instead of lounging around waiting for a chance to speak their lines.The lines are in fact part of the problem. The script frankly sucks. At a solemn moment, it has Lana Turner begin to sing a simple and appealing folk song with the sappiest lyrics known to man or beast, at the end of which the rest of the crew join in like the Robert Shaw chorale. Wayne actually has to say, "Did anyone ever tell you you're beautiful when you're angry?" (In "The Conqueror," it was, "Yew're byootiful in yer wrath." The script also gives Wayne his usual habit of categorical thinking, which simplifies a complicated world into two values -- good and bad. He gives a rather longish speech (for him) about how weakness is like slapping red lead over a rivet. Under strain it will pop. But "strength you cannot defeat." No? I guess he's talking about moral strength -- will power -- and the Japanese of the banzai days might disagree with him. He'd have been better off illustrating the point rather than blathering on about it.I kind of liked the movie though. The photography and locations are splendidly rendered. The models may be obvious toys but it's a story that sweeps you up and drags you along with it. A proud and righteous man under pressure to be otherwise.