The Sea Wolf (1941)

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

A Masterpiece!

Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.

Interesting,gripping from start to finish.Didn't think too much of Knox In WILSON,but really liked him here.Robinson is terrific as Larson,as are the entire cast with Eddie,Knox,Lupino,Garfield in main roles,as with Lockhart in one of his few non slimy roles.Barry Fitzgerald is the guy I loved to hate as much as Larson,although Larson was on a par with Captain Ahab and Capt Bligh.Many familiar character actors in smaller roles.Garfield was great in his first starring role,Lupino the only woman,lucky to avoid having to fight off the entire crew,protection from Garfield and Knox.And the opening in the bar with Stanley Ridges character being Shanghai'd after refusing to sail on a devil ship,Garfield barely avoids getting a Mickey Finn.

"The Sea Wolf" is an old favourite of mine. It was the first time I saw a film with Edward G. Robinson and John Garfield. They both give the best performances here but Ida Lupino and Alexander Knox do well also. It is those four actors who are the most relevant. The film is a reasonably faithful adaptation of the popular novel. The setting, the characters all resemble something from the book. Wolf Larson shall stand as one of the crowning achievements in the distinguished career of Edward G. Robinson. He was finally being offered films from "Warner Bros" that were worthy of his talents between 1938 and 1942. He plays Larson as a truly sadistic, evil, determined but also highly intelligent character. John Garfield is very effective as a hard-edged character who comes to show his more humane side, courtesy of Ida Lupino. She is the only female member of the cast as a fugitive from justice. Lupino doesn't properly come into the film for quite a while. However, once she does, her character is a vital part of the story. I enjoy the scenes between Robinson and Knox as they discuss literature and Larson's biography being written. The set that was used for the ship in question, looks suitably creepy and eerie. I can picture all sorts happening in such a nightmarish setting. Michael Curtiz again puts his stamp upon "The Sea Wolf" with some of the best work of his career. There is some action but it is the suspense and the tension that makes this film stand out. One of the best films from 1941.

Stumbling across a nifty gem like this while scanning the cable listings is always a welcome treat. Edward G. Robinson is a personal favorite from the Forties and Fifties, and his characterization here of Wolf Larsen is one of his best if not one of the most vicious. As captain of The Ghost, Larsen dominates his crew with a force and brutality that rivals that of Gregory Peck's Ahab in 1956's "Moby Dick".One of the things I liked about the story was the way writer Van Weyden (Alexander Knox) so effectively unveiled Larsen's true nature by verbalizing the Captain's inner most thoughts and feelings. Self educated in the school of life, Larsen employs an idea from Milton's 'Paradise Lost' in his world view - 'Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven'. He conducts the ship's affairs with an unyielding hand and is quick to punish anyone who attempts to express their own viewpoint.The movie offers two fine actors in strangely uncharacteristic roles, Gene Lockhart as a doctor presumably shanghaied at some point to find himself divested of his humanity aboard the Ghost, and Barry Fitzgerald as seaman Cooky, a toady for Larsen who doubles as a snitch. We come to realize that Larsen's malevolence knows no bounds when he eventually drives Prescott (Lockhart) to suicide, and turns on Cooky after he names the mutineers.Rounding out the principal cast are John Garfield as Leach, on the run from a prison sentence, and Ida Lupino, an ex-convict who would prefer death at sea rather than face incarceration once again. Garfield's character is particularly effective in leading a mutiny against the vile Larsen, a man among sheep on board The Ghost who would never have given a thought to exercising their will against the brutal Captain. Their own bid for freedom is aided by Van Weyden in a final showdown against Larsen as he exposes the Captain for the cheap, pathetic brute he really is.

John Garfield (George Leach) volunteers to work on a ship called the "Ghost" in order to flee the police who are searching for him. Ida Lupino (Ruth) is also fleeing the authorities on a passenger ferry and has just been handed over to detectives by sophisticated, nancy-boy writer Alexander Knox (Van Weyden) when the ferry is rammed and sunk. Lupino and Knox survive as the ferry sinks and they are picked up by the ship that rammed them - the "Ghost" - captained by Edward G Robinson (Wolf Larsen). Robinson has no intention of putting them ashore and they join his crew on his pirate ship - the purpose of Robinson's journeys are to steal cargoes from other ships and skulk around in the foggy waters avoiding detection. Robinson is sadistic and Garfield has a plan to make a break for freedom.....The story is a familiar one of cruelty at sea and mutiny and Edward G Robinson puts in a performance that is the equal of Charles Laughton in "Mutiny On The Bounty" (1935) and Howard Da Silva in "Two Years Before The Mast" (1946) as the sea captain bully. This is his film and he commands it as he does his crew. Garfield and Knox have important roles - Garfield as the angry man who rebels and Knox who becomes Robinson's confidante and holds the key to the film's denouement - but Lupino, while good in her role, does not have much to do. I'm not really sure why she's in the film as the love interest just isn't necessary. Garfield and Lupino may look good as a couple but their romance also does not convince at times, especially when Garfield is soooooo cold towards her yet she comes back for more from him. I don't think so! The story has many different sequences to it and the pace rolls along nicely. The atmosphere of the film also deserves a mention with the aptly named "Ghost" disappearing in and out of fog banks. The first time we see the ship is memorable as it sinks the passenger ferry at the beginning. There are other memorable scenes including Gene Lockhart's (Dr Prescott) appearance one day dressed in his finest clothing after re-gaining his confidence - you will end up feeling very sorry for him - but, in the ensuing scenes, he does what he believes to be the best thing for a man who still has some dignity.A final mention must go to Edward G Robinson, who, on occasion, manages to convince the audience that he has a human side to his character. I found it slightly out of character that he would take Knox's psycho-babble to heart as he does but then again, the guy is a psycho so who knows. It's interesting that Robinson is a secret intellectual and given his background, he's actually done very well for himself if you ask me. Maybe I'll see him in hell one day.Overall, it's an entertaining film that's worth keeping onto.