I Cover the Waterfront (1933)

Surprisingly incoherent and boring

Save your money for something good and enjoyable

Captivating movie !

A Masterpiece!

I popped this in for my 88 year old Mom to watch to stop her from dawdling. It is hard to find anything that will grab her interest. Momma was rapt and I was quite surprised.The story is also well written for the times. The dialog is not so stock as is wont for films of the time.Claudette Colbert absolutely shines in this pre-code picture. Her nude swimming and bondage scenes are spectacular for 1933. She also is a believable 1930's female.The rest of the cast is not bad. Ernest Torrance is a commendable lovable scoundrel.If you can appreciate an early cinema 1930's film you will enjoy this movie! I know I enjoyed it!

Joe (Ben Lyon) is a reporter whose beat is the waterfront. His big crusade is to stop a local fisherman (Eli--played by Ernest Torrence) who is smuggling in Chinese illegal aliens. However, when the harbor patrol searches his boat, they never find anything. In fact, one of these scenes is pretty horrifying as Eli has his mates truss up one of the illegals and toss him overboard when the patrol approaches! Joe is determined to prove Eli's evil deeds and he plays up to Eli's daughter (Claudette Colbert) to get inside information. And, using some of this information, he's able to learn about Eli's plans. But, by now Joe is in love with the daughter--and if he springs his trap he'll most likely lose her. What's he to do?! The film is pretty tough--featuring not only the murder of the 'Chink' (as the film refers to Chinese folks) but an impossible scene where a basking shark tears the leg off a man (though they are plankton feeders--not man eaters). And, because it's so tough it really kept my interest--even though it was a low-budget affair. However, at the end, the movie has a sappy ending that unfortunately detracts from all the rest of the film--with a redemption that seemed far-fetched to say the least. Still, it's worth seeing--particularly since it's free and you can downloaded from IMDb.

Mild Spoilers Ahead - Please Take Note.I Cover the Waterfront is a 1933 movie featuring Claudette Colbert. Film buffs may wish to see it because she is in it. She is a vivacious actress and has screen charisma.The film also has other things to commend it such as the photography of the waterfront circa 1933 that is interesting. There are also some engrossing plot elements involving the smuggling of illegal Chinese immigrants and the use of huge sharks in the process.Ernest Torrence is also interesting in his role as the father of the Claudette Colbert character. Ben Lyon is okay as her character's love interest. I must say that all the performances in this movie did seem to be a bit forced and unnatural and I felt this throughout the film.My reaction is that the overall cinematic synergy of I Cover The Waterfront is not good. The film at times is gritty and hard hitting and at other moments tries to be sappy and cutesy. The combination does not work well in this film. For that reason, it is far from a classic or enjoyable film and is more important from the standpoint of being an antique. I would only recommend it for film buffs interested in Claudette Colbert or in films of the period. I rate it a 70 percent or a C - on my scale.

Although some aspects of the film don't quite work, "I Cover the Waterfront" is a pretty good atmospheric drama with some good moments. The setting works very well for a story of suspense and crime, and the good story mostly makes up for the less impressive elements of the movie.Joe Miller (Ben Lyon) is reporter assigned to find interesting stories along the waterfront. His obsession is to prove that ship captain Eli Kirk is involved in a smuggling operation with an occasional murder thrown in. When Miller has a chance meeting with Kirk's charming daughter Julie (Claudette Colbert), he seizes the opportunity to get information about her father. He quickly becomes enamored of Julie, and find himself with conflicting loyalties. Some of the story that follows is predictable, but there are some moments of tension and some good scenes.The waterfront setting is done nicely, and it makes a good background to the events in the plot. It also includes an exciting and realistic shark-fishing scene. On the other hand, there are some features that are less effective or even a bit dated: for example, the very callous attitudes of all of the characters towards Chinese immigrants, and Miller's irritating sidekick, who is supposed to provide comic relief by his habitual drunkenness, but who is really just an annoyance that contributes nothing whatsoever to the plot.Overall, this is an interesting film despite a few flaws, and it is worth watching for anyone who likes films of the era.