The Hurricane (1937)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

John Ford

Writers:

Dudley Nichols (screenplay)
Oliver H.P. Garrett (adaptation)

Release Date:

1938 (Austria)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

South Sea Adventure Calls

Plot:

In the days of the tall ships and colonial rule of the South Pacific, a naive native sailor working...

Plot Keywords:

Sailor | Native | Tahiti | Governor | Hurricane

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 2 nominations

Cast

Dorothy Lamour	...	Marama
Jon Hall	...	Terangi
Mary Astor	...	Mme. DeLaage
C. Aubrey Smith	...	Father Paul
Thomas Mitchell	...	Dr. Kersaint
Raymond Massey	...	DeLaage
John Carradine	...	Warden
Jerome Cowan	...	Captain Nagle
Al Kikume	...	Chief Mehevi
Kuulei De Clercq	...	Tita
Layne Tom Jr.	...	Mako
Mamo Clark	...	Hitia
Movita	...	Arai (as Movita Castenada)

Runtime:

110 min | 103 min (video) | USA:104 min (TCM print)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #3779) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | USA:TV-G (TV rating) | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | UK:A

Filming Locations:

Pago Pago, American Samoa

Company:

Samuel Goldwyn Company, The

Trivia:

The native village set was on 2½ acres of United Artists' back lot.

Quotes:

Abusive Drunk: [to Terangi's friends] "Get up! Get up I said!
[2 people flee the table, Terangi does not move]
Abusive Drunk: [to Terangi] "Clear out! Get up when a white man tells ya!
[he hits Terangi, Terangi hits him back, breaking his jaw]

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Don Adams' Screen Test: Tarzan/Public Enemy/Hurricane/Casablanca (Pilot)" (1975)

Soundtrack:

Moon of Manakoora

Classic South Sea Island adventure.

There is a great cast in this superb piece of Hollywood hokum. Jon Hall and Dorothy Lamour are in there physical prime, Raymond Massey brings dignity and his considerable acting skill to his role as the harsh Island governor, the wonderfully photogenic C. Aubrey Smith (was he ever young I wonder) is the priest and Thomas Mitchell plays his usual drunken Irishman (even though he's supposed to be French). The corn ball plot moves swiftly and is played sincerely and the climatic hurricane scenes are still awe inspiring

For sheer entertainment I give it 9 out of ten.