SEA WOLF, THE (1941)
Recently restored to its full running time of 100 minutes after only existing in truncated form for decades (because Warner Bros. had repurposed its naval battle footage for other films), THE SEA WOLF is a revelation. Edward G. Robinson turns up the menace as the sadistic sea captain Wolf Larsen, a scourge to all onboard sealing schooner The Ghost, including the shanghaied George Leach (John Garfield), escaped convict Ruth Webster (Ida Lupino) and wandering scribe Humphrey Van Weyden (Alexander Knox). Working from Robert Rossen's screenplay adaptation of the Jack London novel, director Michael Curtiz mutes the swashbuckling adventure found in other seafaring tales and instead hones in on the anxiety and dread experienced by a crew subject to the whims of a cruel dictator — a portrait all too recognizable to the film's audiences in 1941, who had witnessed the rise of fascism over the previous decade. DIR Michael Curtiz; SCR Robert Rossen, based on the novel by Jack London; PROD Hal B. Wallis. U.S., 1941, b&w, 100 min. NOT RATED
AFI Member passes accepted.
Run Time: 100 Minutes
Opening Date: Friday, June 02, 2023
Genre: Adventure, drama