Wake of the Red Witch | JOHN WAYNE (1948)
Wake of the Red Witch – During the 1860s in the South Pacific, Capt. Ralls, skipper of the Red Witch, has a series of adventures involving sunken gold bullion, pearls, natives, an unscrupulous ship owner and a giant octopus.
Wake of the Red Witch (1948)
Director: Edward Ludwig
Writers: Harry Brown, Kenneth Gamet, Garland Roark
Stars: John Wayne, Gail Russell, Gig Young
Genre: Action, Adventure, Romance
Country: United States
Language: English
Release Date: December 30, 1948 (Houston, Texas, premiere)
Filming Location: Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden – 301 N. Baldwin Avenue, Arcadia, California, USA
Wake of the Red Witch may be John Wayne in his most demanding role. He plays Captain Rawles who skuttles the Red Witch to later go back and rescue it’s treasure in gold bullion. Wayne has never has so many colorful character elements in any film. And along side the beautiful Gail Russell, he manages his best performance. Ms. Russell as Anglelique is at her most beguiling and tragic. Her death scene in which Wayne carries her, dying, to look at the sea once more is as powerful as the death scene in “Wuthering Heights” which it is lifted from. The main advantage here is that Gail Russell is more vulnerable and beautiful than Merle Oberon was in “Heights” And the last scene with John and Gail at the wheel of the ghost ship, Red Witch is a never to be forgotten Hollywood film moment.
Credit to : Artflix – Movie Classics
