I should begin by admitting a prejudice against sea-going tales. And, my interest in this film almost bit the dust because of that; I found the first 20 or so minutes of the film to be quite a bore.
Then, however, the true nature of the tale began to become a bit more obvious, and my interest picked up. This is almost a spy story, albeit about a private effort to stop the lave trade.
The cast here is interesting. The most interesting thing about Gary Cooper is that his speech pattern is not his usual. He does a nice job here. The role George Raft has here is totally different than just about anything you've seen him in before. Frances Dee is very good as the love interest and as the point of friction between her admirer (Cooper) and her brother (Henry Wilcoxon), a true slaver. I always thought that Wilcoxon was an actor who deserved better roles, and while he is the villain here, at least it's a good role. Harry Carey has a small role as a sea captain. Robert Cummings is here in his first movie role. Paul Fix has a tiny role as a violinist. Ward Bond and Alan Ladd have uncredited small roles.
The shipwreck scenes are quite masterful (with a few glitches in special effects, but not bad for 1937).
Highly recommended, just get past the first 20 minutes or so.
Then, however, the true nature of the tale began to become a bit more obvious, and my interest picked up. This is almost a spy story, albeit about a private effort to stop the lave trade.
The cast here is interesting. The most interesting thing about Gary Cooper is that his speech pattern is not his usual. He does a nice job here. The role George Raft has here is totally different than just about anything you've seen him in before. Frances Dee is very good as the love interest and as the point of friction between her admirer (Cooper) and her brother (Henry Wilcoxon), a true slaver. I always thought that Wilcoxon was an actor who deserved better roles, and while he is the villain here, at least it's a good role. Harry Carey has a small role as a sea captain. Robert Cummings is here in his first movie role. Paul Fix has a tiny role as a violinist. Ward Bond and Alan Ladd have uncredited small roles.
The shipwreck scenes are quite masterful (with a few glitches in special effects, but not bad for 1937).
Highly recommended, just get past the first 20 minutes or so.