Undescribable Perfection

Truly Dreadful Film

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

History records the Unites States purchase of Alaska on March 30, 1867 . This was the realization of a dream that began many years before , when captain Jonathan Clark anchored his schooner , The Pilgrim of Salem , among a thousand abandoned ships that lay rotting in the harbor of San Francisco , 1850 . There captain Clark (Gregory Peck) romancing women and smuggling pelts from Islas Aleutinas and Alaska , Russia . Along the way he meets and woos a gorgeous Russian countess called Marina (Ann Blyth) in 1850 San Francisco . As it deals with a salty sea captain, a beautiful Russian countess, and the love that would span an ocean . Events separate them, but after a breathtaking sea race to the Pribilof Islands against Portugee (Anthony Quinn) they meet again ; now , both are in risk from the plans of villainous Prince Semyon (Carl Esmond) and General Ivan Vorashilov (Sig Ruman) .This exciting as well as entertaining tale packs thrills , noisy action , spectacular struggles and lots of gutsy adventure . The flick relies heavily on a prologue in a San Francisco hotel , its results to be overlong and tiring . Brawling , sprawling , almost primitive action, teeming across the screen and being based on Rex Beach novel . Impressive images when the ships sail across thunderous seas and thrilling final when protagonists and enemies square off in a breathtaking climax . Raoul Walsh demonstrates a special talent for making the densest action sequences seem uncomplicated and uncluttered and his characters , like the scenes distinguished , often have an unfettered , raw power . Nice acting by Greagory Peck as roistering sea captain Jonathan Clark, who poaches seal pelts . Sympathetic interpretation from Anthony Quinn as rude as well as illiterate skipper . and a beautiful Anne Blyth as a countess who hides her noble origin , she does an enjoyable acting though didn't have a notorious career . Good secondary cast with familiar hearted features as John McIntire , Andrea King , Hans Conried , Rhys Williams , Brian Forbes and Sig Ruman . Thrilling as well as emotive musical score by the classic composer Frank Skinner . Colorful cinematography by Russell Metty , a nice cameraman expert on superproductions such as Spartacus , Sign of the Pagan , The War Lord , Counterpoint and Omega man . The movie was splendidly photographed on natural outdoors , Islands Aleutianas and Alaska through the courtesy of the United States Department of Interior National Park Service. The motion picture lavishly produced by Aaron Resemberg was well directed by Raoul Walsh . From his starts in the silent cinema he achieved successful films until the 50s and forward , early 60s , when he was less dominant , but is still stayed lots of lusty adventure , stories of comradeship and friendship , and Raoul makes the most of plentiful action scenes . Walsh was an expert director of all kind genres but with penchant in Western as ¨Colorado territory¨ , ¨They died with their boots on¨, ¨Along the great divide¨, ¨Saskatchewan¨, ¨King and four queens¨ , ¨The sheriff of fractured jaw¨, ¨A distant trumpet¨ ; Adventure as ¨Thief of Bagdad¨, ¨Captain Horatio Hornblower¨, ¨World in his hands¨, ¨Blackbeard the pirate¨ , ¨Sea devils¨ ; Warlike as ¨Objetive Burma¨ , ¨Northern pursuit¨, ¨Marines let's go¨ ; and Noir film as ¨White heat¨, ¨High Sierra¨, ¨They drive by night¨, ¨The roaring twenties¨. Rating : Fairly straightforward movie and above average . This interesting adventure and action film makes it of the finest of Raoul Walsh genre entries.

This insufficient movie was made in the fifties when a flamboyant pretty boy famous for tough, staunch, dramatic parts and deep performances decides to go the matinée idol/swashbuckler route. This movie followed Peck's earlier and similar Captain Horatio Hornblower and the Fox big budget muck, David and Bathsheba. Captain Horatio was a big hit in the United States but the fate of this movie domestically was not as good. But as many big budget productions that struggle at home, they make a killing or reduce the losses overseas as this movie was number six at the UK box office and top 10 in 1952 in many other countries. Peck is actually good in the role of the gregarious pirate - way better than in Captain Horatio where I felt he was miscast - he seems to sink his teeth into the role of a lovable scalawag with a gritty mien. He walks the part, lashes the part, and punches the part. One could only wonder why he did not bring this kind of intensity to his role of the "bad seed" in Duel in the sun. The movie sorely needed it. While this kind of movies are supposed to light and flimsy, I must say that I think this movie is way too light. Fights happen for no apparent reason than to fight. Portugee brilliantly played by the great actor Anthony Quinn is loud and lascivious and is a great counterpart to Peck's ravenous appetite for calamity. The plot so to speak involves a Russian girl who does not want to leave the haven of San Francisco to return to the obviously evil and vile fiancée. So she needs to get on a boat to get her out. Enter Peck, romance and love. But alas, Mr. Vile and Evil shows up, twirling mustache in hand and kidnaps her. The rest of this movie is as follows................... You get the point. Raoul Walsh who was one of Hollywood's most successful directors at the box office with very few flops throughout his career directs the action scenes with unusual zest even for him. The score is rousing and gives the sailing sequences a palpating calumny. Blyth is terrible in this role and I don't even think she is very pretty. She does not even try to do a Russian accent but speaks with a clear mid-western undertone. And last of all, the final line in this movie is surely a contender for one of the corniest lines ever delivered on screen. You have hear it and see the shot that follows and try not to laugh out loud.

I find myself in agreement with other critics,who feel that Peck was not the best choice for the role of Captain Clark.Swashbuckling with lots of action and derring-do really wasn't his thing.And yet,he does it as well as might have been expected.But rowdy,boisterous heroes will not be what we remember him for.Nonetheless,this is still quite an enjoyable film.There happens to be a mild amount of Cold War propaganda in this movie,if you know what to look for.At one point,Clark tells Marina that the Russian policy,of rapaciously hunting the seal herds in the islands,without thought for preservation of the species continuance,will lead to extermination.And,later on Deacon Greathouse makes the exact same point to William.My research,however,indicates that the Russians were no more greedy or brutal than any other hunters in that period.So,I feel that we're getting a little bit of 1950s anti-Soviet slur in here.It's just a sign of the times.FURTHER NOTE:The Americans sneak into the palace to rescue Marina dressed as Orthodox priests,including veils which disguise the lower parts of their faces.This is a total inaccuracy.I come from an Eastern Orthodox background,and the priests NEVER did this!

While this movie aspires to be one of those brawling, lusty, two-fisted adventures, it never quite takes off. Part of the problem lies in the miscasting of Gregory Peck. He's fine in quiet, thoughtful roles but lacks the swaggering pizazz needed to bring off this part. Burt Lancaster or even Kirk Douglas would have been a better choice. The rest of the production is good-looking, (benefiting from the apt casting of Ann Blyth as a Russian aristocrat), and it offers a mild degree of entertainment but it all seems a bit too mild, a bit too limited.Typical of the movie's lack of flair is the scene in which Peck is flogged. (This does not occur in Rex Beach's novel.) Aha, you think -- beefcake and blood! But rather than ripping off his shirt, Peck's flogger merely tears open its back, and after seven lashes, the only marks visible on Peck are a few discreet red lines which might have been drawn on him with the sharpened tip of a lipstick. And during the flogging, Peck never winces nor groans but simply stands stoically as if he's mentally going over that evening's dinner menu. He should have taken how-to-be-whipped lessons from Alan Ladd. Now, there's an actor who really knew how to writhe!