Reap the Wild Wind

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Jerry E DeMille was Hollywood’s most overrated director. His potboiler epics were shallow ego trips. Compared with the great directors of his era, he was just a swaggering poseur. For all his pretension about spectacle, his films were static and claustrophobic. This film is pure hokum, long, silly, and boring. Rated 1/5 Stars •  Rated 1 out of 5 stars 07/30/24 Full Review ocedummy L Very good old time sailing/criminal story. Good guys are excellent and the baddies hit the nail on the head. And the love angle is engaging. Not quite as good as The Wake of the Red Witch, but close enough. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 07/10/23 Full Review John R For practical effects, it's hard to beat DeMille. Everything he made was the height of practical effects, set design and art direction for the era. So this movie certainly can't be faulted on those counts. I found the story to be a little odd. Paulette Goddard's character was clearly not interested in Ray Milland's for the entire movie, but the plot functioned in such a way that the viewer was basically led to the conclusion she didn't know what she herself wanted. I was surprised at the final shots, but the impression I have is that the original audience probably wouldn't have been. It was interesting to see a Wayne character that was as morally compromised as this one. In most of his cowboy movies, he's unquestionably the good guy, but here he's self-centered and double crossing. He plays it well though. All in all, a good time and there's just something old-timey magical about watching it on VHS. Makes me feel like a kid again. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 04/03/23 Full Review Liam D It does have an pointless court room sub plot near the end but it's an entertaining old Hollywood adventure with some impressive Oscar winning special effects Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/08/23 Full Review david l Reap the Wild Wind has a memorable giant squid sequence in the third act. Ray Millard steals the show when it comes to the performers while the sets, costumes, effects and the score are uniformly terrific. The movie has its adventurous moments, but it needed more of them as the excessive emphasis on melodrama and romance was unfortunate. Cecil B. DeMille has made much stronger and more entertaining movies throughout his career, that's for sure. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review andy f A Cecil B DeMille masterpiece. Its hard to pick holes in this masterpiece that is sophisticated, thrilling, funny and romantic. A work of art and Hollywood excess. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Reap the Wild Wind

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