Across the Pacific (1942)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

John Huston

Writers:

Richard Macaulay (screenplay)
Robert Carson (serial)

Release Date:

5 September 1942 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Romance | War

Plot:

Rick Leland makes no secret of the fact he has no loyalty to his home country after he is court-marshaled...

Plot Keywords:

Panama | Japanese | Panama Canal | Passenger | Movie Screen

Cast

Humphrey Bogart	...	Rick Leland
Mary Astor	...	Alberta Marlow
Sydney Greenstreet	...	Dr. Lorenz
Charles Halton	...	A.V. Smith
Victor Sen Yung	...	Joe Totsuiko (as Sen Young)
Roland Got	...	Sugi
Lee Tung Foo	...	Sam Wing On
Frank Wilcox	...	Captain Morrison
Paul Stanton	...	Colonel Hart
Lester Matthews	...	Canadian Major
John Hamilton	...	Court-Martial President
Tom Stevenson	...	Unidentified Man
Roland Drew	...	Captain Harkness
Monte Blue	...	Dan Morton
Chester Gan	...	Captain Higoto

Also Known As:

Aloha Means Goodbye (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Japanese

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Canada:G (video rating) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (PCA #8248)

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Director John Huston went off to join the war effort before the film was finished, and Vincent Sherman directed the final scenes.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The background for the opening titles is a map of the Panama Canal. The orientation of the map and the compass is correct, but the labeling of the map is incorrect. In fact, the Atlantic end of the canal and the city of Colon are at the upper left (Northwest), and the Pacific end of the canal and Panama City are at the lower right (Southeast). The map is correctly labeled behind the closing credits.

Quotes:

Rick Leland: Hey, are you getting sick?
Alberta Marlow: I don't know. How do girls usually act when you kiss them?
Rick Leland: Well, they don't turn green.
Alberta Marlow: Then I'm sick. Get me out of here.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Warner at War (2008) (TV)

Surprisingly nifty little espionage tale

Not one of Bogart's best films, but still pretty darn entertaining. I really love this movie and all its predictable twists and turns, its cheezey jingoism and its racial and gender stereotyping. Even though there are parts of this film that will probably be offensive to some of the more delicate modern viewers, it is still a rousing tale of espionage, murder, treason and heroism.

I have watched ATP several times, and have enjoyed it thoroughly each time, looking past its warts and bumps to the heart of a fun pulp story acted out by some of my favorite actors (Bogey, Astor and Greenstreet). The essential plot, if I remember right, is that evil Japanese baddies want to blow up the Panama canal (with Greenstreet's help of course) and Bogey has to stop them. He meets a mysterious woman on a boat while supposedly going to work for Chiang Kai Scheck in China (strange little point to make) and has all kinds of strange encounters and adventures along the way, falling in love, saving the day, and fighting those evil Japs...

By the way, the film actually does make a certain responsible choice to demonstrate that not all Japanese people are bad guys. It is sort of a week effort, but pretty surprising considering the mood in America when this film was being made.