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Blood Alley (1955)

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15 comments in total

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19 out of 19 people found the following comment useful :-
Barrelling Down Blood Alley With The Duke At The Helm!, 23 March 2006

Author: gary-peterson from Omaha, Nebraska

I was sparked to comment after reading another user comment here that contended Blood Alley is one of John Wayne's worst films. It may not be at the top of the heap, but it's far from the bottom. It well accomplishes what it sets out to do--entertain: fun, engrossing, action-packed and--on the wide-screen edition DVD I have--beautiful to behold.

The reviewer especially criticized Wayne's frequent side comments to "Baby" and the film's having non-Orientals playing the Chinese. I didn't find either factor a deterrent to my enjoyment. First, I took Baby to be Wayne's guardian angel more than an imaginary girlfriend. And I think his occasional comment to her was fitting. Yeah, the Captain Wilder got a little dotty after spending all those years alone in that cell. His hangup about "tennis shoes" was another example of his having gone a bit stir crazy.

Having non-Orientals play Chinese or Japanese was not uncommon in the Hollywood of yesteryear. Remember Charlie Chan and Mr. Moto? And closer to our time David Carradine in Kung Fu. I never understood why this is a stumbling-block for some people. And in Blood Alley the American actors playing Chinese did a great job.

Paul Fix first and foremost gets a nod. He made Mr. Tso a distinct character through mannerisms and distinctive sage-like speech. I especially liked the scene where Captain Wilder told him to toss that ornate sculpture in the furnace to fuel the ship, "That'll burn" Duke says, but Fix calmly notes how a craftsman put 10 years of his life into creating it. Here was a man who respected and had appreciation for the intangible things, like beauty and like freedom, which is what Mr. Tso was risking his life to help his townspeople regain.

Mike Mazurki also gets kudos for putting in a great performance as Big Hans. No, he didn't really look Oriental, but he brought weight to his part, especially in his first scene. You could tell that he was a guy you could count on. And for film buffs familiar with Mazurki, wasn't it nice to see him playing a good guy for a change?

Finally, the reviewer said Lauren Bacall was wooden. Well, was she ever among Hollywood's most dynamic actresses? I thought she did a good job with what she had to work with. She did seem tacked onto the film and her story was secondary to the main plot. I never did get a firm grasp on the subplot involving her father or why she ran off in the ship graveyard. However, she did sizzle in the scenes in the pilot house, especially when coming between Wilder and the ship's wheel. Yes, this film was not her finest hour, but Bacall certainly redeemed herself in The Shootist and proved she did indeed have an on-screen chemistry with Wayne.

Admittedly Blood Alley does not have a place in the crowded pantheon of GREAT John Wayne films, but it is certainly not among his worst! And as a huge fan of the Duke I can't even suggest a film for that dishonor. For me, any film featuring John Wayne is going to be better than most anything else on at the same time.

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18 out of 30 people found the following comment useful :-
Very entertaining, top cast, adventure, enjoyable characters., 28 April 2005

Author: tet68a1 from United States

Shows the communist way of oppression and total disregard for human life, even their own people. Mild compared to what Mao actually did to China. Good for all ages. Unique concept of the quirks of John Wayne's character. Rare display of a movie to show the way of communists without typical socialist and anti-American excuses. As for the real life murders of 40 to 60 million Chinese during Mao's dictatorship this is a hopeful story. Millions of Chinese were able to do this, however with little help from the outside world. Several movies and reports of this type were available before the censorship by pro-communists of the later 60's and 70's.

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9 out of 13 people found the following comment useful :-
The Bleeding Heart of China, 18 October 2006

Author: bkoganbing from Buffalo, New York

When I watch Blood Alley it does make me wonder that if all these people are so dead set on leaving Communist China than who was it that supported Chairman Mao. My answer is a lot of people who wished they hadn't.

When Blood Alley came out in 1955 the Chinese Communist takeover was in 1949 and we in this country, rightly or wrongly, were not recognizing them. Maybe the policy was bad, didn't mean the Chinese Communists were any good.

Anyway the film is about a sea captain who gets freed from jail in the People's Republic by a village who have hit upon a plan to take themselves to Hong Kong and freedom bag and baggage. The idea is to steal an old river steamboat and have Captain John Wayne pilot the craft down the Formosa straits, or Blood Alley as its called. Lauren Bacall who is the daughter of a medical missionary is along for the ride.

Too bad that the Duke and Betty could not get a better film though they sure did do a winner later on in The Shootist. Nevertheless in her memoirs she spoke with great affection for Wayne and how much she enjoyed working with him.

One other interesting thing has always struck me. John Wayne did three films with William Wellman and this was the least of them. The other two, The High and the Mighty and Island in the Sky are classics containing two of the Duke's best performances. But for whatever reason the Wayne family estate withheld them until last year it rendered discussion about Wayne's acting abilities totally off base. This one which is just a routine action adventure film despite the right wing political message.

In addition Wayne is miscast, but in fairness he was pinch hitting for the originally cast Robert Mitchum. Back in those days Wayne and his Batjac production company did produce films with other people in them. One they did produce was Track of the Cat that starred Mitchum and was directed by Bill Wellman. Wellman also directed Mitchum in his breakthrough role in The Story of GI Joe. But Wellman and Mitchum came to a parting of the ways just before the film was to start shooting and Mitchum got canned.

That left producer Wayne in a bind and after reportedly offering the role to Humphrey Bogart and Gregory Peck, he did it himself with no changes in the script to accommodate his less cynical screen persona.

In fact according to Lee Server's biography of Mitchum, Wayne was to go on his honeymoon with wife number 3, Pilar. It was postponed and Pilar Wayne would not allow the Mitchums in the Wayne home for the time she was married to the Duke, though Mitchum and Wayne were friends. They could be friends, but Mitchum was forbidden to enter her home.

Such occidentals as Paul Fix and Mike Mazurki were cast as Chinese in this film as was Berry Kroeger. It could never happen that way again, though Mazurki in fact did have some Oriental blood in his background.

As for Communist China or Red China if you prefer, you never hear it referred to in that way any more. That's because the second Mao Tse tung couldn't fog a mirror the Chinese set about becoming good capitalist oligarchs. They pay lip service to the 1949 revolution, but that's about all.

Good for them.

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9 out of 14 people found the following comment useful :-
Shows the clear divide between good & evil, 12 August 2005

Author: ericolsen1953 from United States

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

As the Chinese let the commies take over their country, a few freedom- loving citizens decide to escape before they lose their basic rights. We love the first pairing of Bacall and The Duke, and must wait until John Wayne is almost dead until they're paired again in the Shootist. Too bad - - they were wonderful together! While for years the usual cadre of lefty pseudo-intellectual apologistas have panned this film because of their oh-so-predictable fawning devotion for dickators which affects the judgment of our so-called intelligentsia in Europe and America, this is a morality play where the good guys win, even as the great nation of China slips into totalitarianism and brutality, done up so well by a government of grown-up schoolyard bullies. The dedication to freedom by these brave few is well-symbolized by the rejuvenation of the steamboat...they revive some long-lost principles in themselves and make the effort to assure their own freedom of thought, freedom of faith, freedom of will. And, as always, the classic John Wayne film has in it The Strong Woman, Cathy Grainger, who almost doesn't make good her escape from the Bamboo Curtain as she performs a final, selfless act.

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1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
Atmospheric comic-strip adventure story., 13 June 2007

Author: Robert J. Maxwell (rmax304823@yahoo.com) from Deming, New Mexico

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

John Wayne is an American sea captain imprisoned by the Chinese Commies for Impure Thoughts and Eating With Forks. He is sprung by Lauren Bacall, an American doctor's daughter who is also the leader of a nearby village. His Mission: To shepherd the entire village of 180 people on a stern-wheeled ferryboat down the Chinest coast to sanctuary in Hong Kong where a man can breathe free and wear something other than ballet slippers on his big Caucasian feet.

Of course there is a large family of communists in the village and they must be taken aboard too, to save them from reprisals. They don't seem to appreciate this gesture because they poison the food supply aboard the boat and stage a mutiny during a terrific storm. Well, it's okay, though because they all convert in the end except the pompous, bloated family head who moans his humiliation out loud just before being blown to bits by a shell from a Chinese destroyer.

The Chinese villagers are a zany laff riot. They include such dyed-in-the-wool Asians as Paul Fix (Dobbs Ferry, NY), Paul Mazurki (Ukraine), Berry Kroger (Texas), and Anita Ekberg (Sweden). Anita EKBERG? There's also one of those cigar-smoking Oriental wise guys who serves as chief engineer, a pregnant woman, lots of children and old people, and all that.

Wayne took over as the star when the director, William Wellman, fired Robert Mitchum for pushing the Transportation Director into San Francisco Bay, claiming it was just "a practical joke." And Wayne hefts his bulk around effectively enough.

The visuals are pretty good. The film was shot around San Francisco and Suisun Bay and on the Sacramento River but the production design gives a pretty good imitation of what we imagine the coast of China to look like. Lots of fog. The old paddle-wheeler skulks among the reeds. There is a "graveyard of ships", old hulks piled alongside one another, drying and rotting, where wood for the boiler is gathered. A kid would have a heck of a good time crawling in and out of those skeletal remains.

And it's exciting too, though we don't doubt for a moment that the ship and the majority of its crew and passengers will make it to Hong Kong. Wittingly or otherwise the writers have caught some of the features of East Asian culture. When the food is poisoned and must be dumped overboard, the passengers crawl around on the floor picking up individual grains of rice. And the grand ballroom or whatever the compartment is called, serves as a giant bedroom at night with sleeping bodies all over the deck. In the morning, the mats are rolled up, stacked tidily against the bulkheads, and, lo, the bedroom is now the grand ballroom again. I lived with Koreans of modest income for a while and that's kind of how it's done. Every scrap of nutrients is made use of. When they boil rice in a pot of water, the cooking water is served as a beverage along with the rice. And the bedroom cum living room was a simple fact of life.

The dialog has nothing much to recommend it. When Wayne is faced with the difficult task of telling Bacall that her father has been stoned to death by the Commies, he slaps her across the jaw and tells her, "That's right. Get mad. Get GOOD and mad. Then ya'll be ready for what I have ta tell ya." Wayne also gives the speech that converts the Commie villagers to capitalism or democracy or whatever they're converted to. "Your old China is dead!" he announces. Actually, we can't be sure he's right. China has a long long history of being conquered by internal or external agencies and it has usually taken them about 500 years to shake off the yokes. The Commies still have 442 years to be gotten rid of.

You know what would have given this movie a good kick in the pants? Not that it needs one. But -- okay, Lauren Bacall is good enough in an inessential role. But imagine Gong Li as the doctor's daughter! Whew.

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1 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :-
Entertaining, if not First Rate, John Wayne Adventure, 16 June 2007

Author: dglink from Alexandria, VA

William Wellman solidly directed and William Clothier beautifully photographed this preposterous Cold War saga of Chinese villagers that steal an old stern-wheeler ferry to escape from Red China. The entire village uproots and sails the ancient dilapidated vessel through the treacherous Formosa Straits, which are known as Blood Alley, towards Hong Kong and freedom. Of course, with a stalwart John Wayne at the helm, the boat is in good hands, at least when the Duke is not distracted by Lauren Bacall. Bacall, who seems to have wandered in from another film, has confused living in a small Chinese fishing village with taking a suite at the Hong Kong Hilton. Her stylish clothes are always immaculate and fresh; her make-up is perfectly applied; and her coiffures must have taken hours to complete. The brass bed in her room always has clean, pressed sheets, and an invisible army of elves evidently sweeps and dusts her home every night.

But, aside from the incongruities and the racial stereotyping that was rampant when the film was produced, "Blood Alley" is an incredibly entertaining film that holds up to repeated viewings. Once the action leaves land, the escape at sea is exciting and often tense. Gunboats, storms, and treachery abound, although the Duke never loses his good-natured cool. Neither does Bacall, who remains confused about her surroundings and is dressed and manicured for a cruise aboard the Queen Mary. However, the film is great fun, if not as campy as it could have been. Mike Mazurki lends good support as a loyal Chinese villager, although he looks less Asian than John Wayne did in "The Conqueror."

The stunningly composed landscapes that are bathed in ravishing colors and splashed across the Cinemascope screen are worth a viewing in themselves. The beauty of the countryside should have kept Wayne's attention focused, because Bacall is too cold and hard as a love interest, even for a man who ostensibly spent years in a Chinese prison. Maureen O'Hara always played well with Wayne, and perhaps she would have injected some blood and life into the role. Nevertheless, "Blood Alley" remains a guilty pleasure and loads of fun for those who love watching John Wayne play John Wayne and do not demand an entirely credible storyline.

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3 out of 7 people found the following comment useful :-
Underrated Wayne-Bacall pairing, 14 August 2005

Author: oldmovieman from NYC

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Passable Wayne outing finds the Duke as an American skipper stuck in a Red Chinese jail (don't know why) and sprung by some villagers who want him to pilot them off the mainland to Hong Kong via a rickety riverboat. Amongst the passengers is Lauren Bacall, daughter of an American doctor and an influential person in the village. A stormy love interest develops between Wayne and Bacall as he takes the slow boat through the Formosa Straits despite the presence of Chinese gunboats. Why is this movie worth watching? First, good chemistry between the Duke and Bacall. She's believably tough and has some good moments putting the Duke in his place. Second, interesting photography and sets seem to capture the feel of the China coast though it was shot (as one reviewer has noted) in California. Third, the plot moves pretty quickly though, strangely, nothing much dramatic happens. And this brings up the flaw in the movie. At the outset, the Duke tells the village leaders that their scheme to use a paddle-boat on an ocean escape is crazy -- the boat is extremely slow and, being flat-bottomed, is likely to sink in rough ocean water. Moreover, they have no charts. We later learn that the compass is flaky as well. But we never see Duke solving any of these problems, never laying out a plan or having any sort of technical conversation with anyone on board. He's not rattles at all when they encounter a raging gale. He just pilots the boat as if he were driving from New York to Albany and encountering some rain along the way. It's just too easy and the drama of the journey is lost. Best moment: Bacall pushing Duke into a wall and telling him "And keep your hands off me." Worst moment: realizing that Mike Mazurki, with no makeup and not even a hint of an accent, is supposed to be a Chinese villager!

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6 out of 14 people found the following comment useful :-
Worth a look if you are a fan of Wayne or Bacall, 26 April 2006

Author: Jem Odewahn from Australia

This is one of Wayne's non-westerns, and Lauren Bacall in a different role to what we are accustomed to. 'Blood Alley' never reaches anything approaching greatness, but if you're a fan of Wayne or Bacall you may as well check it out.

Right-wing Wayne plays Captain Wilder in this decidedly right-wing film. It seems to be an excuse for the film-makers to express their anti-communist sentiments, with the Chinese being portrayed as a backwards race in quite a few scenes. Add to that the countless American actors playing Chinese characters, and you have a very pretentious product overall. Anita Ekberg even plays a Chinese, evoking more than a few giggles from this viewer.

The Wayne-Bacall teaming never entirely pays off, despite their best efforts.

5/10.

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9 out of 22 people found the following comment useful :-
one of John Wayne's worst, eh Baby?, 22 March 2006

Author: planktonrules from Bradenton, Florida

Years ago I saw this movie and didn't remember it being so bad. I was surprised, in fact, that upon seeing it again I really disliked the film and thought it failed on so many levels. While not as bad as JET PILOT or THE CONQUERER, this is a truly stupid film and is best skipped by all but the most devoted fans of John Wayne.

The biggest and most annoying aspects of the film is Wayne's continually talking to his invisible girl "Baby". Repeatedly throughout the film, he talks to her almost like he's a narrator describing his character's inner machinations. And he does it in such a clumsy way with lines like "did ya hear that, Baby?" or "Eh, Baby" every few minutes. PLEASE JUST SHUT UP!

Secondly, there just isn't much chemistry between him and Lauren Bacall. Her character is completely undeveloped and rather wooden (except when she inexplicably wants to drop everything and get herself killed for absolutely no reason late in the film). His character is a moron--and an obnoxious one at that.

Third, I hated seeing Americans playing lead Chinese characters. While this may have been more common in the 1930s, it's here as well. The funniest example is Mike Mizurki as a Chinese guy!!! Hmm,....very reminiscent of John Wayne as Genghis Kahn in THE CONQUERER.

So all-in-all, this is a bad movie--whether or not it stars John Wayne. The writing, acting and direction are all poor and I can think of no reason to see the film. I know some of his devoted fans will think it's heresy for me to pan this film, but for every great film he made at least one dud. And this one, while not his worst film, is a dud.

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6 out of 21 people found the following comment useful :-
Right-wing propaganda of the 50's, 23 September 2006

Author: nnnn45089191 from Norway

Pretty much a relic of the time it was made, "Blood Alley" is colored by the right-wing sympathies of its star,oriental stereotypes,which are very racist,and some hammy acting. I found the early part of the film hilarious,with Paul Fix doing a very poor oriental act that was really laughable. John Wayne and Lauren Bacall display no chemistry at all (perhaps she only had it with Bogie on screen). The performance of Wayne is one of his worst. Once the escape to Hong Kong starts the movie picks up pace and is pretty entertaining. I recommend this movie only to die-hard Wayne fans. A mediocre Wayne movie saved by the action of the latter part of the movie.

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