The Hurricane (1937)

A Polynesian sailor -- unjustly imprisoned after defending himself against a colonial bully -- is relentlessly persecuted by his island's martinet French governor.

Director:

John Ford

Writers:

Dudley Nichols (screen play), Oliver H.P. Garrett (adaptation) (as Oliver H. P. Garrett)

Stars:

Dorothy Lamour, Jon Hall, Mary Astor

Won 1 Oscar. Another 2 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Dorothy Lamour	...	Marama
Jon Hall	...	Terangi
Mary Astor	...	Mme. DeLaage
C. Aubrey Smith	...	Father Paul
Thomas Mitchell	...	Dr. Kersaint
Raymond Massey	...	DeLaage
John Carradine	...	Warden
Jerome Cowan	...	Captain Nagle
Al Kikume	...	Chief Mehevi
Kuulei De Clercq	...	Tita
Layne Tom Jr.	...	Mako
Mamo Clark	...	Hitia
Movita	...	Arai (as Movita Castenada)

Storyline

In the Island of Manukura, a French colony in the South Seas, the joyful Terangi is a leader among the natives and the first mate of the Katopua, the tall ship of Captain Nagle. Terangi gets married with Marama and sooner he sails to Tahiti. While in a bar playing with other natives, Terangi is offended by an alcoholic racist French and he hits his face, breaking his jaw. Despite the testimony of Captain Nagle, Terangi is sentenced to six months of forced labor since the victim had political connections with the Powers That Be. Captain Nagle asks the Governor Eugene DeLaage to uses his influence to help Terangi, but the governor refuses. Terangi unsuccessfully tries to escape from the prison, and each attempt increases his sentence. Eight years later, he finally escapes and his jailbreak is celebrated in Manukura. Father Paul finds his canoe and brings Terangi to the island. But a devastating hurricane also arrives in the island threatening the dwellers.

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Plot Keywords:

island | disaster movie | disaster | cognac | psychotronic film | 

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Taglines:

Through miles of raging ocean he defied man's law!

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1937 (UK)

Also Known As:

Hurricane

Filming Locations:

Pago Pago, American Samoa

Box Office

Budget:

$2,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

The Samuel Goldwyn Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min 103 min (video) 104 min (TCM print)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Dorothy Lamour and Jon Hall would return to the Pacific Islands four years later in the film Aloma Of The South Seas, this time battling a revolution and a volcanic eruption; the film was another box office success.

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Goofs

During the hurricane towards the end of the film, the roof on top of the church's bell tower disappears and reappears.

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Quotes

Dr. Kersaint: [Hearing an ominous wind] The Devil's abroad tonight.

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Connections

Featured in Rock Hudson's Home Movies (1992)

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Soundtracks

Moon of Manakoora
(1937) (uncredited)
Music by Alfred Newman
Main theme played throughout the film

User Reviews

A movie well worth watching.

The story line of this movie gets a bit fanciful at times, but it doesn't get out of hand and the movie does not pretend to be anything it isn't, so I think most people well enjoy it.

There are several fine performances. My favorite is that of Raymond Massey as he is very convincing in the thankless role of a cold-hearted governer who towards the end shows a sadistic side and then, at the very end of the movie, shows that there is good in everybody.

Then there is the hurricane itself. Naturally I have not seen every movie ever made, but seeing how this movie predates the computer age the hurricane is surely the greatest special effects in movie history.