SYNOPSICS
The Hurricane (1937) is a English movie. John Ford has directed this movie. Dorothy Lamour,Jon Hall,Mary Astor,C. Aubrey Smith are the starring of this movie. It was released in 1937. The Hurricane (1937) is considered one of the best Action,Drama,Romance movie in India and around the world.
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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The Hurricane (1937) Reviews
A hurricane worth waiting for...spectacular in its fury...
JON HALL stars as a hot-tempered native on a fictional South Seas island called Manakoora, run by a strict martinet of a governor, played by RAYMOND MASSEY. After petty theft and a brawl, Hall is hauled into jail and given a strict sentence that separates him from his new wife, a native girl Marama played by DOROTHY LAMOUR. Hall and Lamour are both in their physical prime. Hunky Hall is shown to advantage in the central role in a series of adventurous escapes from prison, climaxed by his authority in leading some of the islanders to safety during the climactic storm. Close-ups magnify Lamour's sultry beauty and handsome Hall is likewise photographed like a Greek God in profile. Ford has directed a film rich in character and settings with some stunning B&W photography. Aside from the leads, good character roles are abundant. RAYMOND MASSEY, MARY ASTOR (as his loyal wife), THOMAS MITCHELL (another one of his drunken doctor roles) and JOHN CARRADINE as a sadistic warden, are all memorable. Escapist entertainment with a South Seas setting and two photogenic co-stars who would both move on to better things in the '40s. But Jon Hall never had a better role than he does here as Terangi, the resourceful man who dives off a steep cliff into the calm waters of an enchanted island paradise during one of his many escapes. As for "the hurricane", it's so realistic that you have to see it to believe it. And all this was before CGI effects--a brilliant job. Alfred Newman's exotic background music is woven around a theme later called "The Moon of Manakoora" and turned into a popular song for Dorothy Lamour to warble. After seeing her in this film, no wonder she became the sarong girl of the '40s.
Important for film students
Sure, the leads are silly, and there's a great deal of mannered melodrama to endure, but don't overlook this. Academy Award nominations for Thomas Mitchell and Alfred Newman, and a well-deserved Oscar win for Thomas Moulton, the credited sound guy. The 10 minute Hurricane sequence plays entirely without music; just sound effects and scattered dialog, shouted over the wind and waves. You'll forget that the wind is ringing the church bell constantly through the storm, until the church is washed away and the bell sound is suddenly gone. The visual action and stunts are extraordinary and ahead of their time. I show this sequence to my film sound students, and I wish I could get it on DVD!
Epic Adventure Still Blows Up A Great Storm
The Isle of Manakoora in the South Seas is an idyllic place. Swaying palm trees & warm ocean waters enhance the enchantment. The contented population idolize Terangi (Jon Hall), one of their native sons, first mate on an important trading ship & new husband of Marama (Dorothy Lamour), daughter of the Chief. But when Terangi falls foul of the laws on Tahiti, and is cruelly imprisoned there, only the 'wind that blows away the world' -THE HURRICANE - can scour away the injustices heaped upon him. This is one of the great films of the 1930's - pure escapist entertainment. It creates a place that never existed, in this case Manakoora, and makes it seem totally real to the viewer. It's also a superb example of the magic performed by the folks in Hollywood's special effects departments. The storm which climaxes the movie is unsurpassed in its cinematic power & emotion. Lamour & Hall are both excellent in their roles and are totally believable in the tribulations they endure as part of the plot. Lamour was kidded for the rest of her life about the 'sarong parts' she played in, but there was no reason to be ashamed for participation in this classic. As for Hall, (whose mother was Tahitian and whose uncle, James Norman Hall, wrote the story on which THE HURRICANE was based) this was his finest role; he was never to achieve the major stardom he deserved. Suffering from cancer, he died a suicide in 1979 at the age of 66. The rest of the cast is equally topnotch: Raymond Massey, the stiff-necked Governor; Mary Astor, his sympathetic wife; Thomas Mitchell, the island's alcoholic doctor; Al Kikume, the native Chief; Jerome Cowan, a friendly captain; John Carradine, the satanic Tahitian prison warden; and marvelous old Sir C. Aubrey Smith, as the island's wise priest. A couple of small quibbles: Would an island as small as Manakoora really have its own French Governor? And shouldn't this Pacific Ocean tropical storm more accurately be called a typhoon? Hurricanes are generally found in the Atlantic Ocean.
One Of The Better Adventure Stories Of The '30s
For a film that's billed as a romance movie, this has got a surprising amount of good suspense and action. It's really an adventure story with a romance angle. It's also very interesting and a good film with decent special effects, at least for when this was made. It's almost a "Count Of Monte Cristo" story with an innocent man imprisoned on an island and finally succeeding in escaping. However, in this story, the escapee "Terangi" (John Hall) also has to battle a hurricane after escaping! The film starts slowly in the first half hour, but stick with it, it's worth it. The story becomes very involving as "Terangi" begins his battle against "the law," which is not pictured very flattering here. In that respect, the film is ahead of its time with its anti-government message. However, it's behind the times with the typical classic-era white man trying to pass himself off as a dark-skinned island native. Dorothy Lamour is likewise as "Marama," Terangi's wife. The cinematography is very good and the direction excellent. Then again, one of the best directors of all time did this film: John Ford. It also has a nice cast. Look at the supporting actors: Mary Astor, Raymond Massey, C. Aubrey Smith, Thomas Mitchell and John Carradine! A solid Golden Age adventure story and one of the best of the 1930s decade.
Film Gives a Lot More Than It Promises
The South Seas island of Manikoora is alive with happiness on the day of the wedding of Terangi and Marama. Terangi has his honeymoon cut short, when he has to sail to deliver cargo to Tahiti. Terangi's visit to Tahiti becomes hell when he slugs a man in a barroom brawl and is unjustly sentenced to six months in prison mainly because he as a native islander hit a white man. Terangi repeatedly tries to escape and is caught each time, only to add more years to his sentence. Back on Manikoora, Governor De Laage makes no effort to release Terangi because in his mind Terangi is a law breaker and deserves to be punished, despite the words of his wife, priest, and island doctor to the otherwise. One night Terangi does manage to escape, even though he unknowingly knocks a guard to the ground, killing him. Father Paul rescues Terangi from the sea and arranges to meet Marama and their daughter Tita. When De Laage learns that Terangi is back on the island, he makes a determined effort to apprehend him, not realizing one of the most devastating hurricanes is coming to strike, which may destroy the whole island. A very good movie. I was expecting much footage of hurricane destruction, I didn't realize the plot aspect of the prison, which was a lot more than plot filler. Hall and Lamour were good, even though I enjoyed their movies from the 40's a lot better. Massey gives one of the best performances of his long career as De Laage, as a heartless and sadistic fellow. The special effects are amazing, even by 2004 standards. Beautiful on-location photography as well. Rating, 9.