Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #22247 in DVD
• Released on: 2001-05-22
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Black & White, Closed-captioned, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 106 minutes

Amazon.com
John Wayne stars as a 19th-century sea captain out for revenge against a wealthy shipping magnate in this interesting and unlikely 1948 offering from Republic Pictures. Wayne plays the wronged Captain Ralls with a convincing bitterness that foreshadows his later work in the John Ford classic The Searchers, and his grim portrayal of Ralls hits a high point when Ralls purposely wrecks his enemy's prize treasure ship. The painfully beautiful Gail Russell costarred with Wayne only the year before in The Angel and the Badman and delivers a memorable performance as the tragic Angelique. Gig Young also stands out as a crewman who eventually learns the truth about Ralls. Wake of the Red Witch shares similarities in both character and climax to an earlier Wayne picture, C.B. DeMille's Reap the Wild Wind, but this film has a more direct approach in exploring the complex motivations of its characters. --Mark Savary

Customer Reviews

The Duke finds love & a giant octopus in classic adventure!
I can't believe this is the first 5-star review of "Wake of the Red Witch". Ever since I was a child it's been one of my very favorite John Wayne films. Maybe it's the greedy quest for the valuable pearls, or the conflict between Captain Ralls (John Wayne) & Captain Sydneye (Luther Adler), who compete fiercely for both the treasure & the lovely Angelique (Gail Russell). Or maybe it's the doomed romance that makes this so watchable. The Duke was awesome with Gail Russell in this classic as well as the wonderful western "Angel & the Badman". John Wayne made some of his best movies in the late 40's, but for some reason this classic (from 1949) has been largely forgotten. Well, at least it's on dvd. The picture quality is very good but unfortunately there are no special features, not even the trailer. If you're a big John Wayne fan & want to see him in a rare non-western role, then this is a definite must-see!

The DUKE and Gail, together again!
After the classic "Angel and the Badman", DUKE and Gail Russell paired again for this effort, "Wake of the Red Witch".

A tale of the effects revenge, greed, and bittnerness can have on people, the story traces the duel of words and intrigue between two men; Captain Ralls (The DUKE), and shipping magnate Mayrant Sidneye.

DUKE skippers Sidneye's prize ship, the Red Witch, and purposely wrecks her in a plan to cheat Sidneye out of a cargo of gold. Turns out that Sidneye had plotted to steal away DUKE's girl, Angelique Desaix (played by the lovely and angelic Gail Russell).

Tricking DUKE into a fatal confrontation with the girl's father, Sidneye is able to marry Angelique before The DUKE can set things right. This leads to her unhappiness, and The DUKE takes revenge on Sidneye by wrecking the Red Witch.

A wonderful study of greed, revenge, and redmption, we see the tale through the eyes of a young seaman (Gig Young), who Ralls sees as his younger self.

Familiar faces in the cast include Paul Fix, Henry Daniell, Jeff Corey, Erskine Sanford, and Grant Withers.

Gail is gorgeous, as usual.

Garland Roark's Novel Brought to the Screen
This seemingly obscure 1949 movie produced quietly during some of John Wayne's greatest years of stardom is an overlooked excellent and well written drama. The movie ties into the original story and actually opens the original book and begins the narration of Chapter one at the hands of the first mate. The story revolves around scuttling a sailing vessel "The Red Witch" that contained a cargo of five million in Gold Bullion. There is competition between the owners and Captain Ralls (John Wayne) who plays an ambivilant character who sides with whatever group is most advantageous at the time. The story is told from the perspective of the first mate and utilized the "flashback" technique similar to "Casablanca" but spends considerable time filling you in on how the present situation developed. Although this is in glorious B&W, the island scenery and romance of the age of sail work wonders along with casual romances and adventure to make this a great and interesting film to watch.