Reap the Wild Wind (1942) *** (out of 4) Cecil B. DeMille's over-the-top but fun adventure takes place in the 1840s as ships try to reach the Atlantic ocean but often end up wrecked on the shoals of Florida. Southern belle Loxi Claiborne (Paulette Goddard) has Captain Jack Stuart (John Wayne) and Stephen Tolliver (Ray Milland) battling for her before the men end up battling a giant squid. REAP THE WILD WIND is a pretty fun movie, although there's no question that it doesn't rank among the director's best work and there are some fairly big flaws scattered throughout the picture. I love Milland but I thought he just wasn't right for this role. In later years John Wayne would say that he was cast in the movie to make Milland seem more like a man and perhaps that's true. There just wasn't a single second where I bought Milland and Wayne battling each other for this woman and their fight scenes aren't very believable either. Milland gives a good performance, don't get me wrong, but he just wasn't right for the part. Wayne, still not a star, does a nice job in his role, although there's a scene early on where he gets knocked out and the way Wayne does this is somewhat laughable. Goddard is her usual good self and we get nice support from villain Raymond Massey, Robert Preston, Charles Bickford and Susan Hayward. The visual effects ended up winning an Oscar when this was originally released and I'm sure people only used to CGI effects are going to think these here are awful. For 1942 they're actually pretty good and this includes the scenes with the ships on the sea. I'm not exactly sure what DeMille put into the pool that they were shooting these scenes but the water looks beautiful. As for the giant squid at the end, it's certainly very fake looking and I was a little surprised that they didn't do more with it as the fight is pretty small. REAP THE WILD WIND isn't a classic by any stretch of the imagination but it's certainly worth watching.

Comparissons to "Gone With the Wind" will be inevitable in this Cecil B. DeMille epic which actually has a different time period and different historical battle as its focus. Dealing with the problems of the shipping industry in the 1840's, "Reap the Wild Wind" is a beautiful color epic where a Scarlet O'Hara like belle (Paulette Goddard) reigns over men's hearts while her Melanie-like cousin (Susan Hayward) finds tragedy. Boat Captain John Wayne and dashing Ray Milland are the two men after Goddard's heart, while a young Robert Preston vows revenge after a boating accident takes his sweetheart's life. The film has epic storm scenes, a fight between Wayne, Milland and a huge squid, as well as a trial sequence where secrets of the sea are revealed.This lavish epic drama has some amazing photography, special effects, costumes and music, and is probably DeMille's best non-Biblical epic. It is ironic that both Goddard and Hayward ended up in this after they auditioned for the role of "Gone With the Wind's" Scarlet, and it is a change of pace to see Hayward in a rather gentle, submissive role, while Goddard (an underrated actress) steals every moment she is on. The lovable Louise Beavers is a more gentle version of Mammy, unable to control her charge (Goddard), yet loving her as if she were her own child. Such memorable character performers as Elisabeth Risdon, Raymond Massey, Charles Bickford and even Hedda Hopper got involved in the mix to make this one of the more exciting color epics of the World War II era praising American heroism.

I liked this film very much, it is a wonderful tale about the old south, the rich ship-owners , the captains of the ships, and the pirates who destroy these ships. It is a romantic story, but also an adventure and an action film, so it has something for everyone. I personally liked most the scenes in the rich houses in Charleston, the tea parties and the dances, they were magnificently shot and most realistic. Some great actors and actresses give their best performances to make the characters believable. The leading man, Ray Milland, portrays with gusto and charm Steeve Tolliver, a clever sea lawyer, head of a big ship owner firm. He seems interested only in frivolous games, an eccentric who dresses in the latest fashion for men, goes to dances and promenades always with his "son", a dog that "speaks" , and his impeccable manners fool everyone into believing that he is not cut for rough action. Later on, we see that this is not the case. His love, Loxy,(Paulette Godard) is a head strong girl that loves , or thinks she loves, captain Stuart, a "real man" (John Wayne). Later on, we see that this is not the case with him, as well. There are a lot of other characters, all played very well by great actors. What I did not like so much was the sequence with the giant squid underwater. The danger of the deep, the struggle of the two men could be shown without using this "special effect" that diminishes the credibility of the story. Also the end scene was somewhat abrupt and short. I would have liked a little more development on how Loxy made the comparison between her two "suitors" and understood her real feelings. All in all, it is a film worth seeing, mostly for the scenery, the costumes, the colors, and the acting. Ray Milland is the most credible of all, he never over-acts, despite his difficult and contradictory role, and manages to maintain a perfect balance between the romantic, the daring and the comic, that is not to be missed. Paulette Godard is trying a little too much, but she is undeniably very beautiful and spontaneous, while John Wayne has got the correct expression of the man of force but lacking in intellect and self control.

There's two attractions to this movie. First the period the movie is set is done beautifully, and the other is the high seas adventure.The movie is set on 19th century American south about a sea captain Jack Stuart (John Wayne), and a young woman shipping company owner Loxi Claiborne (Pulette Goddard) . The issue is complicated by intervention of a third lover Steve Tolliver played by Ray Miland who becomes the prosecutor on the sinking of Southern Cross, captained by Stuart. Stuart endangers his life to find an evidence that a woman was aboard Southern Cross on the day of the sinking by diving to the ship's wreckage.This is a pretty exciting movie. Beautifully shot with young John Wayne, and Ray Milland showing their best performances.It's a quality movie that has aged well over the years and is recommended for viewing.