Reap the Wild Wind

• Produced and Directed by Cecil B. DeMille
• March 18, 1942
• Based on the serialized story Reap the Wild Wind written by Thelma Strabel in 1940 for The Saturday Evening Post

Two men vie for the heart of a female ship salvager along the coast of 1840s Florida.

Reap the Wild Wind is a bit unique among John Wayne movies. Not only is he not the main character but his character of Jack Stuart is not the most moral character. Jack is not irredeemably bad but is far from a saint. He is the manliest of men though but that is not the winning element when it comes to the heart of the girl. It is also very minimal on Wayne’s screentime. Ray Milland was the real star of the show here.

Ray Milland of all people as Steven Tolliver is our hero. He’s rather charming and but he’s not foolishly charming. With his penchant for ventriloquism with his dog I really expected him to be a non-factor in the whole story. It’s a bit of a red herring that hides the true nature of the character.

Both are interested in Loxi Claiborne (Paulette Goddard) who runs a salvage business inherited from her father. She’s a free spirited and adventurous type who is not above playing the meek and mild woman in order to get what she wants. In other words, she plays on prejudices and the basics of men in order to get her way.

Unusually in a movie with Wayne both are put on an equal footing. Normally the competition is no competition at all in a John Wayne movie. Here Steven is framed as not only the equal but a better option to Jack. Jack may be all man, but he has serious character flaws. He has such serious flaws that he falls in with the story’s villain of King Cutler (Raymond Massey).

Cutler is a salvager much like Loxi. Unlike Loxi he is unscrupulous and willing to kill and even stages wrecks so he can salvage them. This is strongly suspected by authorities but difficult to prove. Massey as Cutler is just this side of twirling a sinister moustache.

This is a Cecil B, DeMille film and it certainly shows. It’s heavy on spectacle and some rather involved effects shots for the time. That is because there is a great deal involving shipwrecks and salvage. Much of what we get is accomplished with miniatures that still look pretty good.

While there are a few things you would expect from the time, overall Reap the Wild Wind is a very good film. And it’s a very good film carried largely by Ray Millan’s performance. His acting as well as his character are a great counterpoint to Wayne’s character. It’s two distinct views of the world and of individuals.

Events are not overly simplistic. Actions have consequences and sometimes those consequences are completely unforeseen yet logical. Doing what’s right and doing what’s moral sometimes clash. This an entertaining bit of drama that is also spectacle. Cecil B. DeMille knew how to deliver and this is no different. It’s not breakneck action, but it will hold you from start to finish.

Reap the Wild Wind will not disappoint film fans or even John Wayne fans despite the thin presence of the legend. While a bit on the melodramatic side it is quite good. I recommend.