Post by Midge on Jan 31, 2010 3:58:40 GMT -6
This was the first film in a double-feature tribute to RIchard Widmark during January's Noir City festival at the Castro Theater in San Francisco.
Slattery's Hurricane was directed by Andre de Toth and co-stars his then wife, Veronica Lake, and Linda Darnell. The story is told in flashback, beginning when Will Slattery (Widmark) commandeers a Navy weather plane and flies it directly into a powerful Caribbean hurricane. As he struggles to keep the plane aloft in what seems to be a suicidal mission, he finds himseslf reflecting on all the mistakes he's made and the people he's hurt in his life.
We learn through the flashbacks that Will is a disgraced former World War II Naval pilot. Embittered by his war experiences, he has become self-centered, arrogant and completely amoral. He now has a cushy job as a working as a private pilot for a wealthy candy manufacturer in Florida. The rich man's secretary, Dolores Grieves (Lake) is Slattery's girlfriend.
Meanwhile Will's Navy buddy comes to town with his new bride, the gorgeous Aggie Hobson (Linda Darnell). When Will and Aggie exchange significant looks, you know something's up. Turns out that the two are former lovers. Will wants her back, and he'll do anything to get her.
As the romantic triangle heats up, Will's boss dies suddenly, entrusting Will with a mysterious parcel. Will discovers that the "candy manufacturer" is in fact a drug smuggler who has been using Will to transport the goods. Now the boss's partner is after him to get the drugs back, and Aggie's enraged husband wants to kill him.
Slattery's Hurricane is a fast-moving melodrama that benefits greatly from its Florida and Bahamas locations. The aerial and hurricane scenes look especially authentic as opposed to the usual Hollywood process shots. The script, which was based on a story by Herman Wouk, has weaknesses. This was a result of the Production Code which demanded changes to the ending and to the character of Dolores which don't make sense in the final film.
Richard Widmark was a fine actor, and he does his best with the thoroughly unlikeable character of Will Slattery. For the first half of the film, Will seems to have no redeeming qualities whatsoever. He's an unmitigated heel. Widmark plays him straight, though, refraining from the sneering mannerisms and giggle that made him famous as the villain in Kiss of Death.
The beautiful Linda Darnell, fresh from her triumph in A Letter From Three Wives, gives a sensitive performance as Aggie. It's a tribute to her acting talent that she is able to make the othe woman seem sympathetic rather than just a stereotypical bad girl.
Slattery's Hurricane was intended as a comeback for 40's screen siren Veronica Lake of the peekaboo bangs. She had been a top box office attraction earlier in the decade when she was teamed with Alan Ladd in noir thrillers such as This Gun For Hire and The Glass Key. Here, shorn of her trademark long hair, Lake is revealed as a plain-looking, indifferent actress with very little to bring to the character of Dolores. Even though she was directed by her own husband, Lake is completely devoid of allure. You simply don't care about her. This would turn out to be Lake's last starring role at a major studio.
Slattery's Hurricane was directed by Andre de Toth and co-stars his then wife, Veronica Lake, and Linda Darnell. The story is told in flashback, beginning when Will Slattery (Widmark) commandeers a Navy weather plane and flies it directly into a powerful Caribbean hurricane. As he struggles to keep the plane aloft in what seems to be a suicidal mission, he finds himseslf reflecting on all the mistakes he's made and the people he's hurt in his life.
We learn through the flashbacks that Will is a disgraced former World War II Naval pilot. Embittered by his war experiences, he has become self-centered, arrogant and completely amoral. He now has a cushy job as a working as a private pilot for a wealthy candy manufacturer in Florida. The rich man's secretary, Dolores Grieves (Lake) is Slattery's girlfriend.
Meanwhile Will's Navy buddy comes to town with his new bride, the gorgeous Aggie Hobson (Linda Darnell). When Will and Aggie exchange significant looks, you know something's up. Turns out that the two are former lovers. Will wants her back, and he'll do anything to get her.
As the romantic triangle heats up, Will's boss dies suddenly, entrusting Will with a mysterious parcel. Will discovers that the "candy manufacturer" is in fact a drug smuggler who has been using Will to transport the goods. Now the boss's partner is after him to get the drugs back, and Aggie's enraged husband wants to kill him.
Slattery's Hurricane is a fast-moving melodrama that benefits greatly from its Florida and Bahamas locations. The aerial and hurricane scenes look especially authentic as opposed to the usual Hollywood process shots. The script, which was based on a story by Herman Wouk, has weaknesses. This was a result of the Production Code which demanded changes to the ending and to the character of Dolores which don't make sense in the final film.
Richard Widmark was a fine actor, and he does his best with the thoroughly unlikeable character of Will Slattery. For the first half of the film, Will seems to have no redeeming qualities whatsoever. He's an unmitigated heel. Widmark plays him straight, though, refraining from the sneering mannerisms and giggle that made him famous as the villain in Kiss of Death.
The beautiful Linda Darnell, fresh from her triumph in A Letter From Three Wives, gives a sensitive performance as Aggie. It's a tribute to her acting talent that she is able to make the othe woman seem sympathetic rather than just a stereotypical bad girl.
Slattery's Hurricane was intended as a comeback for 40's screen siren Veronica Lake of the peekaboo bangs. She had been a top box office attraction earlier in the decade when she was teamed with Alan Ladd in noir thrillers such as This Gun For Hire and The Glass Key. Here, shorn of her trademark long hair, Lake is revealed as a plain-looking, indifferent actress with very little to bring to the character of Dolores. Even though she was directed by her own husband, Lake is completely devoid of allure. You simply don't care about her. This would turn out to be Lake's last starring role at a major studio.
Just kidding!
