Wake of the Red Witch

"Romance! Adventure!...as wild as the RAGING SEAS!"

1948 1h 46m EN

😐

5.9

MID

★5.9TMDB · 53

AdventureDramaHistory

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Captain Ralls fights Dutch shipping magnate Mayrant Sidneye for the woman he loves, Angelique Desaix, and for a fortune in gold aboard the Red Witch.

“Romance! Adventure!...as wild as the RAGING SEAS!”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

John Wayne
Capt. Ralls
Gail Russell
Angelique Desaix
Gig Young
Samuel 'Sam' Rosen
Adele Mara
Teleia Van Schreeven
Luther Adler
Mayrant Ruysdaal Sidneye
Eduard Franz
Harmenszoon Van Schreeven
Grant Withers
Capt. Wilde Youngeur
Henry Daniell
Jacques Desaix

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Edward Ludwig
Writers: Harry Brown, Kenneth Gamet
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

78 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Edward Ludwig, shot by Reggie Lanning. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Richard L. Van Enger shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

CAST

Did you know

John Wayne and Gail Russell and Gig Young carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Romance! Adventure!...as wild as the RAGING SEAS!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0040946 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

Only 53 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Edward Ludwig directs. Reggie Lanning behind the camera. Richard L. Van Enger cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

178 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by Edward Ludwig, shot by Reggie Lanning. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Editor Richard L. Van Enger shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
4John Wayne and Gail Russell and Gig Young carry the top of the cast.
5Marketing tagline: "Romance! Adventure!...as wild as the RAGING SEAS!".
6IMDB entry: tt0040946 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
7Only 53 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Reggie Lanning
Editing: Richard L. Van Enger
Costume design: Adele Palmer
Makeup / hair: Bob Mark
Runtime: 106 min · 1h 46m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Wake of the Red Witch (1948)

Also by

Edward Ludwig

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2022-03-28
★ 7/10
John Wayne is veteran skipper "Capt. Ralls" who discovers that his employer has pinched his girlfriend - "Angelique" (Gail Russell) so with revenge in mind, he runs his ship - laden with $5m in gold bullion - aground at a secret location and is soon on the run from his erstwhile boss who knows the scuttling was deliberate and who wants his loot back! What ensues now are series of entertaining escapades as Duke wrestles all sorts of giant sea monsters; tries out pearl fishing; saves his best pal and tries to get his gal back - all as well as salvaging his plunder and staying one step ahead of the scheming "Sidneye" (Luther Adler). It's a well constructed, fairly action-packed film this - and it gives the star much more chance to demonstrate a little more depth to his character, with a script and pace that gives the story quite a compelling nature. Adler is great as the sleazy magnate, and the direction creatively uses the sweaty and moist environment to good effect - you almost expect Orson Welles to appear somewhere. It doesn't always work - there are some flatter moments especially in the third quarter of the film, but it all picks up well and Russell is on really good form engendering some charming and lively chemistry with both of her gentleman friends. I was a little underwhelmed by the conclusion, but all told this is certainly at the top end of any of their work - and it is well worth a watch.

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