The Wreck of the Hesperus

"OUT OF DARK SEAS...DARK DEEDS! OUT OF SOFT ARMS...WILD RAPTURE!"

1948 1h 10m EN

👍

7.0

SOLID

★7.0TMDB · 5

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

The story of an ex-sea captain who uses devious means to make his salvage company a success. Based on Longfellow's famous poem.

“OUT OF DARK SEAS...DARK DEEDS! OUT OF SOFT ARMS...WILD RAPTURE!”

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Cast

Willard Parker
John Macready
Edgar Buchanan
George Lockhart
Patricia Barry
Deborah Allen
Holmes Herbert
Pastor West
Wilton Graff
Caleb Cross
Boyd Davis
Gov. Lincoln
Jeff Corey
Joshua Hill
Paul Campbell
Ned Jones

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: John Hoffman
Writers: Aubrey Wisberg
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 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 70-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

78 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by John Hoffman, shot by Allen G. Siegler. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor James Sweeney shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Willard Parker and Edgar Buchanan and Patricia Barry carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "OUT OF DARK SEAS...DARK DEEDS! OUT OF SOFT ARMS...WILD RAPTURE!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0040977 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

John Hoffman directs. Allen G. Siegler behind the camera. James Sweeney cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 70-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
278 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by John Hoffman, shot by Allen G. Siegler. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Editor James Sweeney shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Willard Parker and Edgar Buchanan and Patricia Barry carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "OUT OF DARK SEAS...DARK DEEDS! OUT OF SOFT ARMS...WILD RAPTURE!".
8IMDB entry: tt0040977 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 5 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Allen G. Siegler
Editing: James Sweeney
Runtime: 70 min · 1h 10m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: The Wreck of the Hesperus (1948)

Also by

John Hoffman

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2022-07-09
★ 7/10
Willard Parker is a little bit wooden here as former sea captain "John Macready", who runs a salvage business with his partner "George Lockhart" (Edgar Buchanan) in a coastal Maine town. One night, after a particularly violent Atlantic storm, he becomes aware that a recently wrecked ship might have been done so deliberately - and that his partner might be implicated. The challenge is, how can he prove this without looking equally guilty himself, and get the Governor (Boyd Davis) to get the State to erect a lighthouse to warn other ships of the dangers? Director John Hoffman has made quite a decent fist of this "Jamaica Inn" style version of Longfellow's famous poem, with good sound and storm effects to complement the adequate performances on screen and he keeps the story jogging along nicely until a, sadly, rather rushed ending. Still, it's a decent action feature that highlights some of the true dangers of 19th century seafaring that is well worth 75 minutes on a weekend afternoon...

Production companies