Wake of the Red Witch

UPC: 017153118285

Studio: Republic Pictures

MPAA Rating: NR   Contains:[Questionable for Children]

Summary: This unusual, dreamlike John Wayne vehicle is set in the East Indies. The focus of the film is the deadly rivalry between two men of the sea. Ship's captain Rails (John Wayne) nurses a long-standing grudge against shipping magnate Van Schreeven (Luther Adler). The reason for the animosity: Van Schreeven stole away Rails' love, Angelique (Gail Russell). Revenge has warped Rails to point that sometimes he seems to be the heavy of the picture. Complications involving valuable pearls ensue before the offbeat climax, which finds Rails scuttling his own vessel, the Red Witch, as means of getting even. The film's resolution is one of the strangest ever concocted for a Wayne picture. Wake of the Red Witch represented the second screen teaming of John Wayne and Gail Russell; the film must also have held some special significance for Wayne, since he named his own production company, Batjac, after the shipping firm depicted in the picture. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Category: Adventure

Features: Full-screen version
2.0 Dolby Surround
Digitally mastered
Scene access
Interactive menus

Wake of the Red Witch

Format: Digital Video Disc (DVD)

Release Date: 05/22/2001

Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 Pre-1954 Standard

Audio: DS Dolby Surround (4.0)

Runtime: 106 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Side #1
0. Scene Selection
1. Opening Credits/Fight [3:43]
2. Sam's Story [2:41]
3. Crazy Man [4:13]
4. Tension [2:18]
5. Abandon Ship [1:37]
6. The Inquiry [5:00]
7. Fishing Trip [4:08]
8. Danger [4:59]
9. Gold Fever [5:37]
10. Castaway [4:00]
11. Pearl Pirates [4:29]
12. Native Song [4:25]
13. "I Can't Be Bought" [6:03]
14. "Out of Control" [4:04]
15. Octopus [6:54]
16. "I Believe in You" [3:13]
17. Tribal Banquet [3:35]
18. Not a Pleasant Story [6:54]
19. Until Eternity [5:01]
20. Bad Business [4:59]
21. He Lives [5:21]
22. A Deal [2:16]
23. Sunken Gold/End Credits [10:54]

Craig Butler

One of John Wayne's more unusual ventures, Wake of the Red Witch is a mixed bag of a movie, containing some haunting moments that stick in the mind long after the film ends. Chief among these is the ending, a fantasy that shouldn't work but which makes quite an impression. This and the other memorable moments have a strange, dream-like quality to them that demonstrates that at least one of the men at the helm (John Farrow and Edward Ludwig) was going for an odd, poetic approach. That approach is not carried all the way through, and the unevenness of the direction matches that of the script, which is a jumble of the good and the bad, with a good helping of credibility issues thrown in to complicate things. It also doesn't help matters that far too much of this sea picture is clearly filmed in a studio; the artificiality gets seriously in the way of the artifice. Witch does boast solid performances, with Wayne in top form and demonstrating a greater range than was often demanded of him. Luther Adler is a fine foil for him, and Gail Russell is quite believable as the third point of the triangle. Despite its flaws, many will find many moments in Witch that are hard to forget. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Fred Libby  Actor 
David Clarke  Actor 
Chuck Roberson  Actor 
John Wengraf  Actor 
Leo C. Richmond  Actor 
Mickey Simpson  Actor 
Fernando Alvarado  Actor 
Myron Healey  Actor 
John M. Pickard  Actor 
Harry Vejar  Actor 
Fred Fox  Actor 
Fred Graham  Actor 
Jim Nolan  Actor 
Carlos Thompson  Actor 
Jose Alvarado  Actor 
Norman Rainey  Actor 
Harlan Warde  Actor 
Grant Means  Actor 
Henry Brandon  Actor 
Rory Mallinson  Actor 
Wallace Scott  Actor 
Al Kikume  Actor 
Robert Wood  Actor 
Kuka Tuitama  Actor 
Harry Brown  Screenwriter 
Kenneth Gamet  Screenwriter 
Edmund Grainger  Producer 
Edward Ludwig  Director 
Nathan Scott  Composer (Music Score) 
John Wayne  Actor 
Gail Russell  Actor 
Gig Young  Actor 
Luther Adler  Actor 
Adele Mara  Actor 
Eduard Franz  Actor 
Grant Withers  Actor 
Henry Daniell  Actor 
Paul Fix  Actor 
Dennis Hoey  Actor 
Jeff Corey  Actor 
Erskine Sanford  Actor 
Duke Kahanamoku  Actor 

Country: USA