The Hurricane |  | Directors: Stuart Heisler, John Ford
Actors: Dorothy Lamour, Jon Hall, Mary Astor, C. Aubrey Smith, Thomas Mitchell
Studio: Hbo Home Video
Category: DVD
Buy Used: $24.98
as of 11/22/2009 02:22 CST details
New (6) Used (13) from $24.98
Rating:  14 reviews
Format: Black & White, DVD, NTSC
Languages: English (Original Language), Spanish (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
DVD Layers: 1
DVD Sides: 1
Picture Format: Academy Ratio
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 103 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
ISBN: 6305236496
UPC: 026359075629
EAN: 9786305236498
Theatrical Release Date: 1937
Release Date: January 12, 1999
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
The great John Ford directed this rousing 1937 adventure with such invigorating physicality that the movie is never compromised by its cornball plot. It's an island adventure from the old school of tall tales, and the title says it all--the tropical romance between native girl Dorothy Lamour and suntanned hunk Jon Hall is established simply so it can be tested by a meddlesome island governor (Raymond Massey) and a tropical storm that provides one of the most physically impressive climaxes ever filmed. The storm remains as awesome as ever simply because it triumphantly captures the power of nature in the throes of a raging tempest. Massive waves, driving wind, and expert use of miniatures make The Hurricane a marvel of late-1930s special effects, but the sheer spectacle is more than matched by Ford's efficient economy of story. The romance is lush and primitive, in keeping with the sun-drenched setting on the fictional island of Manikoora, and as Hall's heroic character must endure wrongful imprisonment and the rigors of escape, Ford maintains a constant atmosphere of foreboding. The director's masterful use of sound and picture is best captured in the lonely peal of a church bell--it's both a reaffirming sign of life and, when the bell finally goes silent, a dreaded signal that the hurricane has taken its ultimate toll. --Jeff Shannon
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 14
Stupendous South Sea tale of survival January 5, 2007
Cory D. Slipman (Rockville Centre, N.Y.)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
Director John Ford's awesome drama set in the fictitious French South Sea island of Manikoora is a film portraying the love between native islanders Marama played by a sultry and saronged Dorothy Lamour and bronzed hunk Jon Hall playing Terangi. The joyous union between this couple in this idyllic tropical setting is soon shattered. The story is narrated by Thomas Mitchell playing Dr. Kersaint who is reminiscing about Manikoora as he returns on a cruise ship.
Terangi is the toast of the island, an expert sailor and first mate on a local sailing ship. On a trip to Tahiti, a racial slur against him and his mates results in an assault of a white skinned local bully. Hall breaks the man's jaw and is sentenced to a 6 month sentence. Abhoring confinement and suffering against inhumanne treatment by a sadistic warden played by John Carradine, Hall's sentence gets extended to 16 years owing to numerous unsuccessful prison breaks. The governor of Manikoora, De Laage played by Raymond Massey, whose overzealousness in his views on justice and how the rule the islanders refuses to intercede on Hall's behalf. Stubbornly against the advice of his wife played by Mary Astor, Father Paul, the local priest played by C. Aubrey Smith and Mitchell playing the doctor, he lets Hall rot in jail.
Finally after 8 years, Hall escapes embarking on a perilous 600 mile journey to return to his wife Lamour and their daughter who he's never seen. As if on cue the winds start picking up as if God is voicing his displeasure. What follows is the most outstanding depiction of a murderously devastating Pacific typhoon I have ever seen. The filming done on 1937 San Catalina Island was so realistic as to be incomprehensible as to how it was attained, with a roaring sea crashing in, trees being uprooted and dwellings being pulverized. The total destruction of the island was filmed in about a 15 minute jaw dropping sequence leaving few survivors.
Never having seen this outstanding film before, I would have to put it near the top in the magnificent resume of director John Ford's work.
 Early Exploration into Disaster Films January 29, 2006
Randy Keehn (Williston, ND United States)
I have always been a fan of John Ford's movies. He has a unique style of movies that are wholesome without being irrelevant. He always seems to have a major social community event such as a wedding or a funeral that helps identify the unity of the society. He often has an individual that is or becomes an outsider to that same society and, through that antagonist, we gradually discover both the positive and negative traits of each. There is always a romantic aspect and a religious aspect to the movie as well. By the time the movie has ended, we have usually discovered how the individual has succeeded or failed as well as how the society has been affected by the events in the movie. Life goes on although often a bit sadder but wiser. We, in turn, are often a bit sadder but wiser as well. Happy endings occur in Ford's movies but usually at a price.
"The Hurricane" exemplifies all of the above but with the added feature of an unusual amount of special effects. This 1937 movis brings to the screen a surprisingly effective re-enactment of a tropical typhoon. (I believe that "hurricane" is a term unique to the Atlantic Ocean and the Carribean Sea). There are times that we get an obvious glimpse of actors superimposed against the background of turmoil. However, much of the scenes are very effective and give a real sense of a powerful storm on the level of a hurricane. The waves destroy and overwhelm the small island (that suddenly becomes so small that most of the island seems to have disappeared before the storm even arrived-or did I miss something?). One soon comes to understand that stuntmen and women are filling in for the stars because these folks are dealing with some heavy waves. I guess I'd better not try top oversell the special effects but they were clearly beyond what I had expected to see in a movie made nearly 70 years ago.
There is a plot to the movie and, as I suggested earlier, it follows the general guideline of a John Ford movie. The hurricane (if you will) doesn't hit until the movie is at least 4/5's completed. The film is well-directed but it is not one of Ford's best movies as far as the plot goes. It is probably his best movie as far as the special effects go.
The Hurricane starring Jon Hall 1937 May 19, 2005
Gary McGuire (Waterbury, CT USA)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
(...)
I watched on it on my portable 7" DVD player and cannot wait to rerun it on the larger TV. It was in one word spectacular. The special effects of 1937 made the hurricane scenes come alive. You don't need the computer generated effects of a movie such as the new STAR WARS to hold your interest. Sure its Black and White but that makes it even better. Bravo John Ford, Bravo Jon Hall, and Bravo to Amazon.com for making this classic 1937 film available. Five Stars plus from Connecticut.
Your jaw will drop November 11, 2002
Joe Sixpack -- Slipcue.com (...in Middle America)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Wow. Incredible special effects close out the last half hour of this film, in which a small Pacific island near Tahiti is obliterated by a collossal hurricane. The action scenes are amazing, as buildings, boats, people and trees are swept away by unstoppable nature. The plot revolves around the noble seafaring Terangi, a native who runs afoul of an unbending legal system, and has to go to great lengths to return to his family, and to prove his valor and nobility. Played by athlete-turned-actor John Hall, Terangi has a major "me Tarzan" quality to him, but is compelling nonetheless. Dorothy Lamour, in her trademark sarong, also plays a Polynesian. If you can get past the silliness of these white folks playing "ethnic" roles, this is a superior, and quite stunning film. As ever, a tightly crafted movie by director John Ford.
Your jaw will drop November 10, 2002
Joe Sixpack -- Slipcue.com (...in Middle America)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Wow. Incredible special effects close out the last half hour of this film, in which a small Pacific island near Tahiti is obliterated by a collossal hurricane. The action scenes are amazing, as buildings, boats, people and trees are swept away by unstoppable nature. The plot revolves around the noble seafaring Terangi, a native who runs afoul of an unbending legal system, and has to go to great lengths to return to his family, and to prove his valor and nobility. Played by athlete-turned-actor John Hall, Terangi has a major "me Tarzan" quality to him, but is compelling nonetheless. Dorothy Lamour, in her trademark sarong, also plays a Polynesian. If you can get past the silliness of these white folks playing "ethnic" roles, this is a superior, and quite stunning film. As ever, a tightly crafted movie by director John Ford.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 14
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