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Both only recently released on DVD, 1955’s “Blood Alley” and “The Sea Lunge” are now available together in a single package, at a very affordable sign. Each film offers a belief of John Wayne’s film work away from the western genre, and are engaging, if not entirely successful, ‘period’ adventure tales.

Buy,Download, Or Stream Blood Alley / Sea Chase! Click Here

The older of the pair, “The Sea Race”, has a novelty value uniquely its believe, as the Duke plays a GERMAN sea captain, at the originate of WWII! A decorated stale of WWI, Wayne hates Hitler and the Nazis, but when ordered to return his freighter and crew to home port, he feels honor-bound to comply, despite a British mandate to ’stand down’. Joined prior to departure by a mysterious notice (Lana Turner, in her only teaming with the Duke), Wayne gets his used ship out of the harbor, and is quick pursued by a British force, headed by his musty friend, Commander Jeff Napier (David Farrar) . The record becomes a cat-and-mouse legend, as the freighter attempts to elude British sea power, and near Germany, safely.

Produced and directed by John Farrow (who had directed Wayne in 1953’s “Hondo”), “The Sea Stir”, despite earnest performances, never really builds distinguished suspense, and there is a marked lack of chemistry between Wayne and Turner, which sabotages their romantic scenes. Calm, the cast includes young Tab Hunter, and many lifelong Wayne friends (including James Arness and Paul Fix), that helps place an air of camaraderie. Wayne, suffering from a severe ear infection throughout the shoot, makes no pain to adopt a German accent or persona, which gives the film a somewhat surreal ‘feel’.

Buy,Download, Or Stream Blood Alley / Sea Chase! Click Here

All in all, “The Sea Stir” is, at best, an fascinating misfire!

Far more fascinating and successful, “Blood Alley”, director ‘Wild Bill’ Wellman’s final collaboration with Wayne (preceded by “Island in the Sky” and “The High and the Worthy”), is not only a rip-roaring ’sea chase’ adventure, but another of Wayne’s many films endorsing his conservative political ideology. Produced by Wayne, himself (who’d initially hoped to accumulate Robert Mitchum or Humphrey Bogart for the lead), this narrative of a sea captain, rescued from the Communist Chinese to transport an entire Chinese village to safety on a obsolete steam ship, never drags.

The film has many ‘pluses’; leading lady Lauren Bacall, both splendid and tough, has terrific chemistry with the Duke (and became a lifelong friend, co-starring in his last film, “The Shootist”, over 20 years, later) ; Wayne’s character, ‘Tom Wilder’, has equal shares of bravura and madness (he talks, frequently, to an imaginary girlfriend, created to abet him withstand being tortured), and the Duke obviously enjoyed the role; longtime friend Paul Fix, in Oriental acquire up, gives one of his better film performances, as a righteous stale doctor; and the film is extremely well paced, with tension building as the Communists relentlessly pursue the runt ship. On the negative side, the politics are stridently right-wing, some of the Chinese characters are stereotypes, and several definitely non-Oriental actors have key ‘Chinese’ roles (including Mike Mazurki, and an unrecognizable but certainly not Chinese Anita Ekberg) . Nonetheless, after fifty years, the film continues to ‘hold up’ as a very piquant adventure!

At a ‘budget’ mark, this double feature is certainly worth including in your ‘John Wayne’ collection!

Blood Alley is a sage position in a period of time in Chinas past where the people often took ample risks to survive. And with John Wayne and Lauren Bacall as the leads the yarn cannot wait on but be pleasant! Becall was far better than she was ever given credit for being. And plays a character that is quite believable. The Sea Perambulate is a naval anecdote position at the beginning of WWII. There is action, drama, intrigue, betrayal, and romance in the chronicle dwelling on a German vessel that inot what one would mediate of as a ship of war. Both movies are well worth the tag alone but you bag both.
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