The Sea Wolf

Jack London's 1904 novel The Sea Wolf—a dark psychological adventure tale about an idealistic writer who gets an education in the brutality and sadism of humanity at its worst from the amoral captain of a ship—was brought to the screen in a number of adaptations over the years. The 1941 version, starring Edward G. Robinson as the sadistic captain of "the foulest ship in creation" (in the words of the shifty ship informant played by Barry Fitzgerald) takes liberties with the source material but is still the most famous and most gripping. Alexander Knox plays the writer, Humphrey van Weyden, a meek, cultured man who Captain "Wolf" Larsen enjoys "teaching" his lessons in human cruelty to, but the film gives equal dramatic weight to two supporting roles created for studio stars Ida Lupino, playing an escaped convict saved by Larsen from a shipwreck, and John Garfield, as a wanted man who takes a job as a crewman to evade the San Francisco police. Michael Curtiz, then the top director at Warner Bros., enhances the psychological intensity by shrouding the ship in fog and plunging the interior scenes in deep shadows, creating the equivalent of a nautical film noir. The film was cut by 14 minutes in 1948 and until recently that was the only existing version. This Blu-ray debut features a new restoration of the original 100-minute film. Extras include a 1950 radio adaptation with Robinson reprising his role. Recommended. (S. Axmaker)