Cheap Hurricane (1937) / Movie (Video) (John Ford, Stuart Heisler) Price

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Customer Reviews of Hurricane (1937) / Movie

Early Exploration into Disaster Films
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. <
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>"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. <
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>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.

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The Hurricane starring Jon Hall 1937
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>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.

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Your jaw will drop
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.