NR | 1h 57m | Action, Drama, War | 1955
There are some old war films that promise a good high-seas adventure. An Internet Movie Database introduction of “The Sea Chase” (1955) offers an intriguing narrative: “As World War II begins, German freighter Captain Karl Ehrlich tries to get his ship back to Germany through a gauntlet of Allied warships.”
I glanced at the credits to see who would be donning the captain’s cap and barking orders in a thick German accent, and my eyebrows shot up: John Wayne. Yes, the man of the frontier and symbol of rugged Americana playing a German naval officer. I blinked a few times to make sure it wasn’t a typo. This was an odd casting choice, though Marlon Brando did play a German officer in “The Young Lions” and absolutely nailed it.
A Voyage Fraught With Peril
The story begins in 1939 Sydney, Australia, where Capt. Karl Ehrlich (Wayne, giving a uniquely American spin to a German seaman) finds himself stuck in port with his aging freighter, the Ergenstrasse.A former German naval officer booted out of the Navy for refusing to back the Nazis, Ehrlich loves his country but despises its new masters and figures that war is coming fast.
Facing the internment of the Ergenstrasse if he stays, Ehrlich gambles everything on a daring nighttime escape through heavy fog. But before setting sail, an old friend, British Cmdr. Jeff Napier (David Farrar), pays him a visit and introduces Ehrlich to his fiancée, Elsa Keller (Lana Turner). He recognizes Elsa immediately for all the wrong reasons. Elsa’s past is rather murky, and Ehrlich wastes no time warning her to break off the engagement while Napier is at headquarters or else he will.
Complications only deepen when the German consul-general forces Ehrlich to take Elsa aboard as a secret passenger, revealing that she’s purportedly a spy whose life is in danger. Now, the Ergenstrasse slips into the vast Pacific, where every mile becomes a fight for survival; fuel runs low and the formidable British Navy hunts the freighter.
“The Sea Chase” is a film of intriguing contradictions. At its best, it captures the tension of life at sea during wartime. At its worst, it slips into melodrama that feels locked inside a studio. Director John Farrow’s deliberate pacing, often criticized, actually fits the material.
Melodrama on Deck
The film’s best moments, particularly during the early sequences, capture the rough, exhausting life aboard ships, where every decision and every movement feels burdened by the uncertainty of the mission.
The cinematography stands out, with sweeping shots of the ship at sea, the harsh waves seeming to reflect the emotional turbulence of the characters. The isolation of being on the water is palpable. Farrow’s pacing, often drawn-out, mirrors the endless waiting and unpredictability of life at sea. It’s in these moments of reflection that the film creates a genuine sense of unease.
The film sometimes falters under its own studio constraints. Despite strong direction in moments of tension, the film often veers into clichéd, overly theatrical territory. Turner, whose chemistry with Wayne is lukewarm, highlights the struggle between character development and forced romance.
The script, credited to multiple writers, doesn’t help. Subplots, like the romantic jealousy of Farrar’s character and the cartoonish Nazi villain, don’t resolve in any meaningful way.
“The Sea Chase” is a visually striking naval adventure, with breathtaking location shots that truly immerse the audience in its setting.
While the film delivers the sense of tension aboard the ship, it’s somewhat held back by melodramatic elements that are often seen in films of its era.
