An early disaster film directed by John Ford (Stagecoach, The Grapes of Wrath), The Hurricane offers up special effects that almost eighty years after its initial release are still impressive. The highlight is a fifteen minute hurricane sequence (hence the film’s title) created by special effects wizard James Basevi who created the earthquakes in 1936’s San Francisco. The special effects make up for a somewhat dull plot that often feels like filler.

Jon Hall stars as Terangi a South Seas native working as a sailor. Hall, whose uncle James Norman Hall co-wrote the novel on which the film was based, was the son of Swiss-born actor Felix Locher and a real Tahitian Princess. Given his heritage and hunky looks, it’s no surprise that The Hurricane made him a star. A young Dorothy Lamour plays his wife Marama, spending much of her screen time running around in a sarong. Marama has a premonition that Terangi shouldn’t leave on his next voyage, but Terangi decides to go and leaves her behind.

While on another island, Terangi gets into a fight with a wealthy white man and finds himself thrown in jail. Unable to deal with being confined, Terangi attempts to escape several times. With each escape more years are added to his initial sentence, it soon appears as though he’ll never return to his beloved home Manakoora, his wife and daughter. After sixteen years of confinement, Terangi is able to escape, but inadvertently kills a guard with a knockout punch. With that, local French Governor Eugene De Laage (Raymond Massey) trying to hunt Terangi down a massive hurricane.

The impressive supporting cast includes John Carradine as a brutal jail guard; Mary Astor as the kind hearted wife of Eugene De Laage, Governor of Manakoora, who pleads with him to reduce Terangi’s sentence; Thomas Mitchell as an alcoholic doctor and C. Aubrey Smith as Father Paul. His tiny church is the only building left standing after the raging hurricane.

Budgeted at $2 million (a large sum for 1937), some of the film was shot on location in Pago Pago, Samoa. The native village was built on the United Artists back lot. The Hurricane is a perfect example of the kind of escapism romantic dramas that 1930’s depression era audiences loved. The film also serves as a precursor to the popular Irwin Allen disaster films of the 1970’s.

Presented in the 1.33:1 aspect ratio, this 1080p transfer looks surprisingly good. Contrast is solid and detail is impressive when close-ups occur. A nice grain structure is apparent throughout. There are some minimal scratches and specks, but given the films age this is understandable. Overall, this transfer exceeds all expectations and should please fans of the film.

The DTS-HD 2.0 track serves the film quite well. The storm effects, jungle noises, etc. occasionally come across as slightly flat, but the score by Alfred Newman has a little bit of punch, which given the age of the film is striking. Dialogue is quite clear.

No subtitles are included.

The following extras are available:

  • Audio Commentary with Film Historian Joseph McBride: The author of Searching for John Ford, McBride knows his stuff. He covers Ford, various aspect of the production and shares various tidbits about the actors and their involvement in the film.
  • Original Theatrical Trailer (2:35)