The World in His Arms (1952)

Director:

Raoul Walsh

Writers:

Rex Beach (novel)
Borden Chase (writer)

Release Date:

4 July 1952 (France)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | History

Plot:

Roistering sea captain Jonathan Clark, who poaches seal pelts from Russian Alaska, meets and woos Russian countess Marina in 1850 San Francisco...

Plot Keywords:

Sea | Prince | Countess | Captain | Race

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)

Gregory Peck	...	Capt. Jonathan Clark
Ann Blyth	...	Countess Marina Selanova
Anthony Quinn	...	Portugee
John McIntire	...	Deacon Greathouse
Carl Esmond	...	Prince Semyon
Andrea King	...	Mamie
Eugenie Leontovich	...	Anna Selanova
Hans Conried	...	Eustace, Hotel Clerk
Rhys Williams	...	Eben Cleggett
Sig Ruman	...	General Ivan Vorashilov
Gregory Gaye	...	Colonel Paul Shushaldin (as Gregory Gay)
Bill Radovich	...	Ogeechuk
Bryan Forbes	...	William Cleggett
Henry Kulky	...	Peter, Russian Servant

Also Known As:

Sturmfahrt nach Alaska (Austria) (West Germany) [de]
Capitaine téméraire (Belgium: French title) [fr]
Dünyalar hâkimi (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
De stoutmoedige kapitein (Belgium: Flemish title) [un]
Du er min verden (Denmark) [da]
El mundo en sus manos (Spain) [es]
Il mondo nelle mie braccia (Italy) [it]
Koko maailma oli hänen (Finland) [fi]
Le monde lui appartient (France) [fr]
Stormfågel (Sweden) [sv]
Von einst bis jetzt (West Germany) [de]

Runtime:

104 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

West Germany:12 (nf) | Norway:16 | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:15

Company:

Universal International Pictures (UI)

Quotes:

Eustace, Hotel Clerk: [indicating the Portugee] Er, this gentleman is with your party?
Jonathan Clark: This gentleman is no gentleman. He's a sea-going thief who makes his living stealing seals from the Russians. He neither bathes, shaves, nor knows the feel of good clean linen. When the moon is bright, he stays out all night and howls like a dog, then curls up and sleeps on the floor till midday. That right, Portugee?
Portugee: He knows me pretty good.

A throwback to a style of film made years ago...

THE WORLD IN HIS ARMS is the sort of film Hollywood made in the 1930s and early 40s and might have starred John Wayne, Errol Flynn, James Cagney or Edward G. Robinson--it's very easy to imagine any of these men in such a formulaic programmer. By the 1950s, such adventure films were practically gone--replaced with more realistic films about more contemporary topics. Now I am NOT complaining about this film--I happen to like these old fashioned films. Sure, the characters and situations were unrealistic, but this sort of escapism is something many will enjoy.

As for the choice of Gregory Peck, he wasn't bad--even though he isn't generally the "type" to play this sort of macho role. Now this isn't to say that Peck wasn't manly enough, but seeing him as a guy who loves loose women, fighting and chaos is certainly a departure from his typical film! Even such seafaring films as CAPTAIN HORATIO HORNBLOWER and MOBY DICK feature Peck in a much more somber, intellectual and dependable sort of man than the slightly crazy Captain Clark in THE WORLD IN HIS ARMS. Again, I am not complaining--just pointing out that this role is a departure for Peck.

Peck's love interest in the film is Ann Blyth, who is quite lovely but also appears too young for Peck. This is due to Blyth looking much younger than she was (24) and because the height difference between them (more than a foot) tended to make her look even younger. She wasn't bad--just an unusual choice.

The film begins in San Francisco. Peck and his crew have just arrived with a ship filled with seal furs. They are rich and in a mood to celebrate. However, an envoy from a Russian Princess (Blyth) tries to engage the ship to take her to safety (she is running from an arranged marriage). Peck refuses outright--he just wants to unwind and have fun. In an odd move, Blyth herself meets Peck and doesn't identify who she is. Peck is taken with her and makes plans to marry her--at which point the Russian husband she is supposed to marry shows up to claim his bride--leaving Peck disappointed and furious. Will Peck catch up to this Princess? Will she be able to avoid a loveless marriage? Well, tune in for yourself and see.

The film has a lot of pluses. First, the color print and cinematography are just lovely. It's the sort of 1950s color that is bold and prettier than real life but not as bold and garish as early Technicolor. Combined with a rousing musical score, the film has lovely aesthetics. The film also features some excellent actors. In addition to Peck and Blyth, Anthony Quinn in on hand in a not particularly subtle but enjoyable role as Peck's nemesis as is John McIntire--an under-appreciated but excellent supporting actor (who, in parts of this film, looks like the spitting image of General Sherman).

Now the film is not without its faults. There is a rather poor use of rear projection in the seal hunting scenes--even by 1950s standards. Also, the story, at times, seems more like comic book or dime novel due to characters who are not exactly believable. It's the sort of film, however, with no pretensions--it's not high art or an Oscar contender and never seemed like it was intended as this.

Overall, a great adventure film for you to just turn off your brain and enjoy. Great old time fun.

By the way, much of the film revolves around seal hunting, which wasn't considered such a big deal in 1952. Starting in the 1960s, worldwide opposition to seal harvesting became an issue and so today some might hate this movie. Try to keep it in historical context and enjoy the film for what it is.

By the way, considering how evil and stupid the Russians are generally shown to be in this film, I wonder if perhaps it was all meant as a metaphor for US-Soviet relations at the time?