John Ford has many wonderful characteristics as a director and chief among them is an innate respect for all types and manner of people. Nowhere is this more evident than his lyrical ode to the South Seas, The Hurricane (1937). The stormy climax of this film is rightly regarded as one of the great sequences of chaos and destruction in the cinema — yet the story’s real power lies in the conflict between the simple, honest natives of Manakoora and the rigid laws of the French colonialist governor (Raymond Massey)… and the indomitable love that rages between Terangi (Jon Hall) and Marama (Dorothy Lamour).
The Hurricane begat a score of Polynesian-themed adventures wherein white men enjoyed the companionship of lovely ladies in sarongs (this film basically defined the early path of Dorothy Lamour’s career), but here it doesn’t seem exploitive or primitive. The natives accept Christianity yet keep their own customs alive and well. The whites admire the simplicity of Polynesian life and try to adapt to its parameters. All except Governor De Laage (Massey), the figurehead who represents the stagnant constrictions of civilization.
The film also has mythic elements. The Polynesians adore Terangi; during his incarceration he grows into a legend. His return to Manakoora signals not only a climax to the drama but the inception of the title storm, which can be seen as divine retribution for the punishments that innocent Terangi has suffered. And it is all told in flashback as a legend retold by the doctor (Thomas Mitchell) who was there to witness everything.
Visually, The Hurricane is sensual and idyllic (at least until the final reel), even though producer Samuel Goldwyn reneged on his promise to lens on location. Only second unit work was captured in Samoa; most of the action takes place on a California soundstage and on the coast near Catalina. Still, Ford’s mastery of the visual elements rarely hints at the compromised production.
Of course, it’s the sustained, thunderous climax that everyone remembers, because it has rarely been topped to this day. The Hurricane is rightly titled. My rating: ☆ ☆ ☆ ½. (9:2).