Fair Wind to Java

Fair Wind to Java_720p(480P)

source: Fair Wind to Java

I know Fred MacMurray ( Captain Bill) considered this to be his worst film ( I do not agree), and Vera Ralston ( Kim, Kim) was Box Office poison. But A Fair Wind To Java was a fun adventure film. There are lots of battles on land and on the sea between MacMurray and his crew and pirate St Ebinizer and his crew. The story is very unpredictable. For example two people who you think are against MacMurray turn out to be allies and actually survive.. It is about a battle between the two crews to get diamonds located on Krakatoa. Yes the same Krakatoa whose volcano exploded. Ralston does a decent job as the half Asian half White woman ( although no one would think she is one bit Asian ( see her blue eyes)). Spoilers ahead: MacMurray does marry Ralston and gets financially rewarded. But how he does it and very nice photography ( much better then the Republic Pictures Truecolor) is why you watch the film. I spent $3.99 to see it on Amazon and it is worth the money. Again a fun movie 9/10 stars.

Fred MacMurray is the captain of a schooner sailing in Dutch East Indies waters. He's gotten wind of some fabulous diamonds, and possession of dancing girl Vera Ralston who knows where they are. Meanwhile, he has to deal with John Russell, who's the owners' representative aboard the ship, pirate Robert Douglas, and the fact that the diamonds are on a little island in the Sunda Strait called Krakatoa. And, of course, it's 1883. It's certainly not a great movie by any means, but under the direction of reliable Joseph Kane and, for Republic Pictures, an 'A' budget, it's a swell movie for kids and men who have never quite grown up. Jack Marta handles the Technicolor cameras well, and if it seems all bright cloths and sets from Republic's disappearing serial department, it does what is expected of cheap historical fiction. Certainly the Lydecker Brothers must have had fun setting up the special effects for when Krakatoa blows up. With Victor McLaglen, Claude Jarman Jr., and Grant Withers.

Fred MacMurry earlier in his career before he became everyone's father on "My Three Sons", packs a six shooter as he commands an early 20th century clipper ship crewed by rogues who'll turn him in for gold and other riches unless they get what they want. It's a film from a different era of commercial film making. The message of being matrimonially inclined to people outside your social niche is still there as has been the good positive message that Hollywood has typically promoted throughout the century of its existence as a film making capitol. Also is the domestication message at the end after the adventure ends. It can be a little slow at times, and the effects of the time are what they are, miniature vessels shot in a Hollywood stage tank with a painted backdrop but with natural lighting giving it an aura of realism but obviously not being real in the lest. The actress playing an Indian Princess forced into servitude is obviously not Indian, and the Asian adversaries appear to be a variety of actors and stuntmen from various social backgrounds, while the chief pirate is obviously a white American. Does it matter? Not really, as the thrust of the story is to domesticate and work for what you want and want to get. There are no shortcuts that lead to both happiness and success. In fact MacMurry's character, for all his adventuring, exemplifies this, and in the end he rescues that which is most valuable to him, an it isn't the promise of the Volcano Gods. I'm just sorry that the only version available is a respectable print on DVD, but it would be interesting to see a 2k or 4k print on bluray, though I doubt that'll be the case here. It's not really a pirate film, but it is a sea going sailing adventure film that tells a pretty good story, and has a pretty decent message of what is important in life. The performances are solid, some over the top moments, other moments are more plain. The action isn't wall to wall, but melds well with both plot and story. Its an older film that worth a look for a lazy weekend's viewing. Check it out.

I have no idea why some of the actors who were in this film were so snide about it. As an example of a fun film for all ages with intrigue after intrigue, and the threat of Krakatoa exploding, it has all the ingredients of a first rate adventure film and it does not disappoint. It even has a queer eye, with an on-board relationship between two males that some members of the audience must have picked up on. One is half-naked all of the time, with his fully clothed friend ninety per cent in tow. Whether this was intentional I leave discerning viewers to decide. Excellent ensemble fighting and sparring on ships and a whipping scene that had made the censors reach for their scissors (if you buy the DVD from Germany you can see it uncut and much more clearly then those copies still shown on television). Vera Ralston is quite good as the 'slave' girl who gets the whipping, and she was actually very beautiful, but not successful with audiences. McMurray is good, and the climax of the film is excellent and very well done considering how hard it must have been given the techniques of the time. I give it a 9 for sheer entertainment. Basic film at its best.

As I began watching the movie, it seemed to have a Saturday matinée feel to it-- not that I know entirely what that is, but I'll take the idea and run with it. Filmed with the studio's Trucolor process, it overflows with bright green, blue, red and orange. The script is very sharply written, and we learn a lot about what makes these sailors behave as they do. We're given the backstory of MacMurray's character, how he ascended the ranks and was given a ship of his own; how it led to the sea near Java. He meets Ralston's character as the movies gets underway, and he frees her from slavery. Yes, it is one of those kinds of love stories. Several things impress me about FAIR WIND TO JAVA. First, the supporting cast couldn't be better-- Victor McLaglen, Claude Jarman Jr. and John Russell are all men under MacMurray's command; while Robert Douglas plays a rival treasure seeker. Also, the music is grand-- sweeping and romantic each time it comes up on the soundtrack. So much that honestly one can't tell if the sea is supposed to be just as romantic in this tale as the relationship between MacMurray and Ralston. And then there is all the boisterous action. What's a good swashbuckler adventure story without rousing fights on board the ship, or a hunt for diamonds on land that is soon obscured by debris from a very active volcano? And speaking of the volcanic eruption that occurs near the end (perhaps symbolizing the passion shared by the main characters), Herbert Yates-- Republic's boss and Miss Ralston's husband- - has gone all out to present the most spectacular special effects you could ever imagine. Yes. It's worth more than all the diamonds in Java.

In reading a book about Fred MacMurray that came out last year I learned that he considered this the worst of his films. While I don't think it's as bad as all that the main weakness of Fair Wind To Java is the casting of Fred MacMurray in a part that was originally intended for John Wayne. The same author who wrote the novel this film is based on wrote Wake Of The Red Witch which I consider one of John Wayne's best films and certainly his most romantic. After The Quiet Man came out Wayne decided to terminate his relationship with Republic Pictures and Herbert J. Yates. Republic and Yates made most of their money peddling John Wayne to the major studios with him occasionally doing a film for Republic over the years. Try as he might MacMurray does not cut it as a swashbuckling captain of the China trade. Worse for him was the fact that his leading lady Vera Hruba Ralston was not what he was used to working with. He who made some of the best comedies around with people Irene Dunne, Claudette Colbert, Carole Lombard, Katharine Hepburn etc. found Ralston's lack of talent and professionalism too much. The villain of the story is Robert Douglas an Australian merchant who also goes around as a Malay pirate with a Lone Ranger mask. This was a true comic book villain I just couldn't take seriously. The climax is the eruption of Krakatoa where a cache of fabled diamonds are hidden in a temple. That's what MacMurray and Douglas and their respective crews are after. Now considering this is Republic Pictures and not one of the major studios the special effects aren't bad. And the color cinematography is nice. But if you're beyond the age of 12 it's hard to take Fair Wind To Java all that seriously.

Republic Pictures knew how to do two things really well—action and special effects. Both are on showcase display in this south seas epic. Okay, no one expects deep think or character development from the studio of the matinée western, and this 90-minutes doesn't disappoint. For Republic, story was just an excuse to stage barroom brawls and shootouts, anyway. The plot here appears a cut-and-paste job from one of their many Saturday afternoon serials (e.g. a masked mastermind), while the characters seldom rise above stereotype. Still, studio honcho Yates spent what for them was a bundle. He even went out and hired A- list Fred MacMurray to pair up with his hapless sweetie Vera Hruba Ralston. MacMurray, always the professional, gives his sea captain his all, while native girl Ralston has little more to do than get dragged around. I'm still puzzled, however, by handsome John Russell's presence in what seems a tacked-on role. Maybe it was something of a screen test for bigger and better things. Anyway, the Trucolor is gorgeous, the action fast and furious if often mindless, while Krakatoa blows up real good. So, if you want your eyes entertained at the same time your brain takes a rest, be sure to tune in.

A thrilling action adventure story is the scenario for "Fair Wind To Java." There is fighting among pirates and good guys, a graphic flogging of a beautiful slave girl and a massive eruption of a volcano, all in brilliant color. Although it's the usual good guys vs. bad guys genre, the story line is good and action abounds everywhere as the good and the bad search for a fortune in diamonds. Good performances by MacMurray, Ralston and Douglas.