The Sea Wolf is a 1941 American adventure drama film adaptation of Jack London's 1904 novel The Sea-Wolf with Edward G. Robinson, Ida Lupino, John Garfield, and Alexander Knox. The film was written by Robert Rossen and directed by Michael Curtiz.
The film was first premiered onboard the S.S. America. Later it was screened at the 9th annual Turner Classic Movies Film Festival on April 26, 2018 in Los Angeles. The version of the film screened was the original theatrical cut that was reassembled after 35mm nitrate elements were discovered at the Museum of Modern Art. It included thirteen minutes of footage that were cut from the film in 1947 when it was re-released as a double-feature with the 1940 Errol Flynn vehicle of the same name. The original cut of the film, digitally remastered and restored, was released through Warner Brothers' Archive Collection on DVD and Blu-ray on October 10, 2017.
Plot
Refined and literate fiction writer Humphrey Van Weyden (Alexander Knox) and escaped convict Ruth Webster (Ida Lupino) are passengers on a ferry that collides with another vessel and sinks. They are rescued from drowning by the Ghost, a seal-hunting ship. At the helm is the Ghost's captain, Wolf Larsen (Edward G. Robinson), a brutal sadist who delights in dominating and abusing his crew.
Larsen is very well read and impressively self-educated, but crude and brutish in his personal inclinations. He refuses to return to port early and forces Van Weyden to work in the kitchen under the supervision of the treacherous and greedy ship's cook. He also compels Van Weyden to spend time alone with him in his cabin, where the two discuss philosophy and the nature of humanity. Larsen asserts the Nietzschean proposition that man is essentially an amoral animal, and that morality is a construct that has no bearing on life onboard his ship. He predicts that Van Weyden's character will change as he accustoms himself to the uncivilized life among the crew, where no one has any value higher than his own personal gain.
When Dr. Prescott (Gene Lockhart), the ship's drunken doctor, determines that the unconscious Webster needs a transfusion to survive, Larsen "volunteers" George Leach (John Garfield), even though there is no way to test if his blood is compatible. Fortunately the blood is compatible, and Ruth Webster recovers. As time goes by, she comes to depend on Leach for protection and, despite himself, Leach falls in love with her. Larsen humiliates Dr. Prescott, who retaliates by revealing to the crew that Larsen's own brother, Death Larsen, another sea captain, is hunting him, having vowed to kill him; Dr. Prescott then commits suicide.
Fear of being hunted drives some members of the crew to mutiny, led by the already rebellious George Leach. They ambush Larsen and throw him and his first mate overboard. However, Larsen manages to grab a trailing rope, climb back aboard, and put down the mutiny. He announces to the crew that an informant has revealed to him who the conspirators were but, instead of punishing them, he betrays the informant, the ship's cook, "Cookie" (Barry Fitzgerald, not a priest this time). They punish Cookie by dropping him into the water, dragging him behind the ship as he holds onto a rope for dear life. This is at first intended as a practical joke; however, a shark bites off one of Cookie's legs. The crewmen quickly pull him and his life is saved.
Eventually, Leach, Webster, Van Weyden, and a crewman, Johnson (Stanley Ridges), escape on a dory. However, they discover that the wily Larsen had replaced their water supply with vinegar. Later, while the others sleep, Johnson sacrifices himself by going overboard to help conserve the little water they have.
Larsen is subject to intense headaches that leave him temporarily blind, but has managed to hide his condition from the crew. He knows that he will eventually lose his sight permanently. When Larsen's brother catches up with him, the Ghost is attacked by cannon and after several hits the Ghost begins to slowly sink. The Ghost makes an escape into a fog bank, but Larsen is blind again and his debility is revealed to all. Thus, the crew seizes this opportunity to abandon ship by taking to the lifeboats and they will leave Larson aboard by himself.