Captain China

"Captain China" (1950) made by Lewis R. Foster was to me in a polluted world enough since then an example of a B picture where a character of a navigator inside a cargo fighting a typhoon gave me a lesson of abstract courage. When someone is under physical stress from the elements of nature, independently of social context interacting with them. For this subject this movie spells in me the corridor of maritime freedom, near a coast with traditional hospitality but also with unknown pirates that ruled on sea, but the most dangerous for anybody it was the typhoon and how to survive.

The long scene with the cargo almost submerging by waves, that seemingly swallows it each time is eternal and John Payne was the hero - a captain not Chinese but who likes the sea around China, before and after the revolution of course. This is maybe the reason why the theme of the ship wrecking and his commander under the pressure from a storm tossing it from the bow to the reverse is also a kind of microcosm space where human beings in despair are stressed in their wills, losing fast and easily the control of any small quarrel concerning technicality, like a fish jumping out of the sea falling on the deck...

There is also a kind of nostalgic feature in the middle shot composing the attractive Gail Russell, as campaigner for the look aside the main character, when she puts one of her hands on, both seeing out of the frame in diagonal from right to left in front off something, that menaces them and somewhat puzzling what will be after in such a sound couple. Maybe also breathing a little of pure air from the ship, which is the stage of a fierce misadventure for such love at first sight, nonetheless the healthy conquest in an adventure somewhat artificial inspired in a sequel of Joseph Conrad tale.