Bogey's immediately pre-Casablanca movie re-unites him with his co- stars Astor and Greenstreet and his writer/director of The Maltese Falcon, John Huston. Yes, Huston revised the script as he shot, though he did not receive a credit. This created problems when he was drafted near the end of shooting and Vincent Sherman took over. No join is visible in the film fortunately, due to the polished cinematography of Arthur Edeson (also from The Maltese Falcon) who was to join Bogey on Casablanca. Although the script doesn't measure up to Maltese Falcon standards, it's entertaining enough if not taken too critically and provides some wonderful opportunities for star turns by Bogey, Astor, Greenstreet and a wonderful support cast of delightful oriental off-beats led by Victor Sen Yung as a cheery thug, Chester Gan as the philosophical ship's captain ("It is the Japanese way. If you praise our sons, we say they are unworthy"), Lee Tung Foo as a friendly hotel proprietor and Monte Blue as a silent sot. And, of course, no Oriental-type movie would be complete without Philip Ahn. Here his role is memorable but brief. (That's a curious film we see in the cinema, incidentally. Obviously a Japanese silent movie, though dubbed dialogue on the sound track is designed to give us the impression it's a sound film). Produced on an expansive budget, the film is a marvelous example of Huston's feeling for visual atmosphere. Edeson's low-key film noir lighting is a major asset here, as is Adolph Deutsch's skillful score. The sets are appealingly created too, especially the wharf set with its chugging train and the menacing bulk of the Genoa Maru. In short, Across the Pacific is a very agreeable piece of entertainment indeed. It has quite a lot going for it, especially in the acting, atmospheric and artistic departments. If its entertainment total is less than the sum of its parts, blame the Second World War!
Review of Across the Pacific
