Wake of the Red Witch

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Wake of the Red Witch
Directed by	Edward Ludwig
Produced by	Edmund Grainger
Written by	Harry Brown, Kenneth Gamet, Garland Roark
Starring	John Wayne and Gail Russell
Music by	Nathan Scott
Cinematography	Reggie Lanning
Editing by	Richard L. Van Enger
Distributed by	Republic Pictures
Release date(s)	December 30, 1948
Running time	106 min.
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	US$1,200,343
IMDb profile

Wake of the Red Witch is a 1948 film starring John Wayne and Gail Russell. The movie, perhaps the only one in which Wayne plays a villainous character, was directed by Edward Ludwig.

[edit] Plot

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Set in the early 1860s, John Wayne stars as a 19th century sea captain out for revenge against a wealthy shipping magnate in this 1948 offering from Republic Pictures. Wayne plays Captain Ralls with a convincing bitterness, and his grim portrayal of Ralls hits a high point when Ralls purposely wrecks his enemy's prize treasure ship. Gail Russell delivers a memorable performance as the tragic Angelique. Gig Young stands out as a crewman who eventually learns the truth about Ralls. Wake of the Red Witch shares similarities in both character and climax to an earlier Wayne picture, Cecil B. DeMille's Reap the Wild Wind, but this film has a more direct approach in exploring the complex motivations of its characters.