Flame of Barbary Coast (1945)
Review by Dindrane
Film:
DVD:

Written by Borden Chase
Directed by Joseph Kane
Starring John Wayne, Ann Dvorak, Joseph Schildkraut, William Frawley, Virginia Grey, and Butterfly McQueen

Rating: NR

Anamorphic: N/A; appears in its original 1.33:1 format.

My Advice: Rent it, unless you're a die-hard Wayne fan.

John Wayne stars as Duke Fergus, a Montana cattle man who has come to San Francisco to retrieve the money Tito (Schildkraut) owes him for a horse. It seems that the man Fergus sent to get the money before was suckered into blowing it all at the casino Tito owns. Fergus, however, falls quickly for Flaxen (Dvorak), the beautiful casino singer and Tito’s fiancee, and then similarly falls prey to them, losing a large bankroll. Fergus has a plan, however. He learns how to gamble and returns to San Francisco, but this time wins enough money to build his own casino and rivals Tito not only for business, but for Flaxen. Can even the great San Francisco earthquake stop Fergus’ plans?

The plot is fun enough, if a bit rushed. At least a couple of years of wheeling and dealing seem to be compressed into an hour and a half of film, and it can be a bit disconcerting. On the other hand, you watch a Duke movie for the fun of it, not for the Aristotelian Unities. There’s also a scene where Flaxen takes Duke on a whirlwind tour of neighboring casinos and somehow gets the dealers there to allow him to win, no matter what the casino owners have to say about this. A few other minor issues, such as Flaxen’s eventual paralysis, are similarly haphazard. Compared to the wonderful 1936 film San Francisco, this film is a poorer cousin, but at least here we have the gorgeous Dvorak and the ever-entertaining Wayne.

The disc lacks any special features, which is a shame. Interviews with the surviving cast or crew members of classic films are always fun and enlightening, along the lines of O'Hara’s commentary on John Wayne’s other recent release, Rio Grande. But this film can be forgiven, seeing as how screenwriter, director and the major stars are all unfortunately lost to us. Failing that, film scholars would probably love the chance to talk about the work of such a beloved iconic figure as John Wayne. Even a gallery or bios of the main cast would have been welcome.

The audio and video are decent here, if not stellar. There is some dirt and crackling on the film stock, especially early in the film. This is a film that definitely would have benefited from a digital restoration, but as is, it’s still an enjoyable view. The only real problems are in the stock footage used around the earthquake/fire scenes toward the end; these segments are even duller and missing the usual clarity of black and white film. The sound is similarly muted in places, especially during Dvorak’s songs, but not so bad that you should have any real trouble understanding dialogue.

In short, if you’re a fan of John Wayne or Edwardian America, then you will want to have this one. If you aren’t a die-hard Duke fan, then you might be just as well off to rent this one. It’s worth a view for the gorgeous costumes and sets, as well as for watching Wayne try to steal a girl away from her fiancee.