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The Buccaneer  /  Reap the Wild Wind

January 18, 2015 - 7:00 pm
Billy Wilder Theater

Restored by UCLA Film & Television Archive with funding provided by The Cecil B. DeMille Foundation.

The Buccaneer  (1938)


In one of director Cecil B. DeMille's rarest sound films, Fredric March stars as Jean Lafitte, the French pirate transformed into an American folk hero for his exploits at the Battle of New Orleans—all for the love of an American aristocrat (Margot Grahame), as DeMille tells it.  As an invading British army approaches New Orleans, Lafitte sees a chance to join forces with Andrew Jackson and earn the respect of decent society while all afoot spies and traitors work to thwart his plans.  Hungarian actress Franciska Gaal stars as Gretchen, a shipwrecked waif plucked from the sea by Lafitte.

Paramount Pictures, Inc.  Director: Cecil B. DeMille.  Screenwriter: Edwin Justus Mayer, Harold Lamb, C. Gardner Sullivan.  Cinematographer: Victor Milner.  Editor: Anne Bauchens.  Cast: Fredric March, Franciska Gaal, Akim Tamiroff, Margot Grahame, Walter Brennan.  35mm, b/w, 126 min.

Reap the Wild Wind  (1942)


In 1840s Key West, Loxi (Paulette Goddard) is owner of a salvage company that rescues cargo from scuttled ships.  When she becomes convinced that the ruined ship of disgraced captain Jack Stuart (John Wayne) was sabotaged by a competing salvage company, she sets out to clear his name.  This puts her face to face with naval lawyer Steven Tolliver (Ray Milland), and soon, at the center of a romantic triangle.  Elaborate underwater photography, a bold color palette and a climactic battle with an octopus, make this sea epic one of director Cecil B. DeMille's most fascinating entries.

Paramount Pictures, Inc.  Producer: Cecil B. DeMille.  Director: Cecil B. DeMille.  Screenwriter: Alan LeMay, Charles Bennett, Jesse Lasky Jr.  Cinematographer: Victor Milner, William V. Skall.  Editor: Anne Bauchens.  Cast: Paulette Goddard, John Wayne, Ray Milland, Raymond Massey, Robert Preston.  35mm, color, 123 min.

Preceded by

Restored by UCLA Film & Television Archive with funding provided by The Cecil B. DeMille Foundation.

Gretchen Comes Across  (1938)


A short promotional featurette for Cecil B. DeMille's The Buccaneer (1938), featuring newly discovered co-star Franciska Gaal.

35mm, b/w, 11 min.

Part of: 
The Greatest Showman: Cecil B. DeMille