Customer Reviews

Thunder Bay (Bahia Negra) [Region 2]

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

James Stewart and director Anthony Mann used to alternate their Western pictures with contemporary stories during the 1950's and this is one of their efforts. It's certainly one of the most unusual plots ever to make it to the American screen: about the development of offshore oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico after WW2. Stewart had his usual family of regulars around him, the best being Dan Duryea. Stewart gives a compelling portrayal of a man possessed by an industrial vision. Even his gorgeous romantic interest Joanne Dru is a minor distraction from his main love, his oil rig. Written by John Michael Hayes, who went on to write two of Stewart's classics with Hitchcock: "Rear Window" and "The Man Who Knew Too Much."

This was decent entertainment but nothing special, which it could have been with the likes of James Stewart, Joanne Dru, Dan Duryea and Gilbert Roland, Director Anthony Mann.....and an awesome widescreen transfer.

This moive is supposed to be very good widescreen viewing but, unfortunately, it still hasn't been issued on that format. I am stuck with a formatted-to-TV tape until a separate Region 1 widescreen DVD is released on this film. What's the holdup?

Duryea and Stewart played their normal interesting roles. This is mainly storytelling, even though it's listed as an "action movie." There is very little violence. It's simply a story of some people who are the first to successfully drill oil offshore and the resistance they get from the local fishermen. Today, they would be getting "drilled" from all kinds of environmentalist groups.

It was James Stewart himself who summed up this movie best ."They wanted a picture with Jimmy Stewart and we concocted one"Undeniably ,there hangs over the picture a sense of movie making by numbers -a bit of action,a bit of romance ,a bit of conflict and violence with everything exacerbated by a natural disaster towards the end of the picture .

This is not to imply this is a bad movie -it is nothing of the sort being perfectly entertaining if predictable .It does come as a let down after the excellence of the Westerns that Stewart and director Anthony Mann made together around this time -The Far Country ,The Naked Spur,Winchester '73 .Bend of the River and The Man From Laramie.These went some way to redefining the whole genre .This is not as innovative but is rattling good entertainment all the same.

Stewart plays an oil man named Steve Martin who with partner Johhny Gambi (Dan Duryea)want to drill for oil under the waters in the Gulf of Mexico .This does not sit well with the local shrimpers who fear the drilling will drive away the shrimp upon which they depend for their livelihood.Opposition is lead by Techo Bossier (Gilbert Roland )an ooposition manifested in violence ans some sexual tension as romance blossoms between Stewart and Joanne Dru ,a member of a shrimping family

The movie was somewhat ahead of its time in its eco message and benefits from good location shooting in the Gulf of Mexico .Stewart brings intensity and conviction to hois role and you can always rely on such stalwarts as Duryea ,Jay C Flippen ,Roland and Henry Morgan for quality acting .The women ,Dru and Marcia henderson are less impactful

I would have rated this a star higher but for the quality of the other work done by this star/director combination .As it is you have an enjoyable if unoriginal tale with good production values and lots of lively action

Two wildcaters (James Stewart and Dan Duryea) head to a small town on the Mississippi River Delta with a dream to build an off shore oil drilling rig, tow it out to sea, sink it, and drill for oil in the Gulf of Mexico. Soon, the oilmen meet resistance from the townsmen who make their living in the Gulf of Mexico by fishing and shrimping. The fishermen have a dream to, to find the Golden Shrimp that has alluded them for years. The fishermen fear that the exploration and extraction of oil and gas will ruin their industry. After a run in with the townsmen and an attempt of sabotage, the oilmen continue to drill and eventually strike oil thus realizing their dream of offshore oil and gas extraction. The humming sound of the pumps that pump sea water into the rig attracks the Golden Shrimp thus clogging the pump inlet screens. At the suggestion of the wildcater (Stewart), the fisherman (Gilbert Roland) is to collect the Golden Shrimp around the oil rig thus eliminating the clogged screens and providing the fishermen with their dream as well. Everyone wins!!!!!!

The movie is refreshing and industrious and it portrays what America used to be, optomistic, adventurous, courageous, and fearless in it's endevour to be the greatest nation on earth. The movie also displays some common sense and logic; such as, not only is fish and shrimp a natural resource but oil is natural resource too. Yes, oil is a natural product produced by and in the earth over millions of years. We refine this natural oil (called crude oil) to be turned into gasoline and kerosine that is used in jets and cars which apprently all of us use including hollywood-types, environmentalists, and federal and state goverments! James Stewart is fantastic in his roll as an oilman and Dan Duryea as his foreman. Joanne Dru (in blue jeans) is hot as a local daughter of fisherman. Gilbert Roland provides a fantastic portrail of a Rajun-Cajun fisherman. See the movie, lots of oil, love, and a few fights, you will enjoy it. In addition, the movie, in an around about way, explains why we must have the this kind of thunder today in order to maintain the American way of life and rid ourselves of foreign oil and the tyranny and corruption attached to it!

Transparent oil-firm propaganda, with absurdly predictable plot.

Interesting to see how Hollywood backed the oil industry at this time.

Particularly of note is James Stewart's exhortation to not worry about regulations or restrictions--just drill. And we love Jimmy Stewart movies-- but this is truly a hugely outdated period piece. Postwar attitude--get the country moving again, etc. is all over it.

Movie also promotes the specious notion that oil drilling and other occupations--shrimping for instance--can co-exist with no conflict.