Directed by Michael Curtiz • 1941 • United States
Starring Edward G. Robinson, Ida Lupino, John Garfield

Michael Curtiz’s masterful adaptation of Jack London’s classic psychological adventure novel gives Edward G. Robinson one of his finest screen hours as Wolf Larsen, the tyrannical captain of a freighter who would rather “reign in hell than serve in heaven.” As the maniacal Larsen grows increasingly unhinged, a pair of fugitive passengers (Ida Lupino and John Garfield) come to realize that he will never let them leave his ship alive. Sol Polito contributes atmospheric cinematography while Robert Rossen’s script infuses the story with a strong antifascist statement.