THE SEA WOLF illustrates something that I love about some older movies - they get to the point quickly. The opening shot shows a city street, with only a street lamp and some electric signs cutting through the dense fog. We are shown a superimposed title - "San Francisco, 1900". We follow the shadow of a man into one of the waterfront saloons where somebody immediately tries to pick his pocket. But our man, played by John Garfield, is too quick and grabs the thief's hand. "If you find anything in there, brother," he says, "let me know." Next we see a well-dressed man trying to talk a sailor into joining up on a seal-hunting vessel. When the sailor finds out the name of the ship, "The Ghost", he balks and leaves the saloon. With a nod of his head, the well-dressed man sends out two goons to follow him.
Two cops walk into the saloon, obviously looking for someone. Garfield sees them and pulls his collar and hat around his face, knocking his drink over in the process. When the cops leave, the well-dressed man makes the same sailing offer to Garfield and buys him a drink. The bartender slips something into one of the drinks, but Garfield notices that too. He throws the drink into the well dressed man's face, punches him in the mouth and announces that he doesn't have to be drugged in order to join the crew of The Ghost, he'll sail any time, anywhere.
Total amount of screen time for this opening scene: 2 minutes, 45 seconds.
Notice what we learn in this short scene:
1) We are on the waterfront of San Francisco in the year 1900. 2) John Garfield is a man who is down on his luck, aware of everything around him, can take care of himself and wanted by the police. 3) The Ghost is a bad ship, so bad that a team of thugs have been hired to shanghai a crew.
Now notice what we don't learn:
1) John Garfield's name, or anybody else's for that matter. 2) What Garfield has done to get in trouble with the law. 3) Why people are so afraid of The Ghost.
John Garfield's character name is not necessary for us to know, although we do learn it later. It is also not necessary for us to know why he's running from the law, and in fact, we never do learn the reason. As to The Ghost, we are given just enough information to intrigue us and allow the suspense to build. The Ghost is not a place we want to be, and that's all the information we need for now.
Go To Page: 1 2
