The World in His Arms
Encyclopedia
The World in His Arms is a 1952
seafaring adventure film
made by Universal International Pictures. It was directed by Raoul Walsh
and produced by
Aaron Rosenberg
from a screenplay
by Borden Chase
and Horace McCoy
, based on the novel by Rex Beach
. The music score was by Frank Skinner
and the cinematography by Russell Metty
.
The film stars Gregory Peck
, Ann Blyth
and Anthony Quinn
with John McIntire
, Carl Esmond
, Andrea King
, Eugenie Leontovich
, Hans Conried
and Sig Ruman
.
). She books passage with the "Portuguese" (Anthony Quinn) to Sitka, where her uncle Governor Ivan Vorashilov (Sig Ruman) can protect her.
When the Portuguese's bitter rival, Captain Jonathan Clark (Gregory Peck), frees his shanghaied
crew, she sends a man to negotiate with him instead. However, Jonathan hates all Russians and turns down the offer. In desperation, Marina goes to the party he is throwing and, pretending to be the Countess's companion, gets him to change his mind. As he shows her the sights of the city in one whirlwind night, they fall in love. Jonathan proposes marriage and she gladly accepts.
However, Prince Semyon finds Marina and takes her to Sitka. Believing Marina has tricked him, Jonathan races the Portuguese to Alaska, recklessly wagering his ship on who gets there first. Jonathan wins, but that doesn't stop the Portuguese from trying to steal his ship anyway. Unluckily, while both crews are brawling, a Russian gunboat appears and takes them all captive to Sitka.
There, Prince Semyon forces Marina to agree to marry him in return for Jonathan's freedom. Jonathan and his men double back, rescue Marina, and sail away.
1952 in film
The year 1952 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* January 10 - Cecil B. DeMille's circus epic, The Greatest Show on Earth, premieres at Radio City Music Hall in New York City....
seafaring adventure film
Adventure film
Adventure films are a genre of film.Unlike pure, low-budget action films they often use their action scenes preferably to display and explore exotic locations in an energetic way....
made by Universal International Pictures. It was directed by Raoul Walsh
Raoul Walsh
Raoul Walsh was an American film director, actor, founding member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the brother of silent screen actor George Walsh...
and produced by
Aaron Rosenberg
Aaron Rosenberg
Aaron Rosenberg was a film director and producer. His film efforts included the box office hits The Glenn Miller Story and The Benny Goodman Story, as well as Mutiny on the Bounty.Born in Brooklyn, he studied at the University of Southern California and played college football...
from a screenplay
Screenplay
A screenplay or script is a written work that is made especially for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement, actions, expression, and dialogues of the characters are also narrated...
by Borden Chase
Borden Chase
Borden Chase was an American writer.Born Frank Fowler, he went through an assortment of jobs, including driving for gangster Frankie Yale and working as a sandhog on the construction of New York's Holland Tunnel, before turning to writing, first short stories and novels, and later, screenplays...
and Horace McCoy
Horace McCoy
Horace McCoy was an American writer whose hardboiled novels took place during the Great Depression. His best-known novel is They Shoot Horses, Don't They? , which was made into a movie of the same name in 1969, fourteen years after McCoy's death.-Early life:McCoy was born in Pegram, Tennessee...
, based on the novel by Rex Beach
Rex Beach
Rex Ellingwood Beach was an American novelist, playwright, and Olympic water polo player.- Biography :...
. The music score was by Frank Skinner
Frank Skinner (composer)
Frank Skinner was an American composer and arranger.Skinner was born in Meredosia, Illinois. A graduate of the Chicago Musical College , 16-year-old Frank found employment in vaudeville and began playing in local areas with his brother Carl on drums...
and the cinematography by Russell Metty
Russell Metty
Russell Metty, A.S.C. was an American cinematographer, who worked on many films during the Forties, Fifties and Sixties.-Career:...
.
The film stars Gregory Peck
Gregory Peck
Eldred Gregory Peck was an American actor.One of 20th Century Fox's most popular film stars from the 1940s to the 1960s, Peck continued to play important roles well into the 1980s. His notable performances include that of Atticus Finch in the 1962 film To Kill a Mockingbird, for which he won an...
, Ann Blyth
Ann Blyth
Ann Marie Blyth is an American actress and singer, often cast in Hollywood musicals, but also successful in dramatic roles. Her performance as Veda Pierce in the 1945 film Mildred Pierce was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.-Life and career:Blyth was born in Mount Kisco,...
and Anthony Quinn
Anthony Quinn
Antonio Rodolfo Quinn-Oaxaca , more commonly known as Anthony Quinn, was a Mexican American actor, as well as a painter and writer...
with John McIntire
John McIntire
John McIntire was an American character actor.-Career:The craggy-faced film actor was born in Spokane in eastern Washington State but reared in Montana, growing up around ranchers and cowboys, an experience that would later inspire his performances in dozens of westerns.A graduate of USC, McIntire...
, Carl Esmond
Carl Esmond
Carl Esmond was an Austrian stage actor, born in Vienna, Austria. His birth name was Willy Eichberger which he later changed to Charles Esmond and finally to Carl Esmond. Like many of his fellow actors, Esmond fled Nazi Germany to England during World War II. Esmond continued to appear on the...
, Andrea King
Andrea King
Andrea King was an American film and stage actress. She was sometimes billed as Georgette McKee.-Early life:Andrea King was born Georgette André Barry in Paris, France...
, Eugenie Leontovich
Eugenie Leontovich
Eugenie Leontovich was a Russian-born stage actress with a distinguished career in theatre, film and television. She was described as "[o]ne of the most colourful figures of the 20th-century theatre, a successful actress, producer, playwright and teacher."...
, Hans Conried
Hans Conried
Hans Georg Conried, Jr. was an American comedian, character actor and voice actor.-Early years:He was born on April 15, 1917 in Baltimore, Maryland to Hans Georg Conried, Sr. and Edith Beyr Gildersleeve. His mother was a descendant of Pilgrims, and his father was a Jewish immigrant from Vienna,...
and Sig Ruman
Sig Ruman
Sig Ruman was a German-American actor known for his comic portrayals of pompous villains.-Life and career:...
.
Plot summary
In 1850 San Francisco, Russian Countess Marina Selanova (Ann Blyth) flees from an arranged marriage to Prince Semyon (Carl EsmondCarl Esmond
Carl Esmond was an Austrian stage actor, born in Vienna, Austria. His birth name was Willy Eichberger which he later changed to Charles Esmond and finally to Carl Esmond. Like many of his fellow actors, Esmond fled Nazi Germany to England during World War II. Esmond continued to appear on the...
). She books passage with the "Portuguese" (Anthony Quinn) to Sitka, where her uncle Governor Ivan Vorashilov (Sig Ruman) can protect her.
When the Portuguese's bitter rival, Captain Jonathan Clark (Gregory Peck), frees his shanghaied
Shanghaiing
Shanghaiing refers to the practice of conscripting men as sailors by coercive techniques such as trickery, intimidation, or violence. Those engaged in this form of kidnapping were known as crimps. Until 1915, unfree labor was widely used aboard American merchant ships...
crew, she sends a man to negotiate with him instead. However, Jonathan hates all Russians and turns down the offer. In desperation, Marina goes to the party he is throwing and, pretending to be the Countess's companion, gets him to change his mind. As he shows her the sights of the city in one whirlwind night, they fall in love. Jonathan proposes marriage and she gladly accepts.
However, Prince Semyon finds Marina and takes her to Sitka. Believing Marina has tricked him, Jonathan races the Portuguese to Alaska, recklessly wagering his ship on who gets there first. Jonathan wins, but that doesn't stop the Portuguese from trying to steal his ship anyway. Unluckily, while both crews are brawling, a Russian gunboat appears and takes them all captive to Sitka.
There, Prince Semyon forces Marina to agree to marry him in return for Jonathan's freedom. Jonathan and his men double back, rescue Marina, and sail away.
Cast
- Gregory PeckGregory PeckEldred Gregory Peck was an American actor.One of 20th Century Fox's most popular film stars from the 1940s to the 1960s, Peck continued to play important roles well into the 1980s. His notable performances include that of Atticus Finch in the 1962 film To Kill a Mockingbird, for which he won an...
as Captain Jonathan Clark - Ann BlythAnn BlythAnn Marie Blyth is an American actress and singer, often cast in Hollywood musicals, but also successful in dramatic roles. Her performance as Veda Pierce in the 1945 film Mildred Pierce was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.-Life and career:Blyth was born in Mount Kisco,...
as Countess Marina Selanova - Anthony QuinnAnthony QuinnAntonio Rodolfo Quinn-Oaxaca , more commonly known as Anthony Quinn, was a Mexican American actor, as well as a painter and writer...
as the "Portuguese" - John McIntireJohn McIntireJohn McIntire was an American character actor.-Career:The craggy-faced film actor was born in Spokane in eastern Washington State but reared in Montana, growing up around ranchers and cowboys, an experience that would later inspire his performances in dozens of westerns.A graduate of USC, McIntire...
as Deacon Greathouse, Jonathan's second in command - Carl EsmondCarl EsmondCarl Esmond was an Austrian stage actor, born in Vienna, Austria. His birth name was Willy Eichberger which he later changed to Charles Esmond and finally to Carl Esmond. Like many of his fellow actors, Esmond fled Nazi Germany to England during World War II. Esmond continued to appear on the...
as Prince Semyon - Sig RumanSig RumanSig Ruman was a German-American actor known for his comic portrayals of pompous villains.-Life and career:...
as General Ivan Vorashilov - Andrea KingAndrea KingAndrea King was an American film and stage actress. She was sometimes billed as Georgette McKee.-Early life:Andrea King was born Georgette André Barry in Paris, France...
as Mamie - Eugenie LeontovichEugenie LeontovichEugenie Leontovich was a Russian-born stage actress with a distinguished career in theatre, film and television. She was described as "[o]ne of the most colourful figures of the 20th-century theatre, a successful actress, producer, playwright and teacher."...
as Anna Selanova - Bill Radovitch as Ogeechuk, Jonathan's Eskimo crewman
- Rhys WilliamsRhys Williams (actor)Rhys Williams was a Welsh character actor in movies and television, whose career spanned several decades.He made his film debut in How Green Was My Valley . This movie takes place in rural Wales with a large cast of Welsh characters, but was actually filmed in Hollywood with Canadian, American,...
as Eben Cleggett - Bryan ForbesBryan ForbesBryan Forbes, CBE is an English film director, actor and writer.-Career:Bryan Forbes was born John Theobald Clarke on 22 July 1926 in Queen Mary's Hospital, Stratford, West Ham, Essex , and grew up at 43 Cranmer Road, Forest Gate, West Ham, Essex .Forbes trained as an actor at the Royal Academy of...
as William Cleggett - Hans ConriedHans ConriedHans Georg Conried, Jr. was an American comedian, character actor and voice actor.-Early years:He was born on April 15, 1917 in Baltimore, Maryland to Hans Georg Conried, Sr. and Edith Beyr Gildersleeve. His mother was a descendant of Pilgrims, and his father was a Jewish immigrant from Vienna,...
as Eustace, hotel clerk