Tonight's Movie: Alaska Seas (1954) - A Kino Lorber Blu-ray Review

ALASKA SEAS (1954) will be released on Blu-ray next week by Kino Lorber.

The movie stars Robert Ryan, Brian Keith, Jan Sterling, and Gene Barry in a loose remake of SPAWN OF THE NORTH (1938), which was released by Kino Lorber in 2020.

But whereas SPAWN OF THE NORTH was a 100-minute "A" picture, ALASKA SEAS is a low-budget "B" picture which runs a short 78 minutes. Generally speaking I'm a fan of short "B" movies, but this one doesn't really work.

Ryan plays Matt, who's released from jail and returns to his small Alaska fishing community, where he's reunited with his friend Jim (Keith) and former girlfriend Nicky (Sterling). Nicky and Jim are now engaged.

Jim is kind to Matt, despite the fact that Matt is a no-good loser who owes multiple people money and is aggressively trying to steal Nicky back. Jim gets Matt fishing work, which he will come to regret.

Before long Matt causes the destruction of Jim's boat and, even worse, he teams up with the crooked Verne (Barry) and his murderous gang.

I have to admit I was hoping for more from this film, given both the source material and the fine cast. I really enjoyed SPAWN OF THE NORTH, which was a solid drama which also won an Oscar for special effects; ALASKA SEAS, by contrast, is quite lackluster.

The film looks cheap, with limited sets and extensive stock footage; I'd have to compare, but I wondered if the avalanche footage was borrowed from SPAWN OF THE NORTH.

What's worse than the film's look is that Ryan's character is as unlikeable as they come. He's simply a mess of a human being, without any explanatory back story, and it's rather exhausting watching him wreak havoc and cause pain to his close friends.

Walter Doniger's screenplay lacks the complexity of SPAWN OF THE NORTH, and so we're also left with absolutely no understanding of why Jim and Nicky have been so loyal to Matt. I'd add that the ostensible comic relief provided by a seal is an odd contrast with Matt's awfulness.

Keith comes off best as the handsome, honorable Jim, and whatever works in the movie is because of his performance and likeability. Barry snarls in his few scenes but doesn't make much of an impression.

Sterling is quite bland as the leading lady who must make up her mind between a fine man and a creep. What's to decide, really?! Incidentally, Nicky is a blending of two characters from the original film, played by Dorothy Lamour and Louise Platt.

I was fascinated to learn that Ross Bagdasarian, who plays Jim's friend Joe, was the creator of Alvin and the Chipmunks, under the name David Seville. The cast also includes Timothy Carey, Aaron Spelling, Ralph Dumke, Richard Shannon, and Peter Coe.

The movie was directed by Jerry Hopper and filmed in black and white by William C. Mellor.

The fine-looking Blu-ray print is a new HD master from Paramount Pictures. Sound quality is also good. Even when I find a film disappointing, I'm grateful for the chance to try it under the most optimal conditions possible.

Extras consist of a commentary track by David Del Valle and Stan Shaffer and a gallery of trailers for six additional films. The case includes reversible cover art.

ALASKA SEAS has just enough to it to hold the attention, but regrettably it's a two-star movie with a four-star cast.

Thanks to Kino Lorber for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray.

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