Wind Across the Everglades
Encyclopedia
Wind Across the Everglades is a 1958 film directed by Nicholas Ray
. Ray was fired from the film before production was finished, and several scenes were completed by screenwriter Budd Schulberg
, who also supervised the editing.
The film features Christopher Plummer
in his first lead role (and his second film role overall) and, in a minor role, Peter Falk
in his film debut. Former stripper Gypsy Rose Lee
and circus clown Emmett Kelly
also are among those in an unusual cast.
It was filmed on location
in Everglades National Park
in Technicolor
.
(Christopher Plummer) who arrives in Florida
in the hopes of enforcing conservation laws. He soon finds himself pitted against Cottonmouth (Burl Ives
), the leader of a fierce group of bird poachers
. The film was loosely based upon the life and death of Guy Bradley
, an early game warden who in 1905 was shot and killed by plume hunters in the Everglades.
described it as "a kind of litmus test for auteurists
". After citing the film's editorial history, Rosenbaum goes on to say that "Ray's masterful use of color and mystical sense of equality between the antagonists (also evident in Rebel Without a Cause
and Bitter Victory
) are made all the more piquant here by his feeling for folklore and outlaw ethics as well as his cadenced mise en scene
."
Nicholas Ray
Nicholas Ray was an American film director best known for the movie Rebel Without a Cause....
. Ray was fired from the film before production was finished, and several scenes were completed by screenwriter Budd Schulberg
Budd Schulberg
Budd Schulberg was an American screenwriter, television producer, novelist and sports writer. He was known for his 1941 novel, What Makes Sammy Run?, his 1947 novel The Harder They Fall, his 1954 Academy-award-winning screenplay for On the Waterfront, and his 1957 screenplay for A Face in the...
, who also supervised the editing.
The film features Christopher Plummer
Christopher Plummer
Arthur Christopher Orne Plummer, CC is a Canadian theatre, film and television actor. He made his film debut in 1957's Stage Struck, and notable early film performances include Night of the Generals, The Return of the Pink Panther and The Man Who Would Be King.In a career that spans over five...
in his first lead role (and his second film role overall) and, in a minor role, Peter Falk
Peter Falk
Peter Michael Falk was an American actor, best known for his role as Lieutenant Columbo in the television series Columbo...
in his film debut. Former stripper Gypsy Rose Lee
Gypsy Rose Lee
Gypsy Rose Lee was an American burlesque entertainer famous for her striptease act. She was also an actress, author, and playwright whose 1957 memoir was made into the stage musical and film Gypsy.-Early life:...
and circus clown Emmett Kelly
Emmett Kelly
Emmett Leo Kelly , a native of Sedan, Kansas, was an American circus performer, who created the memorable clown figure "Weary Willie", based on the hobos of the Depression era.- Career development :...
also are among those in an unusual cast.
It was filmed on location
Filming location
A filming location is a place where some or all of a film or television series is produced, in addition to or instead of using sets constructed on a movie studio backlot or soundstage...
in Everglades National Park
Everglades National Park
Everglades National Park is a national park in the U.S. state of Florida that protects the southern 25 percent of the original Everglades. It is the largest subtropical wilderness in the United States, and is visited on average by one million people each year. It is the third-largest...
in Technicolor
Technicolor
Technicolor is a color motion picture process invented in 1916 and improved over several decades.It was the second major process, after Britain's Kinemacolor, and the most widely used color process in Hollywood from 1922 to 1952...
.
Plot synopsis
Set in the early 20th century, the film follows a game wardenGame warden
A game warden is an employee who has the role of protecting wildlife. Game wardens may also be referred to as conservation officers or wildlife officers...
(Christopher Plummer) who arrives in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
in the hopes of enforcing conservation laws. He soon finds himself pitted against Cottonmouth (Burl Ives
Burl Ives
Burl Icle Ivanhoe Ives was an American actor, writer and folk music singer. As an actor, Ives's work included comedies, dramas, and voice work in theater, television, and motion pictures. Music critic John Rockwell said, "Ives's voice .....
), the leader of a fierce group of bird poachers
Poaching
Poaching is the illegal taking of wild plants or animals contrary to local and international conservation and wildlife management laws. Violations of hunting laws and regulations are normally punishable by law and, collectively, such violations are known as poaching.It may be illegal and in...
. The film was loosely based upon the life and death of Guy Bradley
Guy Bradley
Guy Morrell Bradley was an American game warden and deputy sheriff for Monroe County, Florida. Born in Chicago, Illinois, he relocated to Florida with his family when he was young...
, an early game warden who in 1905 was shot and killed by plume hunters in the Everglades.
Critical reputation
Due to Ray's having been fired from the production before the film was completed, Wind Across the Everglades holds a contentious place in film scholarship. In a short review of the film, critic Jonathan RosenbaumJonathan Rosenbaum
Jonathan Rosenbaum is an American film critic. Rosenbaum was the head film critic for the Chicago Reader from 1987 until 2008, when he retired at the age of 65...
described it as "a kind of litmus test for auteurists
Auteur theory
In film criticism, auteur theory holds that a director's film reflects the director's personal creative vision, as if they were the primary "auteur"...
". After citing the film's editorial history, Rosenbaum goes on to say that "Ray's masterful use of color and mystical sense of equality between the antagonists (also evident in Rebel Without a Cause
Rebel Without a Cause
Rebel Without a Cause is a 1955 American drama film about emotionally confused suburban, middle-class teenagers. Directed by Nicholas Ray, it offered both social commentary and an alternative to previous films depicting delinquents in urban slum environments...
and Bitter Victory
Bitter Victory
Bitter Victory is a 1957 black and white French-American international co-production film shot in CinemaScope, directed by Nicholas Ray....
) are made all the more piquant here by his feeling for folklore and outlaw ethics as well as his cadenced mise en scene
Mise en scène
Mise-en-scène is an expression used to describe the design aspects of a theatre or film production, which essentially means "visual theme" or "telling a story"—both in visually artful ways through storyboarding, cinematography and stage design, and in poetically artful ways through direction...
."