Main Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Sydney Greenstreet, Mary Astor, Charles Halton, Victor Sen Yung, Keye Luke
Release Year: 1942
Country: US
Run Time: 97 minutes
MPAA Rating: NR
Plot
A lively espionage drama that reunited the stars and director of the previous year's The Maltese Falcon, Across the Pacific was originally envisioned as the story of a Japanese invasion of Hawaii. Real-life events of December of 1941, however, precluded such a scenario and the location was changed to the Panama Canal. For reasons known only to Warner Bros., the title was retained despite the fact that none of the action takes place in the Pacific. Humphrey Bogart plays Rick Leland, a disgraced ex-army man, who, after being turned down by the Canadian military, jumps a Japanese steamer bound for the Panama Canal Zone. Also onboard are Alberta Marlow (Mary Astor), a small-town girl claiming to be en route to Los Angeles; Dr. Lorenz (Sydney Greenstreet), a corpulent sociologist with a suspiciously friendly regard for all things Japanese; and Joe Totsuiko (Victor Sen Yung), a happy-go-lucky second generation Japanese-American on his way to visit the old country. But no one is exactly who he or she claims to be and the voyage from Halifax via New York City to Panama becomes a matter of life and death for the passengers in general, and for the future of the United States in particular. Director John Huston was forced to leave the film three weeks into the four-week shooting schedule when summoned to report to the Department of Special Services. According to Huston, he purposefully placed Humphrey Bogart's character in a highly precarious situation and left it up to his replacement, Vincent Sherman, to come up with the solution -- which Sherman did in an especially fiery climax. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
Review
Although certainly not of the caliber of The Maltese Falcon (1941) and Casablanca (1942), Across the Pacific remains a fine piece of slam-bang entertainment, Warner Bros.-style. Not that the drama makes that much sense, but the film is so skillfully acted and directed that such complaints become academic. Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, and Sydney Greenstreet appear exactly as you have come to expect -- which is as it should be -- but the key character here is Victor Sen Yung's Joe Totsuiko, one of the era's most treacherous villains. A second-generation immigrant seemingly full of vim and vigor, Totsuiko actually personifies the fate of most Japanese-Americans, who were actively rounded up and interned as filming of Across the Pacific progressed. (According to Mary Astor, Warner Bros. was forced to endlessly replace Japanese actors and crew members as they were rounded up by the U.S. government, but in reality, most of the original supporting players were either of Chinese or Korean origin.) Audiences in 1942, however, were thus told never to trust the Totsuikos of this world, never mind how all-American they may seem, a regrettable sentiment, but perhaps understandable under the circumstances. Writer Richard Macauley based his screenplay on Robert Garson's serialized magazine story Aloha Means Goodbye, but the snappy repartee between Bogart and a very funny Miss Astor is all Macauley and adds tremendously to Across the Pacific's entertainment value. As does Byron Haskin and William Van Enger's special effects and cinematographer Arthur Edeson's fluid camera. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
Robert M. Haas - Art Director, Hugh Reticker, Jr. - Art Director, Milo Anderson - Costume Designer, John Huston - Director, Frank Magee - Editor, Adolph Deutsch - Composer (Music Score), Leo F. Forbstein - Musical Direction/Supervision, Perc Westmore - Makeup, Arthur Edeson - Cinematographer, Jack Saper - Producer, Jerry Wald - Producer, Byron Haskin - Special Effects, Richard Van Enger - Special Effects, Willard Van Enger - Special Effects, Everett A. Brown - Sound/Sound Designer, Robert Carson - Screen Story, Richard Macaulay - Screenwriter
Alberta Marlow (Mary Astor) and Rick Leland (Humphrey Bogart) aboard the Genoa Maru.
In late 1941, Captain Rick Leland (Humphrey Bogart) is court-martialled and discharged from the U.S. Coast Artillery after he is caught stealing. He tries to join the Canadian army, but is coldly rebuffed. He subsequently boards a Japanese ship, the Genoa Maru, in Halifax to make his way to China via the Panama Canal to fight for Chiang Kai-shek.
On board, he meets attractive Canadian Alberta Marlow (Mary Astor) and Dr. Lorenz (Sydney Greenstreet), a professor of sociology who makes no secret of his admiration of the Japanese and is thus not popular in the Philippines, where he resides. Leland, in his turn, makes it clear to Lorenz that he has no loyalty toward his country and would gladly fight for whoever is willing to pay for his services.
During a stop in New York, Leland reports to Colonel Hart (Paul Stanton), an undercover intelligence officer, revealing that he is in fact still a loyal American. Lorenz is a known enemy spy, but Hart and Leland are uncertain about Marlow. Upon returning to the ship, Leland surprises a Filipino man who is about to shoot Lorenz, thus gaining Lorenz's confidence. Second-generation Japanese-American Joe Totsuiko (Victor Sen Yung) embarks as a passenger.
As they arrive in Panama, the captain announces that the ship has been denied passage through the canal and will be forced to sail the long way around Cape Horn. Leland, Marlow and Lorenz disembark to wait for another ship. Several crates are unloaded addressed to a Dan Morton at the Bountiful plantation.
Lorenz asks Leland, who was once stationed in the area, to procure up-to-date schedules for the American planes that patrol the area. Leland meets with his local contact, A.V. Smith (Charles Halton), and convinces him to provide the real schedules, as Lorenz could easily find out if he were given fake ones. The date is December 6, 1941 - the eve of the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Having delivered the schedules after haggling with Lorenz over their price, Leland is knocked out. He wakes up several hours later and finds out that both Lorenz and Marlow have left the hotel. He immediately calls Smith and warns him to change the patrol schedule, then heads out to the Bountiful plantation, where he sees a torpedo bomber being prepared. He is caught, however, and brought inside to Lorenz, Marlow, and Totsuiko.
Marlow turns out to be the daughter of the plantation's owner, Dan Morton (Monte Blue), a drunk who is being used. To Leland's relief, Marlow's only stake in the affair is concern for her father.
Lorenz reveals that they killed Smith before he could change the patrol schedule and that they are planning to torpedo the Panama Canal Locks. At the last minute, Leland overpowers Totsuiko (Marlow's father is killed in the process). Leland takes over a machine gun and shoots down the plane, piloted by no less than an Imperial Japanese prince, as it tries to take off. A firefight ensues between Leland and Lorenz's men. At the end, a defeated Lorenz tries to commit seppuku, but his nerve fails and he begs Leland to shoot him. Leland refuses, as Lorenz has "an appointment with Army intelligence".
Kam Tong as T. Oki, the Japanese prince traveling incognito as Lorenz's servant
Adaptations to Other Media
Across the Pacific was adapted as a radio play on The Screen Guild Theater's January 25, 1943 broadcast with Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor and Sydney Greenstreet reprising their film roles.
