Wind Across the Everglades
With Christopher Plummer, Burl Ives, Gypsy Rose Lee.
US, 1958, 35mm, color, 93 min.
Print source: Warner Bros.
Shot entirely on location in the Everglades in southern Florida, Ray incorporated extraordinary wildlife footage into this ecologically-tinged drama. Written and produced by Budd Schulberg, Wind pits a zealous game warden against a band of ruthless poachers, led by the murderous Cottonmouth – played by Ray’s old friend from his radio days, Burl Ives – who kill birds for their valuable plumes. The film has a before-its-time environmentalism, with nature depicted as a powerful force with a primal ability to exact revenge when not treated with respect. Ray’s fascination with marginal cultures lends a sympathetic tenor to the gang of poachers, who hide out in the Everglades and, abiding their own set of communal laws, enact a raw brand of “natural” justice.
Part of film series
Screenings from this program
The True Story of Jesse James
Bigger Than Life
King of Kings
Johnny Guitar
55 Days at Peking
On Dangerous Ground
A Woman's Secret
