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China Seas

Play trailer Poster for China Seas 1935 1h 27m Adventure Play Trailer Watchlist
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80% Tomatometer 5 Reviews 73% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
Dashing captain Alan Gaskell (Clark Gable) is attempting to lead a more subdued life with a new love interest, aristocrat Sybil Barclay (Rosalind Russell), when his ship is taken over by pirates while sailing the South Pacific. Alan discovers that his predicament involves his volatile former girlfriend, Dolly Portland (Jean Harlow), and her new beau, the shifty Jamesy MacArdle (Wallace Beery). This tense scenario leads to unexpected sparks between Alan and Dolly.
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China Seas

Critics Reviews

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Ann Ross Maclean's Magazine 10/08/2019
China Seas is as stirring a melodrama as you are likely to come across during the current movie season, one violent climax leading into another and frequently overlapping it. Go to Full Review
Diego Galán El Pais (Spain) 08/23/2019
China Seas addresses the moral clichés of previous films with a curious sense of humor that is born from the dialogue, written with skill and talent. [Full Review in Spanish] Go to Full Review
Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com 02/24/2012
B-
A typical MGM star vehicle of the Depression era, benefiting from strong chemistry between Gable and Harlow. Go to Full Review
Michael W. Phillips, Jr. Goatdog's Movies 06/09/2007
2.5/5
There's so much going on that it's easy to be distracted into feeling like you've seen something. Go to Full Review
Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews 11/05/2004
B
Highly entertaining because of the marvelous cast. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Mark B 03/31/2024 Such great dialogue very funny Harlow and Gable are great. See more Steve D 06/10/2023 A mixed bag of acting and storytelling. See more 12/18/2021 Not just a routine trip from Hong Kong to Singapore for Captain Alan Gaskell(Clark Gable). There is a treasure trove of gold hidden on board. Among the passengers are two women of the captain's past: Dolly(Jean Harlow), the brash blonde bombshell and Lady Sybil(Rosalind Russell), the prim and proper socialite from England. Wallace Beery is a 'blow hard' gambler that is not to be trusted. Also in the cast are Lewis Stone and Hattie McDaniel. Raiding pirates, one hell of a typhoon plus love on the high seas...a very good adventure film with tense action. Gable and Harlow are dynamic together. Tight direction from Tay Garnett. Special effects are superb. See more 06/20/2016 Was interested in the story as it involves Asia. But off course the setting is on board the steam ship. Clark Gable is the captain. Jean Harlow is his ex-lover and they have bickering. Another ex-lover Rosalind Russell is also on board. Wallace Beery is another crew who seems nice. But Jean found out he is planning to take over the ship with the help of Malay pirates, to steal gold on board. Wallace is also interested in Jean and force her to join him. She help him steal the key to the rifle storage. Regretting her act, she try to warn Clark who didn't catch the drift. The pirates with arms hijack and use a foot clamp to torture Clark to reveal the gold but he refuse. The pirates leave and Clark fires at their boat. Doing his investigation, he interrogate Jean and she admit. Wallace is also been expose and he swallow a suicide pill. In the end Clark still like Jean but is unable to be with her and Rosalind. See more ashley h @ashleyhobgood87 06/05/2015 China Seas is an incredible film. It is about the captain of a tramp steamer chugging between Singapore and Hong Kong. Clark Gable and Jean Harlow give fantastic performances. The screenplay is well written. Tay Garnett did a great job directing this movie. I enjoyed watching this motion picture because of the drama and adventure. China Seas is a must see. See more 11/23/2014 On The High Seas Of Adventure With Gable, Harlow & Beery... Romance and Adventure On The China Seas--Typhoon and pirates in the high seas... Red Dust meets Grand Hotel!! See more Read all reviews
China Seas

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Movie Info

Synopsis Dashing captain Alan Gaskell (Clark Gable) is attempting to lead a more subdued life with a new love interest, aristocrat Sybil Barclay (Rosalind Russell), when his ship is taken over by pirates while sailing the South Pacific. Alan discovers that his predicament involves his volatile former girlfriend, Dolly Portland (Jean Harlow), and her new beau, the shifty Jamesy MacArdle (Wallace Beery). This tense scenario leads to unexpected sparks between Alan and Dolly.
Director
Tay Garnett
Producer
Albert Lewin
Screenwriter
Jules Furthman, James Kevin McGuinness
Distributor
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Production Co
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Genre
Adventure
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 16, 1935, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
May 23, 2016
Runtime
1h 27m
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