Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows FanStore News Showtimes

China Seas

Play trailer Poster for China Seas Released Aug 16, 1935 1h 27m Adventure Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
80% Tomatometer 5 Reviews 72% 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.
Watch on Fandango at Home Buy Now

Where to Watch

China Seas

Critics Reviews

View All (5) Critics Reviews
Ann Ross Maclean's Magazine 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. Oct 8, 2019 Full Review Diego Galán El Pais (Spain) 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] Aug 23, 2019 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com A typical MGM star vehicle of the Depression era, benefiting from strong chemistry between Gable and Harlow. Rated: B- Feb 24, 2012 Full Review Michael W. Phillips, Jr. Goatdog's Movies There's so much going on that it's easy to be distracted into feeling like you've seen something. Rated: 2.5/5 Jun 9, 2007 Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews Highly entertaining because of the marvelous cast. Rated: B Nov 5, 2004 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (29) audience reviews
Mark B Such great dialogue very funny Harlow and Gable are great. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/24 Full Review Steve D A mixed bag of acting and storytelling. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 06/10/23 Full Review Audience Member 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. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/08/23 Full Review Audience Member 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. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/22/23 Full Review ashley h 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. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member 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!! Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/22/23 Full Review Read all reviews
China Seas

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

Cast & Crew

View All Cast and Crew

More Like This

View All Best Movies to Stream at Home
Mutiny on the Bounty 96% 84% Mutiny on the Bounty Watchlist San Francisco 92% 71% San Francisco Watchlist Captains Courageous 95% 89% Captains Courageous Watchlist Tarzan and His Mate 100% 75% Tarzan and His Mate Watchlist Treasure Island 100% 73% Treasure Island Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More
View All China Seas photos

China Seas

China Seas (1935) China Seas (1935) China Seas (1935) China Seas (1935) View more photos

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
Most Popular at Home Now