Code of the Sea

Twenty year's earlier, Rod LaRocque's father deserted his post and died in disgrace. Now Rod is the commanding officer of a lightship in a storm. The yacht of his fiancée, Jacqueline Logan, is breaking up on a reef and his ship is the only one which can reach her. Will he abandon his post and be disgraced like his father, or allow the woman he loves to die?

This is a pretty good melodrama directed by Victor Fleming. Although he worked in every genre of the movies -- in the same year he directed both GONE WITH THE WIND and THE WIZARD OF OZ -- he specialized in studies of men in isolated positions. Although the course of events of this melodrama will surprise no one, and its photography reveals clearly that it was a programmer, there are some fine action sequences in this picture, particularly near the end during the rescue.

LaRocque and Logan would go with Demille when he was fired by Paramount a year later. LaRocque would become Demille's action star and Logan would snag the role of Mary Magdalene in KING OF KINGS, but their careers would suffer. When this programmer was made, though, their careers were both on the rise and they, as well as Victor Fleming, make this a solid movie.