by Derek Smith 5/31/06
Aside from having the lamest title and least interesting
female character of any Hawks film, Tiger
Shark has a hell of a lot going for it. If seeing Edward
G. Robinson with an earring, a wavey mop atop his head and delivering
his lines in a so-bad-it's-good Portuguese accent isn't reason enough
to see this film, worry not for it also contains the typical Hawksian
male-bonding and study of group dynamic that mark many of his great
films. It begins with the loss of manhood - Mike's (Robinson) arm
is chomped off by a tiger shark as it hangs limply over the side of the
boat while he and his best friend Pipes (Richard Arlen) wait to be
rescued from their ship lost at sea - and follows the troubling
after-effects this has on the confident, talented, yet oft-oblivious
protagonist. The "complete
man" in Hawks' films are usually consummate professionals among
the best at what they do, but also successful at finding
the woman who perfectly complements them. What makes Mike
Mascarenhas (the brilliance of this name can only be appreciated after
hearing Robinson say it repeatedly referring to himself in the third
person) such an interesting character is his struggle to remain the
kind of man that Hawks's other heroes naturally were. Women
naturally gravitate towards his heroes and they charm and woo them
effortlessly and, in the case of several Wayne/Hawks collaborations,
sometimes without even realizing it. It's not
that these other men aren't imperfect, but they're not permanently incomplete in the way
that Mike is and while we celebrate in the greatness of the others, we
cheer for Mike because he deserves better. His physical loss is
equated to a loss of manhood
and the way the film pans out - I won't go so far as spoiling it - goes
to show a lot about how Hawks sees the masculine and the
femenine.
If the final act is Hawks' most tragic, it is the highly adventurous
and comical first hour which prevents it from being a complete
downer. In fact, the deep connection between Mike and Pipes is
established so early, as is the wonderful dynamic between the fishermen
on his boat, that the intensity of the fishing scene, leading to Mike's
eventual involvement with Quita (Zita Johann), makes the danger,
excitement and
difficulty of their job completely thrilling. No, this may not be
a lost (or, "only available on TCM") Hawks masterpiece, but it is does
show evidence of the concerns that pervade nearly all of his great
films and is as intense and immediate as most of them. As for
Edward G. Robinson, this truly is one of his shining moments; imbued
with compassion, pathos and a deep understanding of the nature of his
work and the people around him. The performance and this film are
not to be missed.
Cinematic
Reflections
