Ever since the first hero lumbered off into the sunset carrying the swag in one hand and the heroine in the other, people have been carping about the unreality of the normal Hollywood product. What they wanted to see was something approaching real life where passion turns to grapefruit juice and where the hero invariably gets his head knocked in.

In "Wake of the Red Witch" Republic Pictures has done everything possible-to make these critics sublimely happy. The picture oozes tragedy from every pore. Nothing, but absolutely nothing, turns out right. The hero, that usually indestructible character, blunders into a hopeless jam and ends his days being squeezed into a fine aspic by the pressure in 100 fathoms of water. The heroine marries the villain in a fit of pique after her uncle has been burned to a crisp by the hero. Her life with the villain is very unhappy and she soon dies spouting cliches in the arms of the hero. The villain alone is the only one able to maintain his aplomb and he winds up with all the goodies.

The vehicle for this monumental tragedy is a confused and laborious tale of two rugged individualists and their battle for pearls, gold, and a woman. Both men are the ultimate in their types. The hero is strong, courageous to a fault, and kind to kiddies. The heavy is wealthy, unscrupulous, and abominably clever. A couple of characters like this can make a picture dull under any circumstances, but when the whole improbable business is set in the languid South Seas amid octopi and dancing girls and crusted with miserable dialogue, the boredom reaches epic proportions.

John Wayne, who can be remembered for his excellent performance in "Red River," does rather well as the hero, a tough sea captain. Where the script calls for fast, brutal action, Mr. Wayne provides some exciting moments, but he is obviously ill at ease when required to drool into the ear of his sweetheart, Gail Russell. Luther Adler plays opposite Wayne as a calculating Dutch trader. The part written for him is so ridiculous, so frighteningly sinister that it becomes impossible to tell whether he can act or not. A ham could wallow in this muck forever and no one would be the wiser.