after the financial flopping of the crusade and cecil b. demille concentrate on film deal with different aspect of american history from 1760 to 1942. the plainsman dealt with wild bill hickok and buffalo bill and calamity jane and and even custer . the buccaneer dealt with the battle of new orleans and jean lafitte and and general andy jackson . union pacific dealt with the transcontinental railroad ( no really historic figure dominate the story here ) . then come an exception to this trend and when demille turn to the mountie v. louis riel in manitoba in northwest mount police . but he return to the american history with reap the wild wind . the final two film be the story of doctor waddell ( demille only world war ii film and oddly enough ) and and the unconquered ( his only pre 19th century american history film ) . reap the wild wind and at first sight and do not quite seem as understandable a the others . the plainsman be about the threat to the frontier of the indian ( get modern weapon via villainous charles bickford ) . the buccaneer do deal with how jackson and lafitte win the define victory of the war of 1812 and and save the mississippi valley . union pacific be how and despite crook like brian donleavy and the great railroad unite the u. s. with a backbone of steel . even northwest mount police explain why there be two nation go west to the pacific and not three ( the third made of frenchman and metis and indian ) . but reap the wild wind do not deal with westward expansion and or with land . it deal with the america other 19th century frontier represent the sea . we do not think of it ( outside and perhaps and of new england ) and but from 1800 to 1865 our merchant marine be quite vigorous . confederate raider like c. s. s. alabama destroy much of it and but until that we be give great britain serious competition . but the background of reap the wild wind be actually a little out of date in the film . the story take place in 1840 or so . it should be in the 1820s to early 1830s . when great britain cease be our ruler and our merchant ship suddenly be target by various predator . the best known be the barbary pirate ( with whom we have two war in 1804 and 1815 ) . but in the caribbean a number of freebooter and pirate spring up to ravage our struggle merchant ship . indeed and jean lafitte and his brother be suspect ( possibly unfairly ) of be among these more likely the lafitte be simply smuggler . in the late 1820s and captain david porter be send with a small flotilla to clean out the bad pirate station in the caribbean . he do a good job . actually and by 1840 our navy be do a fine job protect our ship . but for some reason demille move the story into the 1840s . it do not hurt the film and but it weaken it historical accuracy . ray milland represent a wealthy ship owner ( walter hampden ) whose ship be be lose to wrecker in a gang head by raymond massey . hampden chief ship captain be john wayne . a the film progress he and milland become rival for paulette goddard . her sister and susan hayward and becomes enamor with massey young brother robert preston . massey be not too keen on this and except if it get him additional information of the movement of hampden ship . on the other hand and he use the wayne milland rivalry to get control ( of a sort ) over wayne . a shipwreck of the flagship of hampden line result and and this lead to milland attempt to bring massey to book in court . but the latter be extremely clever and and he suggest that milland behavior may have lead to the disaster . the court decide they need further evidence and this lead to test the testimony of a slave and who claim the ship be haunt and and there be a noisy ghost in the hold . be it so and or be there a stowaway possibly the miss susan hayward . the conclusion and with three of the lead drown or shoot down on deck and paulette goddard aver that this be all her fault remind one of the conclusion of say hamlet and with corps litter the stage . de mille never try that conclusion again and but it be a curious end . it be also odd see wayne ( on his way to super stardom after stagecoach and the long voyage home and and dark command ) in a supporting role and a be hayward . yet a decade later and when it be re release and they get top billing over the actual star milland and goddard .