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The Cruel Sea [1953]


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Review date: 2008-07-03 Rating: 10 out of 10

The unrelenting echo of the sonar punctuates this understated J. Arthur Rank film with a taut atmosphere of suspense. Novelist Eric Ambler's intelligent script remains faithful to Nicholas Monserrat's novel about the last voyage of HMS Compass Rose and all who sailed on her. The splendid performances of Jack Hawkins as her captain and Donald Sinden as his #1 bring the novel to life, as do the performances of the entire ensemble cast, which includes Denholm Elliott. One of the best aspects of the Rank organization films of this era is the devotion that went into the delineation of even the minor characters.

Some viewers may shun this picture because it was filmed in black and white. This is a shame, because "The Cruel Sea" is so absorbing that such details as lack of color become totally irrelevant. Simply put, "The Cruel Sea" is a masterpiece of cinematic art.

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Reviews


Perhaps the greatest British War movie
Review date: 2008-02-13 Rating: 10 out of 10

Nicholas Monsarrat's novel is an unflinching, realistic and emotionally involving account of naval life during the Second World War in which the "heroes" are the men, the "heroines" the ships and the "villain" is not so much the German U-Boats lurking below as "the cruel sea" itself. This 1953 film has become a classic of British cinema largely because it is a straightforward, no-frills adaptation of the book and retain's much of the original's compelling yet almost understated dramatic focus. On convoy duty in the North Atlantic, the crew of HMS Compass Rose face as a matter of routine the threat of destruction from U-Boats as well as a constant struggle against the elements. The convoys themselves are Britain's only lifeline and their loss would lead to certain defeat, but in the early years of the war the ships sent to protect them can do almost nothing to prevent the U-Boat attacks. Jack Hawkins gives one of his finest performances as Captain Ericson, the commander who has to balance destroying the enemy against saving the lives of the men under his care. In one unforgettable scene--a crucial turning point for all the characters--he must decide whether to depth charge a suspected submarine despite the presence of British sailors in the water. As with the book, the individual officers and their lives are carefully delineated, helped by the strength of a cast of (then) young actors (notably Donald Sinden and Denholm Elliot). Ultimately what makes The Cruel Sea such an undeniable classic is that it has neither the flag-waving jingoism nor the war-is-hell melodrama so common to most war movies: instead it relates in an almost matter-of-fact way the bitterness of the conflict at sea fought by ordinary men placed in the most extraordinary of circumstances.

Great antisubmarine movie
Review date: 2008-02-10 Rating: 8 out of 10

This no-nonsense movie goes straight to the point of telling the simple story of life in service for the convoi escort. It's a bit Das Boot from the escort side, but less prolonged and more straight forward. Much like the memoirs of veterans. If you like a down to earth war story, buy this movie.

Brilliant British war film
Review date: 2007-12-24 Rating: 10 out of 10

The Cruel Sea is, without doubt, the best British war film of all time.

A big boast? Maybe, but consider this. What other war film grasps the ordinary man's experience of war better than this understated masterpiece.

Jack Hawkins, as the captain of the doomed corvette Compass Rose, gives the best performance of his career. The most famous scene in the film - when he sends depth charges through a crowd of foundering seamen after a U-boat - sees him torn apart. Yet, when it comes to explanations, he says, quite rightly - 'it's the war, just the war.' One cannot imagine such a harsh, unmelodramatic response making into a film today. All he can do is try and drink the images away and how many other Royal Navy men - watching this film at cinemas in the 50s - would not feel the same.

There are professional sailors in the ship's company, but the majority are there for the duration of the war. Men who never thought of going to sea or fighting. Seeing how they adapt, and suffer, is extremely poignant.

A film where the narration can talk about the importance of 'dying without wasting anyone's time' is extremely powerful stuff. There is no attempt to make it glorious; no attempt to prosecute good men in the dubious court of hindsight - it's just men doing what had to be done, with varying degrees of success.

There is none of the spectacle of the big 60s and 70s 'epics' with massive all-star casts - like 'The Longest Day' or 'A Bridge Too Far' - nor the bolted on 'anti-war' sentiments of films from the later sixties. World War Two was there to be fought and won and these were the men that did it.

Men like Denholm Elliott, drowning thinking of his faithless wife; Theraby - the young man driven mad by being in an open boat, even Stanley Baker, the bully pushed beyond his endurance - are real characters - ordinary people forced to war. There's nothing ostensibly heroic about any of them, but, clearly, they are heroes. Real heroes. Not supermen with machine guns, but frightened civilians huddled around a sonar.

For me the worst scene is when survivors from an oiler are picked up and they, literally, cough their guts up as the men of Compass Rose try, ineffectually, to help them. There is no phoney war here. It is heart-breakingly sad.

Channel Four had 'Saving Private Ryan' as the best war film ever. Good film, especially the first twenty minutes, but it is shallow compared to 'The Cruel Sea.'

It is just a great, great film. It doesn't cost much, so buy it. Watch it. Put it on the shelf, get it out and watch it again. Compare and contrast with the high tech CGI and bangs of current, empty films. This film captures what war is like for ordinary British people.

It is ugly, yet, somehow, uplifting.

The Best of War Films
Review date: 2007-12-14 Rating: 10 out of 10

The story of a corvette and its crew on anti-submarine duty during the Second World War. The film is very thoughtful, and quite closely based on Nicholas Monsarrat's outstanding novel of the same name, and to a lesser extent his factual account of his own experiences as a corvette officer, Three Corvettes, which in any case provided the source material for the novel.

The film stands out because it is not the usual chain of explosions and overblown heroics aimed at younger audiences, but a contemplative look at "real" people dealing with the horrors of war in the North Atlantic. We see the ship's company as their corvette finishes its fitting out and then works up before being released for active duty escorting convoys across the ocean. We see their frustration at not being able to hit back successfully at the U-boats; their worries about loved ones on shore, and what war does to relationships; we watch them grow as people as they learn about death at sea and how deal with an unseen enemy; we see them learn "how to die without wasting anybody's time" - surely an insight into the reality of war that very few other films could match; and we feel the agony of a captain forced to make a decision that may kill his own countrymen - the men he is supposed to be fighting to protect.

The acting is superb throughout, and my copy at least is very sharp and clear. Somehow, black and white seems to suit the mood of this film perfectly, because of its North Atlantic and Arctic Ocean setting, in the same way that Battle of the River Plate, set off Uruguay, could only be in colour.

For those interested in the ships, the corvette Compass Rose was in fact the Greek navy's flower-class Coreopsis; and the second ship, Saltash Castle, was a Royal Navy castle-class corvette, even though it is referred to as a frigate in the film.

One could argue forever about the "best" war film ever made, but if I had to choose one, this would be it.

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Virginia McKenna
Stanley Baker
Denholm Elliott
Jack Hawkins
Moira Lister

Creators:
Jack Hawkins (Primary Contributor)
Stanley Baker (Primary Contributor)

Director(s):

Recording label: Optimum Home Entertainment
Manufacturer: Optimum Home Entertainment
EAN: 5060034576815
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: Anamorphic, PAL,
Release date: 2007-01-08
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Audience rating: Universal, suitable for all
Region code: 2
Running time: 121 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1953
Language: English (Original Language)

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