the cruel sea

Halliwell's Film Guide described the film as a "competent transcription of a bestselling book, cleanly produced and acted". ", The most traumatic scene in the film occurs after a submarine has caused havoc to the convoy and the ASDIC (sonar detector) reveals that it is beneath a group of British sailors who are struggling in the water, hoping to be rescued. The Cruel Sea is a seafaring drama set during WWII, following an escort ship and its crew battling German U-boats. His sub-lieutenants, Lockhart and Ferraby, are both newly commissioned and without experience at sea. "The evacuation of the ship was the first scene to be shot in the tank, which was about an acre in size, 10 feet deep and contained two giant wave-making machines and an aeroplane propeller which had a fire-hose aimed at it to create the spray. My father served on destroyers during the Battle of the Atlantic and this novel made me, Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 22, 2020. The Cruel Sea is a 1951 novel by Nicholas Monsarrat. With the Fall of France, French ports become available to the Germans and U-boats can attack convoys anywhere in the Atlantic – making bad weather the convoys' greatest advantage. It contains seven chapters, each describing a year during the war. In the film, when boarding their new ship, the characters of Ericson and Lockhart remark that neither of them have heard of a castle in Saltash – in reality there is no such thing, although there are a number of fortifications in the local area. Although she had been paid off in 1947, she was held in reserve until broken up in 1958, and so could be made available for use in the film. I first read it as a teenager in the 1960s and saw it on Kindle a few days ago. With Ericson leading an anti-submarine escort group they continue the monotonous but vital duty of convoy escort. It seemed to just gel and be absolutely right. The first lieutenant is put ashore due to illness, the junior officers mature and the ship crosses the Atlantic many times escorting convoys, often in brutal weather. 'ACTION!' The highly acclaimed 'Cruel Sea' is one of the all time great naval and war thrillers. Of course I didn't experience the same wartime conditions nor was I in a warship but there a definite parallels including navigation on the Clyde and some convoy experience around the Falklands. The whole book is permeated with compassion, even sometimes, though grudgingly, extended towards the enemy. Please try again. [1], Although the role of the cowardly officer Bennett was an Australian in the book, the Englishman Donald Sinden was originally screen-tested for the part and the Welshman Stanley Baker was screen-tested for the part of Lockhart. And it simply felt as though you were weathering the storms with the crew. It is even better second time round than it was the first. 'OK, you jump from there' and he showed me a position furthest from the bank. I propose to give the one I received to a charity shop, it is not worth the hassle of returning it. Something went wrong. [10] It earned £215,000 (approximately £4.9million by 2013 standards) in the United States, a high figure for British films at the time. In 1956, according to the documentary Fifties British War Films: Days of Glory, when Elstree Studios was being sold to the BBC, Sir Michael Balcon was asked what had been his greatest achievement during his tenure. They became more popular when fronted by vocalist Tex Perkins in addition to Jim Elliott (3) on drums, Ken Gormly on bass guitar, Dan Rumour (real name: Daniel John Atkins) on guitar and James Cruickshank on guitar and keyboards. [8] Compass Rose carries the pennant number "K49", which was in reality the number of HMS Crocus. The Cruel Sea is a 1953 British war film starring Jack Hawkins, Donald Sinden, Denholm Elliott, Stanley Baker, Liam Redmond, Virginia McKenna and Moira Lister. The film has cult like status within The Royal Navy, with the mess deck tradition of “Cruel Sea Night” in which new mess joiners will watch the film whilst wearing life jackets and sprayed with beer whenever HMS COMPASS ROSE hits heavy weather or certain lines such as “Snorkers!” is said. [3], Future director Don Sharp had a small role.[4]. It transpired that the First thought that I had been joking when I said I couldn't swim! The cover states: 'Shortened and edited suitable for young people'. Originally an instrumental-only band that featured Gerard Corben on guitar. The Cruel Sea is an exceptional exception. Without the food and oil convoys Britain would have starved and lost the war in 1940-42. The First Assistant Director, Norman Priggen, came to me and asked 'Can you swim?' The Cruel Sea is a 1953 British war film starring Jack Hawkins, Donald Sinden, Denholm Elliott, Stanley Baker, Liam Redmond, Virginia McKenna and Moira Lister. Germany is joined in the war by Italy, while the Spanish dictator Franco allows Axis U-boats to use Spanish harbours. I was certainly swimming past but, as the camera operator Chic Waterson spotted – underwater. Yet for all his professionalism he is a human being and he later gets paralytically drunk and bares his feelings to Lockhart. They became more popular when fronted by vocalist Tex Perkins in addition to Jim Elliott (3) on drums, Ken Gormly on bass guitar, Dan Rumour (real name: Daniel John Atkins) on guitar and James Cruickshank on guitar and keyboards. The cruel sea, that yesterday claimed another five Donegal fishermen, last night kept its secret of what happened yesterday morning in the calm waters off rugged Rathlin O’Beirne island. 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