Stevecorp
Don't listen to the negative reviews
Kamila Bell
This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.
Catherina
If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.
Leofwine_draca
Another fine British war movie of the 1950s. This one tackles the subject of the war in the Atlantic and features the crew of a British warship as they tackle the U-Boat menace. The film is based on a non-fiction novel by Monsarrat and thus has a ring of authenticity to it. There's certainly no jingoism or flag-waving here, just a sweaty and suspenseful account of what it's like to fight submarines in a theatre where the sea itself is an enemy.The cinematography is fine and the story gives a fair balance to both characters and plot. As is usual for this era, the cast is very fine, ranging from Jack Hawkins as the rugged sea commander to Denholm Elliott and Donald Sinden as his fresh-faced recruits. Stanley Baker has another stand-out turn as the sausage-loving first officer. Even Virginia McKenna is here, years before she became known for her work on BORN FREE. I wouldn't call THE CRUEL SEA quite top-tier material but it's certainly an enthralling and moving film nonetheless and above average for its genre.
mwardf
Almost 60 years on this film retains its quality. If you haven't seen it for many years or read the book I strongly recommend you revisit them; they both stand the test of time extremely well. If you haven't seen the film and/or read the book I suggest you do so - you won't regret it. The film suffers a little from the decisions that are necessarily made in order to fit a long book to the time constraints imposed by a film although for its time it is quite long. There are several vignettes of individuals that are excluded completely. The character of Ferraby is neglected to a certain degree for it is he that Monserrat hangs much of the elements of horror in the story on. However overall the adaptation is sound and the film is lucid and extremely effective in its accurate portrayal of the longest and bloodiest battle of the second world war.
oscar-35
*Spoiler/plot- The Cruel Sea, 1953, Tells the story of a British navy 'corvette' ship and it's captain with crew in the dangerous North Atlantic WW2.*Special Stars- Jack Hawkins, Donald Sinden, Denholm Elliott, Stanley Baker *Theme- British Navy teamwork can conquer overwhelming odds against you. But sometimes the Sea gives no justice.*Trivia/location/goofs- B&W, British, Stanley Baker has a quick role in the early part of this film as a overbearing alcoholic command officer.*Emotion- An interesting story and well acted. This documentary-like story shows the hardship, loneliness, and the danger of everyday shipboard war service in the North Atlantic during WW2. This film crystallizes the action and adventure on the high seas and adds classic stature to this unforgettable war-time epic. The pacing was too slow to keep this film's watch-ability from hurting this worthy film of British civilian naval heroism.
Spondonman
This is one of those rare olde black & white British films still regularly shown on British TV. So much so that I forgot that although I've seen it umpteen times it was probably over 10 years since the last time – but after 10 minutes I was hooked in again.That's because it's a marvellous film based on Nicholas Monsarrat's marvellous book, with neither a second nor a page wasted. Jack Hawkins is appointed ship's captain escorting Allied supply convoys sailing across the Atlantic, with Donald Sinden appointed as his First Mate after the terrible demise of Stanley Baker. They are the anchor points in a gripping set of episodes that portray the chaos of war and elements, and amongst a veritable sea of familiar British actors from the time. The acting is first rate, stiff upper lipped perfect diction type from the officers and homely honest gruffness from the crew – everyone runs true to social stereotypes here. And the dialogue is perfect too, with excellent photography and production. There's so many memorable episodes tragic and comic but a particularly favourite bit is after their ship has sunk and clever officer Sinden is trying to keep his drowsy crew awake and alive in the freezing night by endlessly singing Under The Spreading Chestnut Tree we find clever officer Hawkins has also been keeping his lolling crew alive by asking them asinine questions and getting them to applaud correct answers all night. Another is the over-coyness in showing up Denholm Elliot's unfaithful wife – my God, how different that would be portrayed nowadays!Ultimately the bond that has developed between the two main characters takes over, lending a heart warming twist to a rather grim 2 hours. An exceptional film, from the time before hype made every film exceptional.
