- Actors: Jack Hawkins, Donald Sinden, John Stratton, Denholm Elliott, John Warner
- Directors: Charles Frend
- Writers: Eric Ambler, Nicholas Monsarrat
- Producers: Leslie Norman, Michael Balcon
- Format: NTSC
- Language: English
- Number of tapes: 1
- Run Time: 126 minutes
- Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
- ASIN: B00004CILW
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
#1,324 in Video (See Top 100 in Video)
- #80 in Video > Military & War
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Amazon.co.uk
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. --Mark Walker
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Authentic WWII Sea Salt,
By John Colville (Bridgetown, Nova Scotia Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Cruel Sea (VHS Tape)
If I were asked to recommend three great movies about any Allied or Axis army, navy and air force in World War II, they would be "The Desert Fox", "The Cruel Sea" and "Twelve O'Clock High". All three were made in black and white soon after the war, and all have the unmistakable realism of true accounts."The Cruel Sea", based on the famous Nicholas Monsarrat novel of the same title, lend its story beautifully to the stark contrasts and subtle mid-tones of black and white film (you don't get all those mid-tones of grey in color film). The story is grippingly personal, tragic and redeeming, gradually and painfully building the intense bond of camaraderie that seems to be particularly strong among navy people - probably because the sea can be the loneliest and most unforgiving place on earth (hence the title). Recalling the names Compass Rose and Saltash Castle, you'll taste the freezing brine of the North Atlantic, smell the mix of diesel fuel, blood and cordite, and hear the cries of your mates drowning in your wake. The real deal in black and white.
4.0 out of 5 stars
A good companion to this book,
By
This review is from: Cruel Sea (Paperback)
Written by someone who experienced WWII in convoy escort duty, The Cruel Sea is quite realistic in a double sense: You get the drama of the war as well as the times when war is dull or frustrating, for example when an officer dumps paperwork onto subordinates. Realistic without being cynical is a good combination.And if you'd like to read another book on this theme but with more of the immediacy of the war, try C. S. Forester's, The Good Shepherd, the classic account of a single convoy at the height of the war with U-boats as told by the captain of a US destroyer. Unfortunately, new it seems to be available only in an overpriced but ugly reprint, so you might want to find a used copy. I have a paperback version that I reread every few years. --Michael W. Perry, editor of Chesterton on War and Peace: Battling the Ideas and Movements that Led to Nazism and World War II
5.0 out of 5 stars
THE must-read story about WWII naval surface warfare,
By A Customer
This review is from: Cruel Sea Tie In Edition (Paperback)
This story of the crew of the Compass Rose, a WWII Allied Corvette, is beautifully told with good character development. Fighting dangerous gales, waves and sperstructure ice, the Compass Rose sonarman and tactical teams pursue and are pursued. They wait, listen, move, chase and flee U-boats, torpedo-ing and depth charging their way through North Atlantic misery, locked in a psycho-thriller conflict with the German Wolfpack. The story tells of the physical and mental hardship of the fighting crew of this small, fast, seaworthy and heavily armed surface ship, and the immense toll the Wolfpack took on Allied shipping. The reader explores the bravery and courage of mentally exhausted sailors trying to muster every last bit of reserve to outwit, outpunch, outhunt and out-maneuvre stealthy U-boats and the worst that the North Atlantic winter maritime environment has to offer. Monsarrat has a real page turner here, and he makes the reader feel the emotional duress and psychological stress the crew experiences together and individually as it hunts the hunter and at the same time is being hunted by it. If the classic English sub-titled movie 'Das Boot' is the ultimate undersea perspective of the Allied navy-U-boat conflict, then the surface perspective is definitely the story of the Compass Rose - Lest We Forget.
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