More than 70 years on, WWII epic “The Cruel Sea” has lost none of its power
- Craig Shapiro
- 3 hours ago
- 4 min read
BLU-RAY REVIEW / SDR SCREENSHOTS
Survivors of the HMS Compass Rose hang on after the ship is torpedoed by a German U-boat. Lt. Commander George Ericson (Jack Hawkins) keeps a watchful eye on the perilous North Atlantic waters.
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“THE CRUEL SEA”
Blu-ray, 1953, unrated, psychological tension and some harrowing images
Best extra: The delightful archival interview with Sir Donald Sinden, who plays Sub-Lt. Keith Lockhart
IF YOU NEEDED proof that most best-of lists aren’t worth the keystrokes used to compile them, search for “Best Naval War Movies” and see how often “The Cruel Sea” shows up. The answer? Not many, though you will find “McHale’s Navy” and “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl” Come again?
That’s not to say every list comes up short. Produced by the U.K.’s esteemed Ealing Studios (“The Ladykillers,” “The Lavender Hill Mob”), this gripping, absorbing epic makes the cut on a few and is No. 3 on the IMDB list, behind “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World” and “Das Boot.”
Maybe “The Cruel Sea” is overlooked today because it foregoes chest-thumping cliches for an authentic drama that puts you aboard the HMS Compass Rose as she escorts convoys across the perilous North Atlantic. Whatever the reason, three cheers for Kino Lorber for adding it to their Studio Classics collection.
Directed by Charles Frend (“Scott of the Antarctic”) and adapted by Eric Amber (Oscar nominee for “A Night to Remember”) from the novel by Royal Navy veteran Nicholas Monsarrat, it stars Jack Hawkins (“The Bridge on the River Kwai,” “Zulu”) as Lt. Commander George Ericson, a British Merchant Navy officer who is given command of the Compass Rose.
(1) “The Cruel Sea” premiered March 26, 1953, in London. (2) Sub-Lts. Keith Lockhart (Donald Sinden) and Gordon Ferraby (John Stratton) report to the commander. (3) Hawkins’ complex, multi-faceted performance as Ericson stands out in a cast of standouts. (4) The Compass Rose prepares to get under way.
Practically the only man aboard with any sea legs, he’s soon joined by three freshly-minted officers with zero experience: Sub-Lts. Keith Lockhart (Donald Sinden, “The Day of the Jackal”), John Morrell (Denholm Elliott, “A Room with a View”) and Gordon Ferraby (John Stratton, “The Third Key”). Stanley Baker (“The Guns of Navarone,” “Zulu”) appears in the early going as Lt. James Bennett, a used-car salesman who tries to mask his inexperience by wielding an iron fist. When he’s hospitalized with an ulcer, the junior officers are hardly distraught.
So there you have it. As the story methodically unfolds, we watch as the men become accustomed to life at sea. And to Frend’s and Ambler’s great credit, “The Cruel Sea” plays out through the eyes of the crew, and not just the officers. Bruce Seton (“Gorgo”) and Liam Redmond (“Barry Lyndon”) are excellent as Coxswain Bob Tallow and engine room Chief Jim Watts, respectively. Same goes for Virginia McKenna (“Born Free”) as Lockhart’s love interest Julie Hallam and Moira Lester (“A Run for Your Money”), who plays Morrell’s unfaithful wife Elaine.
Really, the performances are top-notch all around, but Hawkins’ Ericson has to be singled out. He’s no cut-and-dried, stiff-upper-lip commander. In one of his finest scenes, he’s devastated by his decision to sacrifice a handful of men in the water as the Compass Rose pursues a U-boat and gets drunk and cries.
Again, to Frend’s credit, he doesn’t lean on cliches. Though a U-boat doesn’t surface until late in the movie, there is no shortage of tension, especially when the men are told to not make any noise when the Compass Rose cuts her engines for repairs. You can see the anxiety in their faces. When a ship is sunk, we don’t see her go down. Instead, cinematographer Gordon Dines (“The Third Key”) focuses on the reaction of a crew member. It’s moments like these that make “The Cruel Sea,” which was mostly filmed at sea, so memorable.
(1) Stanley Baker plays Lt. James Bennett, who tries to mask his inexperience by wielding an iron fist. (2) The ship makes her way through turbulent waters. (3-5) When a ship is sunk, the crew is rescued by the Compass Rose. (6) Sub-Lt. John Morrell (Denholm Eliott, left) confers with the ship’s coxswain, Bob Tallow (Bruce Seton).
VIDEO/AUDIO
No restoration here; the print (1:37.1 aspect ratio) is the old 2K master, probably from the film negative or inter-positive, that was used previously in the U.K. That said, the gray-scale is sufficiently broad, the B&W imagery — a few scratches aside — is crisp and detail is good. The picture does drop off some when WWII footage is used, but in a way it adds to the quasi-documentary feel. While mostly confined to the center speaker, the DTS-HD Master Audio track (2.0 mono) delivers, too.
EXTRAS
Critic/author Simon Abrams’ thoroughly-researched new commentary tells you everything about the film that you could possibly want to know, but the archival interview with Sinden, who passed in 2014, is worth the price alone. His anecdotes are wonderful. Here’s just one: He couldn’t swim so when the Compass Rose is torpedoed and Lockhart makes for a lifeboat, Sinden did it on the back of a stuntman.
OK, one more. He hadn’t read the book before he auditioned, so when he bumped into Monsarrat on London’s King’s Row, he asked the author if he happened to have a copy and would he lend it to him. It would spoil the fun to spill any more, but at some 30 minutes, his interview is not nearly long enough. Last thing: If “The Cruel Sea” isn’t in your collection of naval war films, let’s hop-to.
— Craig Shapiro
(1) Told to not make any noise, the crew waits anxiously while the Compass Rose, her engines cut, is repaired. (2) A U-boat is caught in the ship’s crosshairs. (3) Virginia McKenna plays Lockhart’s love interest, Julie Hallam. (4&5) Thrown from their billets when the ship is torpedoed, the men wait in crowded rafts to be rescued.