The Cruel Sea (1953)

Director:

Charles Frend

Writers:

Eric Ambler (screenplay)
Nicholas Monsarrat (novel)

Release Date:

19 August 1953 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | War

Tagline:

Monsarrat's brilliant best seller comes surging to life

Plot:

The World War II adventures of a British convoy escort ship and its officers.

Plot Keywords:

Ship Captain | Battle Strategy | U Boat | Corvette | Semi Documentary

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 3 nominations

Cast

Jack Hawkins	...	Ericson
Donald Sinden	...	Lockhart
John Stratton	...	Ferraby
Denholm Elliott	...	Morell
John Warner	...	Baker
Stanley Baker	...	Bennett
Bruce Seton	...	Tallow
Liam Redmond	...	Watts
Virginia McKenna	...	Julie Hallam
Moira Lister	...	Elaine Morell
June Thorburn	...	Doris Ferraby
Megs Jenkins	...	Tallow's sister
Meredith Edwards	...	Yeoman Wells
Glyn Houston	...	Phillips
Alec McCowen	...	Tonbridge

Runtime:

126 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-8 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:Approved (PCA #16500)

Filming Locations:

Ealing Studios, Ealing, London, England, UK

Company:

Ealing Studios

Trivia:

The Compass Rose was played by ex-HMS Coreopsis. She was given the number K49 in the film which was the number of HMS Crocus (sometimes wrongly thought to have been used in the film). The real number of the Coreopsis was K32.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: The starboard buoy, that Compass Rose passes on her way out of port, appears on the port side.

Quotes:

Lt. Cmdr. Ericson: [as Narrator] For us the Battle of the Atlantic was becoming a private war. If you were in it, you knew all about it. You knew how to keep watch on filthy nights, and how to go without sleep, how to bury the dead, and how to die without wasting anyone's time.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Hitler: The Comedy Years (2007) (TV)

Even war must bow to the primal force of the Cruel Sea

As a study of men thrown into unaccustomed roles, in a time of severe stress, The Cruel Sea has few peers. You live the lives with these men, you share their emotions, their fears, even their losses. The time of absolute despair still gives glimpses of the inner strength some men possess, and others lack, unwilling to be brave enough to face a future, in which they no longer see a role for themselves. This is a movie worthy of many screenings, and enjoyed for what it is, a movie that will challenge the viewer to not judge the characters, but to accept the times, circumstances, and locations were all extreme.

The Cruel Sea is one of my favourite films