Distributor: United Artists
Top Billed Actors: Noël Coward, John Mills, Bernard Miles
Won 0 Oscars
Nominated for 2 more:
Outstanding Motion Picture - Two Cities Films
Best Original Screenplay - Noël Coward
Plot: As a British ship sinks to the bottom of the sea, some of its sailors remember their life in between battles.
The first thing that comes to mind when thinking about this film, it's how patriotic and quintessential this is when it comes to British wartime propaganda filmmaking. The production had the full support of the Royal Navy and the battle sequences and other ship-operating scenes are so authentic that it was shown to incoming Navy men. What makes the screenplay so admirable is that this sense of pride for the Navy is done via a ship sinking. Coward is able to muster so much dignity and honor for these men despite showing what had to be considered a defeat. But Coward's speech near the end of the film highlights that the survivors have double the amount of experience and reason to keep on fighting. He then makes it a point to shake the hand of every crewman present, something that I wouldn't expect Nazis to do with their subordinates. Coward did face his critics when it came to portraying a militaristic captain in the Royal Navy. However, he pulls it off with aplomb and that speech is the highlight of the film. His supporting cast is also wonderful and they make the flashback sequences endearing while the present day scenes are equally as devastating. The battle sequences also feel genuine without a lot of music. I understand some actual war footage was used. It says a lot when I couldn't distinguish between this actual footage and Lean's scripted material. I'm a little surprised this was not nominated for Best Special Effects.
Although I appreciate the scenes that portray the crewmen on leave, meeting wives or discussing the impending war with their families, the manner of flashing back to these scenes didn't follow a logic I could decipher. These men attempt to make their way to a life boat after their ship is bombarded by enemy planes and it just seems random as to whose perspective we go into flashback and what timeline the sequence is in. Some of the characters intersect and others don't. I just wish it didn't feel so haphazard.
Overall, a thrilling British propaganda film shows us how brave the Royal Navy is and why they will gain the upper hand in the War. David Lean leaves a mark in his directorial debut with stunning battle sequences. A strong supporting cast dazzles in individual scenes but I took issue with how these were organized to tell this "story of a ship."
My Score: 7/10