Rent San Demetrio, London (1943)

Wartime Propaganda. - San Demetrio, London review by Steve

Inspiring and exciting recreation of a true story from the early days of WWII, and a morale booster for the merchant navy. The San Demetrio is a small British petrol tanker carrying valuable aviation fuel across the Atlantic, taking its chances with the hunting packs of German U-boats and battleships.

After their ship is torpedoed, the men escape into lifeboats. While some are picked up by the Atlantic convoy, one boat floats on for days through the rain and cold before sighting an approaching vessel. Which proves to be the San Demetrio! The men elect to re-board, put out the lingering fire and repurpose the burned out hulk to take them home.

So the film becomes a tribute to their ingenuity and resilience in undertaking this unlikely mission in such hostile conditions and to their unstinting durability as they pull together for the common cause. It's the ultimate affirmation of wartime Britain's mustn't grumble stoicism.

The ensemble of Ealing studio character actors bring realism, conspicuously led by Walter Fitzgerald, but driven by the big hearted Mervyn Johns who keeps the engines pumping. It isn't an artistic looking film, and the back projection is variable, but we palpably feel the demoralising, soaking, freezing waves of the Atlantic in winter, as we cheer the crew home.