Rent The Cruel Sea (1953)

Sea War. - The Cruel Sea review by Steve

Box office smash adapted from Nicholas Monsarrat's best seller, which is the authoritative WWII film about the Battle of the Atlantic. It's an understated, procedural drama that explores the mental trauma of combat more than the history. In fact, these men are so isolated from home and HQ that they become alienated from the war, and the country they fight for.

Everyone remembers The Cruel Sea for the incident when the Captain (Jack Hawkins) sacrifices the lives of British men abandoned in the cold, oily sea, in an attempt to finish off a U boat. And over two hours, the film documents the psychological toll, until Hawkins becomes a numb predator. Ultimately we wonder at the cost of total warfare on the survivors.

Nearly all of the leader's colleagues die. The only human attachment comes from his relationship with his First Lieutenant (Donald Sinden) but even that barely endures. The story covers the whole war, and it has an epic dimension. The action is shown from the point of view of view of the skipper's two ships as they evolve in technology and efficiency.

Hawkins famously breaks down once, and emotes, 'it's the war, the whole bloody war!' He has no hatred for the men in the U-boats. To the Captain, the enemy is the cruel sea. So, it's a film of rapprochement. There's a superb script by Eric Ambler, and austere realism from director Charles Frend, but Jack Hawkins' commanding performance embodies the whole conflict.