Rent Western Approaches (1944)
3.7 of 5 from 58 ratings
1h 23min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
The merchant seamen who helped bring in vital supplies to a Britain under siege during World War Two performed one of the most daring and dangerous tasks of the war. The battle of the Atlantic was merciless, and the Merchant Navy lost more men than any of the British armed forces. In 1944, the Crown Film Unit set out to document the bravery of the merchant seamen and expose the harsh dangers faced by making 'Western Approaches'. Generally regarded as one of the best British documentaries of the war, the film uses merchant seamen to re-enact their roles for the cameras and was shot in colour - unlike many films of the same era. The storyline was both realistic and dramatic. Trying to run the gauntlet of U.Boat Wolf Packs on its way home from America to Britain, a merchant ship is torpedoed and sunk. The survivors take to a lifeboat and await rescue - unaware that the U-Boat which sank them is still lurking in the area, just waiting for the rescue boat to turn up... - Actors:
- Eric Fullerton, Duncan MacKenzie, W. Kerr, Eric Baskeyfield, Dick Longford, Bart Wadham, H.S. Hills, Pat Jackson, P.J. Pyecraft, Chief Engineer Russell, Fred Armistead, Jim Redmond
- Directors:
- Pat Jackson
- Producers:
- Ian Dalrymple
- Writers:
- Pat Jackson
- Aka:
- The Raider / Battle for the Atlantic: Greyhound vs Wolfpack - Western Approaches
- Studio:
- DD Home Entertainment
- Genres:
- Action & Adventure, Classics, Documentary, Drama
- Collections:
- Drama Films & TV, Top 10 British Actresses of the 1940s, Top 10 British War Films (1939-45), Top Films, WWII Films: Beaches, Oceans and Camps
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 19/06/2023
- Run Time:
- 83 minutes
- Languages:
- English Audio Description, English LPCM Mono
- Subtitles:
- English Hard of Hearing
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Full Screen 1.37:1
- Colour:
- Technicolor
- BLU-RAY Regions:
- B
- Bonus:
- Archive audio commentary featuring the IWM's Toby Haggith and director Pat Jackson (2004)
- Ferry Pilot (1941, 31 mins): film about the Air Transport Auxiliary which provided personnel (including female pilots) to fly newly completed aircraft from the factories to the airfields
- Builders (1942, 8 mins): short film highlighting the importance of builders to the war effort
- People at War - A Seaman's Story (1942, 14 mins): a Newfoundlander recounts being torpedoed four times, typifying the courage and service of the Merchant Navy
- This is Colour (1942, 18 mins): an ICI-sponsored Technicolor marvel that explores colour theory
- Steel (1945, 34 mins): a Technicolor documentary exploring the manufacture of steel and the workings of a foundry
- Colour on the Sea (2023, 8 mins) Craig McCall's making-of film, with Pat Jackson and Jack Cardiff, filmed aboard HMS Belfast in 1999
- Western Approaches linocut production (2023, 1 min): Illustrator and printmaker Mat Pringle shares his process for creating the new sleeve art
