Rent H.M.S. Defiant (1962)

Sea War. - H.M.S. Defiant review by Steve

Salty sea adventure set during the French Revolutionary Wars. The narrative is spliced into the 1797 naval mutinies at Spithead and Nore, but this is mainly an acting duello between Alec Guinness as the experienced and relatively liberal captain of the ship and Dirk Bogarde as the aloof, cruel disciplinarian who seeks to take command.

Bogarde's villainy sometimes drifts into the cartoonish, though there is a psychological logic to his brutality. But he unbalances the film, because he makes the justified concerns of the crew more about personalities rather than the institutional barbarity of the navy. The uprisings did actually lead to some minor concessions.

Still, this is a genre picture about life at sea in wooden ships under sail. The story begins with the pitiless pressgangs, then the ruthless oppression of the crew enforced by social class and the lash. And concludes with a sea battle against the French. The men are so harshly treated, they may as well surrender and hope for better conditions under the revolution.

But of course they rally round the flag. The wonderful support cast of wormy sailors is stoutly led by Anthony Quayle as an honourable mutineer. There's an abundance of studio set ups and painted backgrounds, so it doesn't feel realistic, but there's plenty of period atmosphere. It's an interesting twist to a familiar story which gets a boost from its stars.