As far as i am aware there are really only 2 British films about Air-Sea rescue ,this film and For Those In Peril.I believe that the earlier film is superior not just because it stars David Farrar who is far better than Anthony Steel,but it has a far more realistic feel.This film is hurt by its inept process work.Nearly every scene featuring Anthony Steel and most of those in the dinghy are clearly shot either on a sound stage or the studio tank and in my view this severely detracts from the realistic feel the film needs to impart.Also at the climax we have the rather strange effect of the boat being shrouded in fog and then in a blazing sun.Quite odd.We have all the usual banter of the lower ranks with some fine performances from a great cast.Incidentally Bonar Cellano who plays an airman and Michael Balfour ,an engineer,were great friends in real life.Alas they had a car crash,Balfour survived but Cellano did not/A real loss to the British cinema as he had made his home here.
17 Reviews
Save the Macguffin!
rmax30482317 July 2014
Warning: Spoilers
The British made some splendid war movies in the post-war years. No kidding. Grainy, black-and-white, it didn't matter. "The Dam Busters", "Dunkirk", and "The Cruel Sea" were as good as any that were made, and that's not even counting later full-color epics by David Lean.
"The Sea Shall Not Have Them" isn't really among the best. It does have Malcolm Arnold's stirring martial music going for it, and some stiff-upper-lip acting, but the stereotypes abound. The new kid who screws everything up. The stern, handsome, fair skipper. The tough Flight Sergeant. The hand moaning about his errant wife. The briefcase full of secrets that one of the downed fliers carries.
A Lockhood Hudson is shot down in 1944 in the North Sea. The pilot is wounded but the other two crew members (Dirk Bogarde and Bonar Colleano) manage to launch the rubber life raft and get their VIP passenger (Michael Redgrave) and his briefcase full of documents aboard. Bogarde's character is well-enough written but he gives the worst performance of his career, almost enough to deflate the raft. Despite his valiant efforts to the contrary, there's hardly a moment when he doesn't gloriously, triumphantly wreck the scene. The airplane sinks and there they sit. Four men in a tub. And, man, is it cold and wet, cold enough to threaten one's very existence.
Meanwhile, a rescue launch full of stereotypes is out looking for them in the mist. There's a mine field. There are German shore batteries that open up on the launch as it speeds to the rescue. The marine footage is real.
It's the only action in the film but that's okay because the preceding hour and a half or so has been suspenseful and informative. The humor is a bit too broad to work well. It reminds me a little of Bogart's "Action in the North Atlantic." There's not much action there, either, but one learns about convoys, submarines, and the Merchant Marine.
It's rather second-tier stuff but it belongs to a genre that was much better than most of the material being put on the screen, like the sad rendering of Norman Mailers "The Naked and the Dead" or the soap operatic "Battle Cry."
Here's an obiter dictum. The briefcase-clutching Michael Redgrave doesn't have much to do except protest that his message MUST get through, and he's grown a bit plumper than he was in, say, "The Lady Vanishes." Yet that voice is a powerful instrument. Americans don't really know much about World War I because we entered so late, but Europe and Russia suffered enormously for four years. If anyone wants to hear Redgrave at his best, listen to his heartfelt narration for "The Great War," available on YouTube.
"The Sea Shall Not Have Them" isn't really among the best. It does have Malcolm Arnold's stirring martial music going for it, and some stiff-upper-lip acting, but the stereotypes abound. The new kid who screws everything up. The stern, handsome, fair skipper. The tough Flight Sergeant. The hand moaning about his errant wife. The briefcase full of secrets that one of the downed fliers carries.
A Lockhood Hudson is shot down in 1944 in the North Sea. The pilot is wounded but the other two crew members (Dirk Bogarde and Bonar Colleano) manage to launch the rubber life raft and get their VIP passenger (Michael Redgrave) and his briefcase full of documents aboard. Bogarde's character is well-enough written but he gives the worst performance of his career, almost enough to deflate the raft. Despite his valiant efforts to the contrary, there's hardly a moment when he doesn't gloriously, triumphantly wreck the scene. The airplane sinks and there they sit. Four men in a tub. And, man, is it cold and wet, cold enough to threaten one's very existence.
Meanwhile, a rescue launch full of stereotypes is out looking for them in the mist. There's a mine field. There are German shore batteries that open up on the launch as it speeds to the rescue. The marine footage is real.
It's the only action in the film but that's okay because the preceding hour and a half or so has been suspenseful and informative. The humor is a bit too broad to work well. It reminds me a little of Bogart's "Action in the North Atlantic." There's not much action there, either, but one learns about convoys, submarines, and the Merchant Marine.
It's rather second-tier stuff but it belongs to a genre that was much better than most of the material being put on the screen, like the sad rendering of Norman Mailers "The Naked and the Dead" or the soap operatic "Battle Cry."
Here's an obiter dictum. The briefcase-clutching Michael Redgrave doesn't have much to do except protest that his message MUST get through, and he's grown a bit plumper than he was in, say, "The Lady Vanishes." Yet that voice is a powerful instrument. Americans don't really know much about World War I because we entered so late, but Europe and Russia suffered enormously for four years. If anyone wants to hear Redgrave at his best, listen to his heartfelt narration for "The Great War," available on YouTube.
Well made but a tad dull--though it ends on a high note.
planktonrules24 September 2015
I watched this film from a muddy looking print currently on YouTube. I hope there are better quality copies out there.
This movie is about an air-sea rescue crew in action during WWII. A plane is shot down over the North Sea. What makes this one particularly important is that an agent on board is carrying super- important secrets about the German rocket program. Because of this, an all-out search is conducted by the Brits. The film bounces back and forth between the downed crew on a life raft as well as folks in the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy as they try to locate them despite lousy weather and a HUGE search area.
This film is probably not one with wide commercial appeal. While it excels at realism, this also makes for a relatively dull film. Despite this, the film has nice production values and some very nice acting (including the likes of Dirk Bogarde and Michael Redgrave). Probably of most interest to war film buffs. Regardless, though the pacing and style is a bit dull, it does, fortunately, end with more energy and emotion.
This movie is about an air-sea rescue crew in action during WWII. A plane is shot down over the North Sea. What makes this one particularly important is that an agent on board is carrying super- important secrets about the German rocket program. Because of this, an all-out search is conducted by the Brits. The film bounces back and forth between the downed crew on a life raft as well as folks in the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy as they try to locate them despite lousy weather and a HUGE search area.
This film is probably not one with wide commercial appeal. While it excels at realism, this also makes for a relatively dull film. Despite this, the film has nice production values and some very nice acting (including the likes of Dirk Bogarde and Michael Redgrave). Probably of most interest to war film buffs. Regardless, though the pacing and style is a bit dull, it does, fortunately, end with more energy and emotion.
Partly made where I grew up!
offbeatlen-128 September 2003
Just a little note to add some local interest to this excellent movie - the action takes place at an unnamed Air Sea Rescue station - I am sure most of the interior shots were taken in the studios but the exteriors are from Felixstowe where there really was a real life A/S Rescue station during WWII. The German guns were actually at Landguard Fort, which was just around the spit or point from the A/S Rescue station itself. The shots of the railroad station are likewise taken in what was then Felixstowe Town station. The area where the A/S Rescue station was is now part of the Container Port and I am sure nothing remains of the hangars and docks, but Landguard Fort is still there, minus the guns.
Sterling work from an ensemble cast
Leofwine_draca28 February 2018
Warning: Spoilers
THE SEA SHALL NOT HAVE THEM is a well-regarded WW2 film of the 1950s which plays out in a different style to the norm. There's no combat here, just a tale of survival at sea and a look at the work of the rarely-acknowledge air sea rescue service run by the RAF to rescue pilots who were forced to down their planes in the ocean. This is a literate, character-based drama in which suspense evolves in watching how each of the characters reacts to their situation. There's a whole host of British characters present, from the biggest of big names like Dirk Bogarde and Michael Redgrave, to those reliable stalwarts of the B-movie, Michael Balfour and Michael Ripper. Everything comes together nicely come the end.
It is good to see a film made about a forgotten branch of the services.
MIKE-WILSON616 July 2001
When much was made of the R.A.F.Squadrons flying countless missions against the enemy, and rightly so, it is refreshing that `The Sea Shall Not Have Them' shows the work done by the R.A.F. Air Sea Rescue crews. Anthony Steel plays the skipper of 2561, a M.T.B. assigned to locate and rescue a Hudson bomber that has crash landed in the north sea. On board the plane along with the rest of the crew, is a V.I.P. with vital German rocket secrets. The film then follows two strands, one showing the air crew ( including a young Dirk Bogarde) slowly freezing on the escape dingy, and the M.T.B. crew fighting bad weather, engine failure, and in one incredible scene, a new crew member sets fire to the galley. The ending although predictable ,is nevertheless gripping, and the film will rank along ,with the best of the war movies made in the 50's.
"Could you get a new piece of chalk, corporal?"
richardchatten20 February 2023
This tribute to Air Sea Rescue is mainly remembered now for Noel Coward's bad taste observation when contemplating a poster for this film "I don't see why not, everyone else has!" There's certainly very few women in it (which must have suited Dirk Bogarde just fine), although somehow Joan Sims is in it.
Like Hitchcock's 'Lifeboat' the cast are cast adrift in an open boat with Michael Redgrave in the Miss Froy part (the MacGuffin taking the form of a attaché case filled with "formula blue-prints and so on").
Nigel Patrick is cast against type as a rasping flight sergeant who snarls at new boys "I eat blood and drink rivets!". The music of course is by Malcolm Arnold, who never seems to be taking things as seriously as the cast.
Like Hitchcock's 'Lifeboat' the cast are cast adrift in an open boat with Michael Redgrave in the Miss Froy part (the MacGuffin taking the form of a attaché case filled with "formula blue-prints and so on").
Nigel Patrick is cast against type as a rasping flight sergeant who snarls at new boys "I eat blood and drink rivets!". The music of course is by Malcolm Arnold, who never seems to be taking things as seriously as the cast.
Plucked From The Briny Deep
bkoganbing7 July 2006
Warning: Spoilers
The Sea Shall Not Have Them is a gritty realistic war film from the United Kingdom about the men who serve on air sea rescue duty. No glamor here, just professional men doing a job, rescuing air crews down in the North Sea and English Channel. Good location photography on an old Royal Air Force rescue station give a ring of authenticity.
Four men are on a rubber dinghy in the North Sea after being shot down by a German fighter. Two of those men are Michael Redgrave and Dirk Bogarde. Redgrave is in fact got a briefcase with him containing plans for the V-2 rockets with which the British public shortly became acquainted with.
A rescue sea craft commanded by Anthony Steel is sent to find them and pick them up. Not so easy with a prevailing mist over the North Sea. The dinghy is also in fact drifting east towards the occupied Netherlands.
The best scenes in the film are on the dinghy. I'm reminded a bit of Alfred Hitchcock's Lifeboat which was an ocean liner compared to what our RAF airmen are occupying. Best acting honors go to Dirk Bogarde as the Flight Sergeant who is trying to keep the famous British stiff upper lip, but is losing out fast to the numbness and cold. It's bad for all of them in the ocean, check the scene in which Bogarde's fingers are so numb, he can't even light a rescue flare.
The Sea Shall Not Have Them is one superb piece of film making and even those who don't like war pictures will like this one very much.
Four men are on a rubber dinghy in the North Sea after being shot down by a German fighter. Two of those men are Michael Redgrave and Dirk Bogarde. Redgrave is in fact got a briefcase with him containing plans for the V-2 rockets with which the British public shortly became acquainted with.
A rescue sea craft commanded by Anthony Steel is sent to find them and pick them up. Not so easy with a prevailing mist over the North Sea. The dinghy is also in fact drifting east towards the occupied Netherlands.
The best scenes in the film are on the dinghy. I'm reminded a bit of Alfred Hitchcock's Lifeboat which was an ocean liner compared to what our RAF airmen are occupying. Best acting honors go to Dirk Bogarde as the Flight Sergeant who is trying to keep the famous British stiff upper lip, but is losing out fast to the numbness and cold. It's bad for all of them in the ocean, check the scene in which Bogarde's fingers are so numb, he can't even light a rescue flare.
The Sea Shall Not Have Them is one superb piece of film making and even those who don't like war pictures will like this one very much.
The Sea Shall Not Have Them
henry8-318 September 2021
Survivors from a crashed aircraft including a commodore holding top secret information (Redgrave) are adrift in the North Sea in a small dinghy. There only hope is the Air Sea Rescue service and Anthony Steele and his crew of likely British character actors set out to find them.
Enjoyable enough adventure which is at its best when focussing on the crew of the rescue boat, whilst the more intense dinghy, will they, won't they scenes are a little dull and repetitive. It's a solid British cast of familiar faces all nicely type cast as frightfully stiff upper lip upper or 'cor blimey guvnor' lower classes facing every conceivable mishap on the way, helped especially by Nigel Patrick, spot on as the tough but likeable flight sergeant and Anthony Steele as the man in charge.
Enjoyable enough adventure which is at its best when focussing on the crew of the rescue boat, whilst the more intense dinghy, will they, won't they scenes are a little dull and repetitive. It's a solid British cast of familiar faces all nicely type cast as frightfully stiff upper lip upper or 'cor blimey guvnor' lower classes facing every conceivable mishap on the way, helped especially by Nigel Patrick, spot on as the tough but likeable flight sergeant and Anthony Steele as the man in charge.
War thriller at sea for efficient nail-biting, with Dirk Bogarde getting desperate..
clanciai20 September 2017
This is a surprisingly efficient rendering of one of many rather unknown but important operations in the second world war, the rescuing of stranded air pilots shot down by Germans and landed in the North Sea. Sea Otters and boats had to search for them in bad weather and stormy seas amid mine fields and over vast areas, and sometimes some could be rescued, even if snatched right out of the claws of the enemy almost getting at them first. This film in addition features some excellent actors in leading roles, like Nigel Patrick as the almost bullying leader of the rescue crew, bu he just had to be like that, Michael Redgrave as custodian of state secrets at peril stranded in a dinghy in the middle of nowhere in the North Sea, with Dirk Bogarde in a critical role as a major security risk among the shipwrecked. The film is partly unbearable, as it doesn't hesitate to give a very intimate insight into the conditions of the stranded on board the dinghy in hard weather night and day on the threshold of death, but it is well worth waiting for the finale. Let's see if you have any nails left after that.
Some Interesting Choices That Don't Work
boblipton4 March 2020
During the Second World War, an RAF transport is shot down over the North Sea. Four men are on a dinghy, hoping for rescue as they drift closer to occupied Holland. Back at headquarters of the RAF Search and Rescue Force, the work is being coordinated. Meanwhile, one of the launches taking part in the search has mechanical problems.
That rarely happens under ordinary circumstances in the movies, right? Things work until the actual battle begins, and then the engineer - invariably Scottish - puts things together with string and old cutlery. This is not that sort of movie. It's pacing is odd. It's crisis and routine, and nothing gets done, until the last minute, just like in real life. People talk oddly. Dirk Bogarde, one of the downed fliers, is shrill.
Unfortunately, this ambitious way of telling a story doesn't really work to maintain interest. The characters are either blanks, like Michael Redgrave, who holds the Maguffin, or unappealing. It's an interesting experiment, but like many of them, it doesn't prove its worth.
Good cast, though.
That rarely happens under ordinary circumstances in the movies, right? Things work until the actual battle begins, and then the engineer - invariably Scottish - puts things together with string and old cutlery. This is not that sort of movie. It's pacing is odd. It's crisis and routine, and nothing gets done, until the last minute, just like in real life. People talk oddly. Dirk Bogarde, one of the downed fliers, is shrill.
Unfortunately, this ambitious way of telling a story doesn't really work to maintain interest. The characters are either blanks, like Michael Redgrave, who holds the Maguffin, or unappealing. It's an interesting experiment, but like many of them, it doesn't prove its worth.
Good cast, though.
A good movie with an outstanding cast.....!
mch246929 April 2021
I found this movie to be much better than some of the reviews here would suggest..... there are a lot of big names and well known faces acting in this movie..... most of the cast were big and or well known at the time of making and for that reason alone this movie should be watched..... as some others have said this is a similar subject to the movie Those in peril.... however, for me this movie is much better...
What I enjoyed most was recognising how patrol routine and patrol duty generally is in the most part about boredom and trying to pass the time until the boat gets back to base.... and how that boredom or rather lack of action can allow individuals to not be as diligent as they should, like for example the engineer/fitter in charge of the engines who cut corners to save time during a routine engine repair and how this decision effected the efforts of the boat crew to find lost or downed pilots, the movie portrays this lapse in crew members responsibilities and highlights just how such small details overlooked or ignored can seriously effect and have consequences for people involved across the whole operation. From the head of the search operations at base, or the crew of the downed plane and the important passenger they were carrying when they were downed and the extremely vital information that passenger had recovered from occupied territory in Europe and that must be got back to England ASAP to help prevent new versions of the V1 and V2 missiles that the German scientists had designed to increase damage and destruction across England and strategic locations as well as targets of civilians and more Importantly their morale.... (a suggestion to the Super Weapons that Hitler kept believing would at the very least allow for a truce and a peace settlement without surrender to the allies)....
I think some reviewers are missing what this movie is trying to portray..... for me anyway..... that is the continuous monotony for many, especially so close to the end of the war, of such sea rescue patrols.... this for me is highlighted or more obvious from the scenes involving the Entertainment Officer at the base and his discussions with the CO responsible for finding and retrieving the vital information and the important passenger before the Germans do.... whilst the CO is under pressure from the powers that be and his own personal determination to find and rescue the downed crew... he is being asked to approve somewhat irrelevant and mundane plans such as preparing and informing service personnel for civilian life and dealing with small issues like petty theft or rather theft by finding (as it was called)
I think most veterans from all arms of the military would recognise what this story is most focussed on.... it is neither about any one individual in the cast or about providing the viewer with wild excitement and action.... there is both in this movie but the main plot for me is about the way monotony and routine can influence the individuals decision making and the consequences for that on others...!
I am still surprised at just how many well known (at the time)..... Budget wise the cast salaries would be enormous comparatively to the level of this movie... so I do ask myself if favours were called in or if there was some kind official patronage say from the military or some other person or organisation....
I think some reviewers are missing what this movie is trying to portray..... for me anyway..... that is the continuous monotony for many, especially so close to the end of the war, of such sea rescue patrols.... this for me is highlighted or more obvious from the scenes involving the Entertainment Officer at the base and his discussions with the CO responsible for finding and retrieving the vital information and the important passenger before the Germans do.... whilst the CO is under pressure from the powers that be and his own personal determination to find and rescue the downed crew... he is being asked to approve somewhat irrelevant and mundane plans such as preparing and informing service personnel for civilian life and dealing with small issues like petty theft or rather theft by finding (as it was called)
I think most veterans from all arms of the military would recognise what this story is most focussed on.... it is neither about any one individual in the cast or about providing the viewer with wild excitement and action.... there is both in this movie but the main plot for me is about the way monotony and routine can influence the individuals decision making and the consequences for that on others...!
I am still surprised at just how many well known (at the time)..... Budget wise the cast salaries would be enormous comparatively to the level of this movie... so I do ask myself if favours were called in or if there was some kind official patronage say from the military or some other person or organisation....
Average film for it's time.
adamjohns-4257521 May 2023
The Sea Shall Not Have Them (1954) -
This wasn't the film that I thought it was going to be, especially not based on the synopsis that the TV had provided. I was expecting to hear all the stories of the various individuals depicted as they waited to be rescued or to rescue. Reminiscences of days gone by and confessions of naughty things, because they thought that death was coming for them, but it was much more basic than that.
And it had a lot of similarities to 'In Which We Serve' (1942), which I thought was actually the better of the two films overall.
The whole thing was quite drawn out, but oddly, I couldn't see where it could be altered to give it a better pace. Although, having said that, the editing and film quality in general was poor and that was a shame because it really wasn't that bad a story, if a bit of a repetition of others available, with it's theme of being stranded in a lifeboat and dangerously close to the enemy, whilst aircraft strafed the water around them with bullets.
There were moments and characters that stuck out more than others.
For instance, I was surprised by Air Craftsman Milliken and the fact that he wasn't in prison for being a blatant homosexual, but I suppose during the war they took all the willing help that they could get and I'm all for diversity in the forces, I just couldn't believe how obvious they were making it with his character in this film from 1954, way before the change in the law in 1967.
I liked Michael Redgrave as Waltby, but had to wonder if Birk Dogarde always played such a wet weekend? His role of MacKay was hot and cold, sometimes literally, I couldn't work out if he was a brave airman or a craven whiner.
And unlike the equivalent American films, where they are all so tough and determined to survive or to go down fighting, this bunch seemed to be happy to give up easily, bar the odd few with a bit more gumption (Redgrave) and most of the rest of them didn't even want to be there in the first place.
So in some ways I thought that it didn't represent the Brits as well as they had hoped it would.
All in all it was a fair piece of work, but I didn't think that it was wholly realistic or delivered with the best production values.
434.22/1000.
This wasn't the film that I thought it was going to be, especially not based on the synopsis that the TV had provided. I was expecting to hear all the stories of the various individuals depicted as they waited to be rescued or to rescue. Reminiscences of days gone by and confessions of naughty things, because they thought that death was coming for them, but it was much more basic than that.
And it had a lot of similarities to 'In Which We Serve' (1942), which I thought was actually the better of the two films overall.
The whole thing was quite drawn out, but oddly, I couldn't see where it could be altered to give it a better pace. Although, having said that, the editing and film quality in general was poor and that was a shame because it really wasn't that bad a story, if a bit of a repetition of others available, with it's theme of being stranded in a lifeboat and dangerously close to the enemy, whilst aircraft strafed the water around them with bullets.
There were moments and characters that stuck out more than others.
For instance, I was surprised by Air Craftsman Milliken and the fact that he wasn't in prison for being a blatant homosexual, but I suppose during the war they took all the willing help that they could get and I'm all for diversity in the forces, I just couldn't believe how obvious they were making it with his character in this film from 1954, way before the change in the law in 1967.
I liked Michael Redgrave as Waltby, but had to wonder if Birk Dogarde always played such a wet weekend? His role of MacKay was hot and cold, sometimes literally, I couldn't work out if he was a brave airman or a craven whiner.
And unlike the equivalent American films, where they are all so tough and determined to survive or to go down fighting, this bunch seemed to be happy to give up easily, bar the odd few with a bit more gumption (Redgrave) and most of the rest of them didn't even want to be there in the first place.
So in some ways I thought that it didn't represent the Brits as well as they had hoped it would.
All in all it was a fair piece of work, but I didn't think that it was wholly realistic or delivered with the best production values.
434.22/1000.
"We're all in the same boat"......
ianlouisiana27 February 2018
Warning: Spoilers
I knew this girl once who lived on an ex - RAF air- sea - rescue boat on the River Adur at Shoreham.She and her bloke happily grew cannabis plants all over the superstructure and cycled unsteadily along the towpath to "The Lady Jane" for their bottles of cider when the winter weather curtailed their
pot - growing activities.
By that time the boat hadn't moved for about fifteen years,but sometimes,deep into a summer's evening dope - induced reverie I was sure I could vaguely hear the mighty roar of its two engines racing out into the Channel.
Certainly 2561 had the same basic layout,basic being the key word
Wooden hull,a huge fire risk so that when the hapless AC2?medic sets fire to the stove a full - scale emergency ensues.
Fortunately Flight Sergeant and all - round god - like figure Nigel Patrick is on hand.
He is the most memorable character in "The Sea Shall not have them",a British war film of the best type- no heroics,no gung - ho attitudes,just ordinary blokes from across the class spectrum so binding seventy five years ago doing a dangerous job to the best of their abilities.
Posh boys include Anthony Steel and various desk - bound types at the airbase.Michael Redgraves carefully informs us his father was a railway porter just in case we think he was posh(after all,he is an Air Commodore).
Dirk B. is in the kind of role he later relished in "The password is courage",
an Other - Rank.This enables him to whinge a bit because,of course,officers don't whinge.
They are members of a Hudson crew shot down in the North Sea in 1944.
Sir Michael is carrying the plans of a new secret German weapon to succeed the V2 and must not be captured.Strangely enough at no time does he order Dirk to shoot him should the Germans try to rescue them.
Funny that.
This is a film that says "We're all in the same boat";an important factor in keeping up wartime morale.
Even in 1954 the country was in pretty poor shape and that sort of propaganda was felt necessary.A few years later we were told we had never had it so good and shortly after that we were clearly no longer in the same boat but it had been comforting while it lasted.
"The Sea Shall Not Have Them" is an important snapshot of a short era
when Britain's internal squabbles were momentarily pushed to one side before being enthusiastically reinstated at the first opportunity.
Those born after about 1950 may have no idea just how accurately it reflects its time.
Then what shall the sea have?
jarrodmcdonald-113 December 2023
Warning: Spoilers
This neglected British war film has a strong cast, including Michael Redgrave, Dirk Bogarde and Bonar Colleano. It's about 90 minutes in length, and much of it was shot inside a British studio, which will be fairly obvious to the average viewer...not at all on location. But it's still worth looking at and sometimes is uploaded on YouTube.
The cast vary in terms of box office clout, and all are at different stages in their respective careers. Redgrave was the most successful at this point. He'd already established himself in British cinema and had already gone to Hollywood to make a few American films before returning to London. I should note that his wife, actress Rachel Kempson, plays his wife in this film, like she occasionally did in his other pictures.
Due to the somewhat limited budget, the music is sparse and there are modest special effects on display. Certainly nothing to write home about, and much of what ends up on screen could be termed a "B" version of the much more well-known British war flick IN WHICH WE SERVE (1942). In both pictures, we have soldiers stranded at sea in need of rescuing.
Here the men are on board an aircraft that is damaged by attacking Germans in the North Sea. Our main soldiers fall into the sea that apparently seeks to claim them; they manage to stay afloat in a rubber dinghy but cannot send any SOS message. However, a team of the RAF's air-sea rescue unit have been alerted to their disappearance and launch a mission to locate them.
Subsequent scenes portray two officers (Anthony Steel and Nigel Patrick) coordinating the search and rescue efforts that ensue. Meanwhile there is a bit of comic relief involving some peripheral characters such as a bossy corporal (Sydney Tafler). Incidentally, Tafler was the brother-in-law of writer-director Lewis Gilbert. Gilbert used Tafler in a few more films, notably in REACH FOR THE SKY (1956), which was made two years later.
Of course, not all the comedic elements work in this film. Some of the so-called humor seems out of place. The amusing moments were probably incorporated into the script to lighten a drama focused on such serious subject matter.
The bulk of Redgrave's scenes take place in the dinghy and have him acting opposite Bogarde, who is cast as a sergeant struggling to stay alive on the water. The men don't always get along and must deal with the discomforts of their unexpected situation together. For example, they experience cramped space, go through their rations and try to keep their spirits up.
While Redgrave and Bogarde get a bit more prominence, there still are some interesting moments for costar Bonar Colleano who does a splendid job. Colleano was an American stage and screen actor that found success in Britain. Until the men are saved, the action is considerably restricted. Also, the men seem to have little to discuss at times, though I'm sure they have loved ones on their minds and probably could have talked about that. One of them becomes a father at the end of the movie.
Before everything gets resolved, there's a side-story involving an important wartime document in a briefcase carried by Redgrave. Ultimately, we don't find out the document's exact value, which means you could call it a MacGuffin of sorts. The briefcase does come into play in a scene when Bogarde's character threatens mass suicide because he's depressed at sea.
Regarding Bogarde's performance, he's tapping into some Method-style theatrics in the dinghy. And quite frankly, I find his emoting to be a bit overdone compared to Redgrave's more naturalistic style. But of course, Bogarde manages to convey the torment his character is undergoing, which the audience needs to see.
Going back to the briefcase for a second...I suppose the briefcase containing the document has been included in the film to show how these guys are worth rescuing. And by saving them, it can potentially save more people from the Germans. We don't really need to know what's written on any paper Redgrave's character is carrying with him. After all, it's classified information. But we know that when he delivers what's inside the briefcase, it will be a patriotic and heroic act.
The cast vary in terms of box office clout, and all are at different stages in their respective careers. Redgrave was the most successful at this point. He'd already established himself in British cinema and had already gone to Hollywood to make a few American films before returning to London. I should note that his wife, actress Rachel Kempson, plays his wife in this film, like she occasionally did in his other pictures.
Due to the somewhat limited budget, the music is sparse and there are modest special effects on display. Certainly nothing to write home about, and much of what ends up on screen could be termed a "B" version of the much more well-known British war flick IN WHICH WE SERVE (1942). In both pictures, we have soldiers stranded at sea in need of rescuing.
Here the men are on board an aircraft that is damaged by attacking Germans in the North Sea. Our main soldiers fall into the sea that apparently seeks to claim them; they manage to stay afloat in a rubber dinghy but cannot send any SOS message. However, a team of the RAF's air-sea rescue unit have been alerted to their disappearance and launch a mission to locate them.
Subsequent scenes portray two officers (Anthony Steel and Nigel Patrick) coordinating the search and rescue efforts that ensue. Meanwhile there is a bit of comic relief involving some peripheral characters such as a bossy corporal (Sydney Tafler). Incidentally, Tafler was the brother-in-law of writer-director Lewis Gilbert. Gilbert used Tafler in a few more films, notably in REACH FOR THE SKY (1956), which was made two years later.
Of course, not all the comedic elements work in this film. Some of the so-called humor seems out of place. The amusing moments were probably incorporated into the script to lighten a drama focused on such serious subject matter.
The bulk of Redgrave's scenes take place in the dinghy and have him acting opposite Bogarde, who is cast as a sergeant struggling to stay alive on the water. The men don't always get along and must deal with the discomforts of their unexpected situation together. For example, they experience cramped space, go through their rations and try to keep their spirits up.
While Redgrave and Bogarde get a bit more prominence, there still are some interesting moments for costar Bonar Colleano who does a splendid job. Colleano was an American stage and screen actor that found success in Britain. Until the men are saved, the action is considerably restricted. Also, the men seem to have little to discuss at times, though I'm sure they have loved ones on their minds and probably could have talked about that. One of them becomes a father at the end of the movie.
Before everything gets resolved, there's a side-story involving an important wartime document in a briefcase carried by Redgrave. Ultimately, we don't find out the document's exact value, which means you could call it a MacGuffin of sorts. The briefcase does come into play in a scene when Bogarde's character threatens mass suicide because he's depressed at sea.
Regarding Bogarde's performance, he's tapping into some Method-style theatrics in the dinghy. And quite frankly, I find his emoting to be a bit overdone compared to Redgrave's more naturalistic style. But of course, Bogarde manages to convey the torment his character is undergoing, which the audience needs to see.
Going back to the briefcase for a second...I suppose the briefcase containing the document has been included in the film to show how these guys are worth rescuing. And by saving them, it can potentially save more people from the Germans. We don't really need to know what's written on any paper Redgrave's character is carrying with him. After all, it's classified information. But we know that when he delivers what's inside the briefcase, it will be a patriotic and heroic act.
A long title, for a lloonngg movie...
natashabowiepinky8 March 2015
Very much a product of it's time, this is your typical post-war British flick about our brave soldiers espousing the belief that 'no man gets left behind'. A plane full of men gets shot down over the ocean, while carrying some highly classified documents in a briefcase. Stuck in an inflatable dinghy in enemy territory, they cling on in desperation... Knowing that if starvation and thirst don't kill them, the approaching 'Jerrys' and a nearby minefield just might do the job...
Meanwhile, a base tries to organise a rescue attempt, as one of the missing soldier's girlfriend frets, and an overzealous corporal is more interested in nailing one of the evacuees for the supposed theft of army property, than ensuing his safe return. It all takes place in a British society still ridden with class differences, where "steady on, old chap" was a common phrase, and foreigners where generally depicted as being slightly odd.
All stirring stuff, but despite the odd moment of levity involving an inept crew member, and a few anecdotes about another who seems obsessed with his wife, hearing these underwritten characters prattle on for an hour and half does have the tendency to wear on the nerves. Nothing much of note happens until the final gun battle... Until then, it struggles to hold your attention...
What was it called again? 5/10
Meanwhile, a base tries to organise a rescue attempt, as one of the missing soldier's girlfriend frets, and an overzealous corporal is more interested in nailing one of the evacuees for the supposed theft of army property, than ensuing his safe return. It all takes place in a British society still ridden with class differences, where "steady on, old chap" was a common phrase, and foreigners where generally depicted as being slightly odd.
All stirring stuff, but despite the odd moment of levity involving an inept crew member, and a few anecdotes about another who seems obsessed with his wife, hearing these underwritten characters prattle on for an hour and half does have the tendency to wear on the nerves. Nothing much of note happens until the final gun battle... Until then, it struggles to hold your attention...
What was it called again? 5/10
Other than the last ten minutes, this was rather dull.
kfo949424 June 2017
I was quite interesting before watching this film since it involved a very important part of the war effort that was responsible for rescue of downed planes and sunken ships. But had it not been for the ending, not much really happened in this 92 minute film. It had all the wrappings of a mid 1950 movie but failed to include enough action to make the viewer enjoy the adventure.
The movie centered around a plane that had been shot down with the crew having to abandon the plane and get into a rubber raft. And with little time to send a signal, all the authorities know is a wide area where the plane was possibly located. Now a small rescue ship is on the way to see if they can spot possible survivors of a mission that was considered value to the war effort. Even though the concept was interesting, the script for the most part was uneventful.
There is not much excitement about a rescue boat that breaks down in the middle of the ocean and accomplishes nothing while they wait for the boat to be repaired. While in the meantime, the camera keeps returning to the British Naval offices where a woman is pining when no word is heard about the whereabouts of the plane's crew where she has a loved one aboard. Then back to the raft where cold and mental anguish is affecting everyone.
The final scenes do bring some adventure and suspense but it was almost too little too late. Not really a bad film but one that would have been much better with something other than dialog over three quarters of the movie.
The movie centered around a plane that had been shot down with the crew having to abandon the plane and get into a rubber raft. And with little time to send a signal, all the authorities know is a wide area where the plane was possibly located. Now a small rescue ship is on the way to see if they can spot possible survivors of a mission that was considered value to the war effort. Even though the concept was interesting, the script for the most part was uneventful.
There is not much excitement about a rescue boat that breaks down in the middle of the ocean and accomplishes nothing while they wait for the boat to be repaired. While in the meantime, the camera keeps returning to the British Naval offices where a woman is pining when no word is heard about the whereabouts of the plane's crew where she has a loved one aboard. Then back to the raft where cold and mental anguish is affecting everyone.
The final scenes do bring some adventure and suspense but it was almost too little too late. Not really a bad film but one that would have been much better with something other than dialog over three quarters of the movie.
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