Brumas del norte

Raymond Massey and Humphrey Bogart as captain and first mate of a merchant marine ship, see their first ship sunk by a German U-boat. They get a second ship and with some of their surviving crew from the first ship join an international convoy taking supplies to the Soviet Union.

From Halifax to Murmansk quite a flotilla of merchant ships from a whole lot of countries that had declared war on the Axis. The convoy was something like a sea going wagon train which was developed because individual ships were easy prey for submarines. The seagoing wagon train got a destroyer escort and they were armed now as well.

The merchant seaman were not technically part of the armed forces. But that didn't mean they weren't seeing a lot of action as Action in the North Atlantic so clearly demonstrates. Bad enough when the Lend lease was to Great Britain, but when we became allies with the Soviets the only places it could go were the ports of Murmansk and Archangel when they were ice free. That meant a voyage along the long Norwegian coast line which was occupied by Germany.

Bogart and Massey give strong portrayals of dedicated merchant seaman whose life is tough enough in peace time. But they certainly have the right stuff in time of war. Some of the crew of their ship is Dane Clark, Sam Levene, Peter Whitney, and Alan Hale who really steals every scene he's in.

Action in the North Atlantic is filled with a lot of the flag waving that characterized Hollywood era World War II films. The derring do heroics are kept to a minimum. The situations the seaman encounter are quite real for the perilous undertaking they were involved in.

It could probably be remade today and maybe with some of today's stars showing a new generation what it was like to be a merchant seaman in World War II>

These were battles that saw merchant ships attacked, across the seas like fish in barrels they were tracked, a hidden foe that fought with stealth, their aim to sink the allies wealth, deploying tactics that were tough to counteract. In convoys odds of sinking were reduced, but on occasion isolation was induced, like a lamb that leaves the flock, you were open to be shot, but wise thinking often generates a boost. At its heart there is a little propaganda, encouraging those free to join and clamber, to ride the waves of victory, sailing logistics over sea, there was no reason to abstain, as a bystander.

The term "propaganda" has taken on a very negative connotation, though propaganda can also be a very positive thing--encouraging the masses through logical and/or emotional appeals to get on the bandwagon on a certain topic. In this case, the effort was noble--encouraging people to understand why we were fighting the Axis powers as well as drumming up their support. Now these types of films were made in the hundreds in the USA during the war and many of them are pretty forgettable. However, this might just be one of the very best due to its magnificent writing and acting. Plus, in many ways it's similar to the British wartime film IN WHICH WE SERVE (1942)--but I think that ACTION IN THE NORTH Atlantic is actually a bit better film. Much of this is because the acting is at least equal to the British film (Humphrey Bogart and Raymond Massey versus Noel Coward and John Mills in the 1942 film) and the story is a bit more exciting in ACTION IN THE NORTH Atlantic. Plus, I admired how the often forgotten men of the merchant marine were shown to be heroes--after all, a lot of them died transporting supplies to Britain during the war.

Both films excelled because unlike some jingoistic wartime films, the Allies were NOT shown as super-humans who could do ridiculous things (like in the movie AIRFORCE where a B-17 shoots down fighter plane after fighter plane--something that just could never have happened). In fact, both films feature ships being sunk right out from under the stars in the first half hour of the film! But here's where the films really succeeded, as they showed the indomitable human spirit that despite losses, continues to bravely and without too much complaint do their job. Balancing this need with the families back at home make these both stellar films. In fact, now that I think about it, I STRONGLY recommend you see both. Yes, they are similar, but also different enough to provide a lot of entertainment and wonderful insight into our history.

From what my father described this is pretty much the way it was on the Murmansk run. My father was sunk twice on the way to Murmansk the second time with the PQ-17 convoy (The Massacred Convoy). He was Chief Engineer on the maiden voyage of the liberty ship "Daniel Morgan" and was sunk by the German U-88 on July 4th, 1942. After being picked up by a Russian tanker some three days later he and the survivors hid out behind Russian lines until he came back to Boston on The Queen Mary with hundreds of other merchant seaman that had been sunk. The day was October 15th, 1942...the day I was born.

That wasn't the last time he was sunk.

Well this is one movie title that's certainly not misleading. There's tons of action in this gripping WW2 movie about the Merchant Marine. I might even go so far as to say it's got the best and most realistic action sequences from any WW2 movie I've seen. I'm talking about movies made during the era not stuff made decades later with a gazillion dollar budget, of course. The story's about an American tanker crew that survives their ship being sunk by a German U-boat and spend eleven days adrift at sea before being rescued. They later return to sea on a Liberty ship leading a convoy. Once again they have to deal with the Nazis.

What's not to like? It's a WW2 movie with colorful Warner Bros. character actors Alan Hale, Dane Clark, Peter Whitney, and Sam Levene backing up Humphrey Bogart and Raymond Massey. There's only a couple of (minor) female roles, played well by Julie Bishop and Ruth Gordon. Yeah the plot's pretty basic and the characters may seem clichéd but it's all put together so well that I didn't mind. There's something to be said for using a successful formula.

The script is great with lots of funny lines and stirring speeches. Good music, both score and a nice rendition of Night and Day from a dubbed Julie Bishop. The photography is beautiful. The special effects are exceptional. The direction is terrific, especially in those spectacular action scenes. This is all the more remarkable when one considers director Lloyd Bacon didn't get to finish the picture. Bogart is great (as always) and his fans will love this one. Pretty much anyone who enjoys WW2 movies, particularly those from WB, will like this a lot. It's an emotional, exciting two hours of solid entertainment.