¡Hundan al Bismarck!

Yes, my children, there was a time when movies knew nothing of CGI, and very difficult scenes of violence and destruction were given over to names like Buddy Gillespie, Wally Veevers, and Warren Newcombe, Howard and Teddy Lydecker. These men looked deep inside their childhoods, and started using miniatures, filmed at slow motion camera speeds to proportionately smooth out the movement of model ships, water, model airplanes, collapsing and exploding buildings, even crash model cars.

The most difficult miniature work was with water and the look of the water in relation to a miniature ship.

It was found that the larger the model ship, the more realistic the water looked, and in Columbia's "Sink the Bismarck", the ships were anywhere from 40-60 feet in length. The water body was an indoor pool over 300 ft. in diameter, surrounded by wind machines and under the floor of the tank, large hydraulic pistons created waves.

Can you imagine what fun that was? Blowing up and sinking these huge models.....it was a dream of mine for years.

Today, a scruffy kid sits in front of a computer and creates sea battles and catastrophes that are astoundingly realistic. He uses 1's and 0's.....nothing of the physical world.

Still, the destruction of the Bismarck, and the capstone piece, the massive explosion of the H.M.S. Hood amaze and awe anyone who watches this film today.

This is a WWII film for the ages, and a centerpiece of a very fun special-effects era.

A distinguished wide-screen film that honors those who served in a great British naval episode while showing generally how naval warfare was carried out in the early days of WWII.

Effectively portraying the sheer power of one of the most monstrous weapons ever devised by the dark side of the human mind- the battleship Bismarck. Battleships had a hideous, graceful sort of massive beauty during their brief heyday at the peak of war technology but went the way of the dinosaur after WWII. Their vulnerabilities are demonstrated in this film, as are certain unfortunate (but not necessarily erroneous) tactical moves by the German Admiral and the Captain of the Bismarck.

In case you don't know the story I won't spoil it but an event occurs around the middle of this film that has a sudden awesome shock value that can still cause your jaw to drop. It is perfectly set forth despite the low-tech film techniques available in 1960- the producers do a great job.

A deadly serious film about deadly serious heavy subject matter, "Sink the Bismarck" has qualities that hold up and it is worth your viewing time.

The British have made war and historical movies with an unrivaled consistency of quality, and Sink the Bismarck is no exception. The details are meticulous, the casting first-rate (except for a hokey voice-impersonation of Churchill), and the battle sequences marked by accuracy and fine special effects.

This otherwise fine film is marred, however, by the false depiction of one of the major characters, Admiral Lutjens, commander of the Bismarck. In the film, he is stereotyped as the typical Nazi - a Hitler sycophant, careerist and wild-eyed fanatic. This was most certainly not the historical Lutjens, who was by no means a Nazi fanatic. Lutjens was a naval hero from World War I, who served out of duty and dedication, not Nazi conviction. (Lutjens protected Jews under his command, and members of his family were in trouble for their anti-Nazi views.) This is at complete odds with his depiction in Sink the Bismarck, which I find inexcusable, given that the above information was certainly available to the production. In fact, an accurate depiction of Lutjens would have, in my opinion, added interest to the plot.

Nevertheless, Sink the Bismarck is eminently watchable and a fine addition to any war movie collection, if you bear in mind the above caveat.

I agree with the other reviewers who complained that Adm. Gunther Lutjens was portrayed as being a pro-Nazi when in actuality, he wasn't. In fact, Lutjens had protested against the dismissal of Jewish officers from the Navy and when Hitler came to visit the Bismarck 2 weeks before her departure, he gave Hitler the navy salute and not the Nazi salute.

Part of the problem with this movie is where 20th Century Fox obtained their material from. They used the material in C.S. Forrester's book "The Last Nine Days of the Bismarck". In that book Forrester had portrayed Lutjens as being pro-Nazi which had 20th Century Fox researched before making the movie, would have uncovered Forrester's mistake (intentional or not). A better book was Ludovic Kennedy's "Pursuit: The Chase and Sinking of the Battleship Bismarck," but I don't believe his book had come out at the time the movie was made. 20th Century Fox should have waited until it did than to base a true event on a possibly biased book.

and could just watch and enjoy the movie without analyzing it. That's what movies were originally for - entertainment and enjoyment. I don't know if the special effects were great for the time or not, but they looked enough like the real thing for me. Great naval battle scenes and the acting was perfect for the times portrayed of the 1940's and the real way that military people are mostly low key in planning discussions and carrying out their duties. All very believable scenes with the flavor of the way it really was even in portions that were added to entertain (when history takes a back seat to entertainment). Kenneth More showed his versatility in excelling in such a serious part and Dana Wynter very professional. I don't know why she didn't become a larger name here in the States with such pure beauty, grace and honest acting ability. By coincidence I just saw her in another movie In Love And War where she played a totally different type of part and nailed it great. Anyway, if you haven't seen Sink The Bismarck, then by all means give it a gander. It is time well spent for not only those who enjoy naval movies, but good drama films as well.