Mare crudele

The best thing about this WWII naval picture is that it is so ordinary. What I mean by this is that there is no bigger-than-life Hollywood style hero who is invincible, but a collection of normal men showing great heroism collectively--sort of a tribute to the unsung heroes of the war. It's set aboard a convoy escort ship's captain and crew--through their tense moments, trials, successes and failures. In other words, its a WHOLE portrait of the war as seen through these sailors' eyes--the good, the bad and the mundane.

The second best thing is the lovely look and feel--with great acting and direction. Jack Hawkins was, as always, wonderful but all the actors playing the crew did so well--and it's a tribute to the production and direction--this didn't just happen by chance.

In many ways, this film plays a lot like the great British film "In Which We Serve"--though unlike "In Which", "The Cruel Sea" was made after the war. Both films together would make a wonderful night of movie viewing. Solid and exceptional.

Tony Cox's review is one of the best I have ever read on Imdb and says it all with heartfelt passion, accurately describing the drama and characters motivations in this realistic film of anti U-boat sea warfare throughout WWII.I won't try to emulate his brilliant narrative but just add a few thoughts of my own.Jack Hawkins is always very watchable in any of his films as an actor and seems to inhabit the part of Ericsson, the skipper of "Compass Rose" and "Saltash Castle".He vividly portrays the professional and emotional sides of his character, especially when he utters "...its the war, the bloody war" with tear stained eyes.

One has to disabuse your mind of later Donald Sinden parts and his rather stagey voice and look dispassionatly at his early carrer as he portrays the new No.1 with an interest in learning first aid which inevitably comes in useful when tending the many merchant seaman they meet who have become torpedo victims.Can someone please tell me what "snorkers" are when applied to sausages, as I have never heard this expression, despite living in London all my life.Evidently Stanley Baker loves them!!

This film effectively portrays the whole gamut of wartime emotions from the long Atlantic naval voyage boredom, short moments of high danger and excitement, guilt about not rescuing your own men who need help, sorrow at losing loved ones, training men on new sciences (asdic) and even romance (Viginia McKenna).At the end one feels as though you had actually been on the corvette yourself with the crew.One of the most realistic WWII dramas I have ever seen (and I have all the classics in my library).I rated it 8/10.

This understated movie is a good example of England's library of WWII films which refuses to indulge in the campy style that pervades far too many of the American films about that historic and horrible conflict. Hawkins is convincing as the determined captain of Compass Rose, a small sub-hunting escort for convoys moving material from the US to Britain. He is ably supported by his officers, who realistically portray inexperienced civilians pressed into the war effort and turned into sailors. I especially liked the scene where one of them mocks the first mate's love of sausages: "Snorkers! Good-oh!" When at port and interacting with the civilian population, the low-key realism continues. Nice, believable characters are simply snuffed out by German bombs from direct hits on their homes. The action out on "the cruel sea" is not hyped, but presented as it actually must have occurred, including the killing of unlucky English sailors who simply get in the way and the portrayal of the enemy as human beings fighting for their country, however misguided was its leadership. If you want a lot of explosions and baloney, there are plenty of other WWII films that will fill the bill. If you want a good story about real war, see this one.

Fine English war movie of life aboard a convoy escort ship during WWII. It's original B&W format only adds to the overall feel of the movie. Great no-nonsense performances from the cast. The movie is notable in that it is almost free of propaganda and instead concentrates on showing the crews life on board in a realistic way.Jack Hawkins turns in a fine performance.

Almost completely unsentimental (hooray!) portrayal of the life of those aboard a British corvette, HMS Compass Rose, during the Battle of the Atlantic. Jack Hawkins magnificent as its captain. Some harrowing scenes filmed with great reserve.

Easily the best film dealing with war at sea. Only "Das Boot" comes close.