Morning Departure

Submarine commander John Mills leaves home to take charge of his crew on an exercise at sea. We meet some of his team as they set off and submerge. All good so far. This doesn't last long.

This is a well-acted film and stoker Richard Attenborough (Snipe) stands out alongside John Mills. All the cast do well. The majority of the film is set aboard the submarine as it sits at the bottom of the sea and plans to escape are drawn up. However, the plans are dealt a blow as rescue ships try to raise the submarine from the seabed. Someone pass the prayer book - this film will make you cry.

There is some very frank dialogue that is exchanged and it is interesting (and good) to see how claustrophobia was dealt with in those days. Quite right - well done John Mills for his address to the claustrophobic Attenborough. We need more of that attitude in today's work-shy climate where everyone claims they have a mental illness. What a load of nonsense - it's called life and you need to adjust and get on with it.

Another line of dialogue that has stuck with me is when there are four left in the submarine and Mills suggests they all have a brandy but warns "After this, the pub's closed!" It made me think that it's not a bad idea to have a bar built inside all submarines for just such an occasion when things go wrong and there is nothing you can do. "Pub is open!" would come the call to signal that your duty as a seaman has been fulfilled and you can now get plastered if you so wish.

John Mills is a submarine captain, ordered with his crew to take part in maneuvers. On their way to the site, they run into a mine and are sunk. After they settle at 15 fathoms, Mills and his XO are confident their absence will be noted, and they will be located and saved. As operations proceed, however, problems arise, leaving four of them trapped.

It's based on a stage play by Kenneth Woolard, and I can see it in my mind's eye, a one-set piece. Under the reliable Roy Ward Baker, it's opened up with a prologue showing us Mills wife, and later, unsleeping Bernard Miles, leading the rescue operation. At its core, we still get to see the four characters with increasing clarity: Mills, of course, his Number One, Nigel Patrick, stoker Richard Attenborough, who starts out panicky but grows up, and stalwart Able Seaman James Hayter. As the days pass and the characters become more than sketches, the potential tragedy becomes greater.

For those of us who have seen submarine-trapped-on-the-seabed movies from several eras, it's interesting to see the evolution in rescue technology.

A Rank production, with passable production quality and excellent acting. Much stock footage and a healthy amt. of rear projection, par for keeping costs down on Rank dramatic quickies. Since the screenplay was adapted from a play, its stage origins are still somewhat apparent. The performances of Mills, and a very young Attenborough, plus seemingly one-half the J.R. Rank stable of regulars are very good. The sets and costumes were surprisingly ratty--long in the tooth! Still, this is only a few years after the war, and things were still very hard-up in England. Ultimately, this is a "talker" and not an "actioner", and it does fairly well for all that, though not spectacularly so. The ending, to me, disappointed. I do recommend this for classic movie fans.

John Mills is superb as the indomitable submarine captain who leaves his wife and baby for a routine patrol. Richard Attenborough excels as the young sailor who cracks under pressure.

A wonderful film which may have started as a play. Well formed with portrayals which are both intimate and skilful. The "character" actors are enjoyable and colourful as the submarine sets sail, all leading to heightened drama when tragedy strikes.

If you like British black and white films about stiff upper lips and devotion to duty, you cannot do better.

God save the King.

Morning Departure had a somewhat slow beginning but it quickly immerses you in the characters and their relationships with one another and with their duty. Whereas a lot of movies these days really try and make you care about the characters by the end of this movie your wondering if there is anything you could do at home to help them out! I actually saw this movie for the first time about 3 years ago but seriously rate this as my favorite movie to date when not influenced by current blockbusters.