La mer cruelle

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.

This movie remained hidden from me until late one night on the disney channel. It is very accurate in its depiction of life aboard a Flower class corvette. These ships wore out men quicker than combat. The scenes in heavy seas are very true to life.

The depiction of tedious patrolling interspersed with brief and vicsious action is also very accurate. The crew comprised of a few proffessionals and the bulk civilians just removed tells the greatest story of all. The average citizen taking up arms in defence of his country and freedom.

A really good movie worth watching.

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.

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.

I first read this book when I was 14 (and had my father take it back from me when I had to ask "what's 'urinate' mean, dad?"). Monserrat is a master at the depiction of men at war - from his extraordinary technical knowledge to his ability to convey the fatigue, the cross feelings living in close quarters, the bitterness, the moments of triumph or relief.

This film does Monserrat justice. This movie is the opposite of the "boys' own adventure" sorts of movies. There are no striking heroics - just the very real feeling of people performing onerous often dangerous duties as well as they're able - which is heroic itself. The movie does not skimp on the danger either - the shocking losses of ships in convoys that the corvette "protects", the extreme difficulty of finding and sinking U-boats, almost gives one the feeling, "what's the point of convoys?" (Imagine all surgeons operating with an average 3% survival rate - well, 3% recovery is better than none - but imagine the wear on the surgeons).

The film is gritty, and just has the feel of the 1940s in its bones. The sounds, the movement, the look of cities and harbors, the clothes - it's as if one's uncles' tales have all come to life.

Jack Hawkins and Donald Sinden are wonderful - almost always (and necessarily in wartime) stiff upper lip. The movie's moral dramas (bearing upon decisions the captain must make) are wonderfully conceived and executed.

This is truly a superb movie - a great credit to all who worked on it - a memorial to many. It's a completely different - and superior - genre to such movies as Pearl Harbor. I even prefer it to its natural rival, In Which We Serve - good though the latter is.