Prenez garde à la flotte

Original title: Don't Go Near the Water

IMDb RATING

6.1/10

885

YOUR RATING

On a small South Pacific island during WW2, various US Navy P.R. personnel pass the time romancing the nurses and the native girls while trying to avoid front line Sea Duty.

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Adventure Comedy Romance War

On a small South Pacific island during WW2, various US Navy P.R. personnel pass the time romancing the nurses and the native girls while trying to avoid front line sea duty.On a small South Pacific island during WW2, various US Navy P.R. personnel pass the time romancing the nurses and the native girls while trying to avoid front line sea duty.On a small South Pacific island during WW2, various US Navy P.R. personnel pass the time romancing the nurses and the native girls while trying to avoid front line sea duty.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.1/10

885

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 1 win & 6 nominations total

User reviews12

Featured review

7/10

Pleasant and undemanding

In the 1950s and into the 60s, Glenn Ford carved out a most unusual niche for himself when it came to war movies. With only a few exceptions, the military movies he made during this era were NOT filled with glory and bravery but were mostly comedies...and often involving guys who really weren't among the best the US military had to offer! Think about it...with films like "The Imitation General", "Teahouse of the August Moon", "Cry for Happy", "Advance to the Rear" and "Don't Go Near the Water", Ford had a definite type war film...sort of the comedic anti-war film.

"Don't Go Near the Water" is set on a lovely tropical isle far from the action. Lt. Siegel (Ford) is with the Public Relations Department of the US Navy....and he and his fellow officers are NOT involved in any action, just trying to produce a positive image for the Navy. So, the film doesn't have life and death situations....most romantic and comedic ones.

The story is pleasant and enjoyable and certainly NOT heroic. It makes a nice time-passer and Ford, as usual, is excellent in this role as are the rest. Well worth seeing and my only complaints are minor, such as the sloppy use of some stock footage and post-war markings on an airplane....no big deal at all.

Trivia
Though it has been common in recent years for films or cable programs featuring graphic language to have words bleeped out when they are shown on a regular broadcast channel or on a more censorious family values network, this was one of the first times where, as a gag in a theatrical release, some of Mickey Shaughnessy's supposedly rough words were indicated by comic bleeps on the soundtrack. In the novel the character's language was also so blue that it was bleeped out on the written page.

Goofs
Ship's bells in the Navy ring every 30 minutes. The duration between the ringing of two and three bells during the staff meeting is four minutes in a scene that plays out in real time without a break.

Quotes
Lt. Ross Pendleton: [describing the running of the grunion] During this time of the year the slippery little creatures come up on the beach, stop, spawn, then go out to sea again.
Lt. Alice Tomlen: Sounds like some naval officers I know.