The Cruel Sea (DVD)

It seemed that no sooner had WWII ended than the British film industry embarked on a campaign to refight it for the benefit of the cameras. War films abounded from the mid 1940s up till the late 1950s. Some were humdrum efforts; others were good, and a few, just a few, were excellent. In the latter category we might include 'The Dambusters', 'The Bridge on the River Kwai', 'Ice Cold in Alex', 'Above Us the Waves' and the subject of this review, 'The Cruel Sea'. Based on Nicholas Monsarrat's bestselling 1951 novel of the same name, 'The Cruel Sea' was a film made in 1953 by Ealing Studios (an outfit better known for its quirky comedies) and it tells the story ...

If ever a film portrayed the horrors and terrors of war at sea then The Cruel Sea must rank with “In Which We Serve” and “Das Boot” at or near the top of a very short list. Based on the book of the same name by Nicholas Monserrat, this film does not dramatise for effect and tells the story of what it was really like in England’s struggle for survival. I am assured by those who sailed the Gibraltar run and escorted the Merchant marine with precious supplies across the Atlantic, that life and death was exactly as portrayed. The story is told from the viewpoint of Captain Ericson played by the excellent British actor Jack ...