Help me find the name of a war movie?

[desrgrl]

I did post this on the war movie thread, but no one took a bite, so I thought I'd toss it out to a wider viewership. I'm trying to find the name of a WW2 movie...

Its a WW2 movie that I don’t fully remember:

- It was American, I think it was from the 40s or early 50s.
- I recall it being black and white, but there is a chance my memory is faulty, and it could have been colour
- I don't recall any actors in it, but it was mainstream, not anything obscure or alternative.
- I saw it in the late 70s – mid 80s on tv as a re-run.

Okay, the movie...
- It was focused on subs/ships as the setting, not sure how much, if any, was on land.
- I think it was set in the Atlantic Ocean, possibly Pacific. I doubt it was anywhere else.
- General plot,
… As I recall, it was a typical hunt/hide-and-seek scenario between boats (not sure if it was one captain against another, or more of a small fleet against small fleet (by fleet, not something big, more like a handful of boats) ... It may have had to do with convoys.
….The climactic scene, and what really made an impression on me, was that they had this final plan to get the German U-boat, and (I away out of my realm, technically, here)... they planned some sort of trap, that would have them drop depth charges... and the clincher is that they had a specific spot to be, and there was a different boat, not connected to them, that was torpedoed, and there were survivors in the water...and the survivors thought they were being rescued and were cheering...and people on the boat were aghast, because they had no choice (if they were going to get the U-boat) to drop the charges. It may have also been that it was too late (again, so short on how this might have been set up, but say, timed charges on the barrels on the boat, so they'd have to dump them or their boat would explode). So, the horror, and I think there was some arguing on the American boat, is that they dropped the charges and got the Uboat, but also all (most?) of the sailors in the water that had thought they were being rescued. My memory says that at the last minute the sailors in the water suddenly understood, in horror, what was happening.

Not ‘The Enemy Below’ 1957
Not ‘Run Silent, Run Deep’, 1958

 

[Alum Ladd]

I think you saw 'The Cruel Sea', a classic British film made in 1953 about a Royal Navy Flower Class Corvette named the Compass Rose. The Flowers were a British class of small anti-submarine ships, of which 294 were built. They were also used by the Canadians and many other navies. It's based on the true experiences of the author, Nicolas Monsarrat, whose excellent book was the same name.

There is a scene which exactly parallels your memory. The Captain, Ericson, (Jack Hawkins) is escorting a convoy in the South Western Approaches (the part of the Atlantic that feeds into the English Channel and the Bay Of Biscay) and a merchant ship is torpedoed. They get a firm ASDIC (you call this SONAR) fix, their first. Erickson has to decide whether to destroy the U boat even though there are many merchant sailor survivors in the water. There is some argument of the morality of it on the bridge briefly, but Ericson orders the Depth charge attack, resulting in the Compass Rose's first U boat kill. Also involves the death of scores of survivors in the water. It is a critical scene, but it is midway through the film. Also it is daylight. It affects the Captain deeply and is a key to his later behaviours and his crew's attitude.

I've seen many classic naval war films, but this is the only one of any country with a scene like that, that matches.

 

[desrgrl]

I think you saw 'The Cruel Sea', a classic British film made in 1953 about a Royal Navy Flower Class Corvette named the Compass Rose. ...It's based on the true experiences of the author, Nicolas Monsarrat, whose excellent book was the same name.

Yes, I downloaded it and did a quick run through, and it is the right movie!

There is a scene which exactly parallels your memory. The Captain, Ericson, (Jack Hawkins) is escorting a convoy in the South Western Approaches (the part of the Atlantic that feeds into the English Channel and the Bay Of Biscay) and a merchant ship is torpedoed. They get a firm ASDIC (you call this SONAR) fix, their first. Erickson has to decide whether to destroy the U boat even though there are many merchant sailor survivors in the water.

There is some argument of the morality of it on the bridge briefly, but Ericson orders the Depth charge attack, resulting in the Compass Rose's first U boat kill. Also involves the death of scores of survivors in the water. It is a critical scene, but it is midway through the film. Also it is daylight. It affects the Captain deeply and is a key to his later behaviours and his crew's attitude.

That was the scene that stood out so strongly in my mind. I was between 15-18 when I saw it, and if I recall correctly, I may have watched with my Dad. In taking a brief look through, there were some other scenes that stood out that I remembered (in particular the hull breach in the night when crew are sleeping, and the Captain hears the screams coming up the... talking tubes? no idea what you call them... and then put the cover on so that he doesn't have to hear more.

I've seen many classic naval war films, but this is the only one of any country with a scene like that, that matches.

I'm not sure why I didn't find it myself sooner. I only ever intermittently have looked for it. It was the war movie thread that jogged my mind that I still hadn't found it. I pride myself on generally good searching skills, and I used IMDB back when it was just text based, so I'm pretty good with searches there. I think my thought that it was American may have skewed things a bit, and there are thousands of war movies that feature subs, so it wasn't a short list.

Thanks for mentioning the book/author, I might just look it up.

My housemates and I are lined up to watch Greyhound, and possibly Das Boot (we've both seen that one), so I might get them to watch Cruel Seas as well. Thanks again for the help.

 

[Esox]

Good movie!

 

[desrgrl]

Good movie!

Just from what little I saw as I was ensuring it was the right movie (and getting caught up and watching a bit more), I'm going to love watching it from beginning to end (already trying to rope the housemate into this one...he's up for Greyhound and Das Boot, but he's not much of a war movie kind of guy). I think part of why I like it, and think is a selling part for him, is that it is British. Being Canadian I grew up with a lot of Canadian and British fare, which tend towards more understated fare, which is mostly my preference (except MCU, they can get as big and boomy as they want).

 

[Esox]

Just from what little I saw as I was ensuring it was the right movie (and getting caught up and watching a bit more), I'm going to love watching it from beginning to end (already trying to rope the housemate into this one...he's up for Greyhound and Das Boot, but he's not much of a war movie kind of guy). I think part of why I like it, and think is a selling part for him, is that it is British. Being Canadian I grew up with a lot of Canadian and British fare, which tend towards more understated fare, which is mostly my preference (except MCU, they can get as big and boomy as they want).

I havent seen it for years myself. I just found it and might watch it tonight. Greyhound I enjoyed as well as Das Boot. Theres another good submarine movie, thats not a war movie, with Jude Law. It's pretty good too, but a different genre.

Black Sea (2014) - IMDb - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2261331/

Theres an excellent 4 part documentary called Hell in the Pacific if you can find it. Its outstanding.

 

[desrgrl]

I haven't seen it for years myself. I just found it and might watch it tonight. Greyhound I enjoyed as well as Das Boot.

I'll probably drop a line over at the war movie thread once I see them.

Theres an excellent 4 part documentary called Hell in the Pacific if you can find it. Its outstanding.
It's on Youtube! If you play the first one, the others, 2,3,and 4 will show up in the side bar:

I posted, but because it is age restricted, you have to actually go to Youtube and find it yourself.
The title was: "Hell in the Pacific (2001) - Part 1: Inferno"

 

[Esox]

I'll probably drop a line over at the war movie thread once I see them.

Youtube is more useful all the time haha.

 

[desrgrl]

Youtube is more useful all the time haha.

lol... you were quick. Actually, it is pretty neat what you can find on Youtube, however the advertising is crazy sometimes, even with blocking on. And some people name things really stupidly, which isn't the platform's fault. I can see why it might be age restricted, and it does make sense you can't just embed it into a post if that would circumvent the warning thingy.

 

[Marcus52]

This isn't about the movie, per se, but if you liked that kind of movie I have a book to suggest for you. "The Grey Seas Under" by Farley Mowat is a great book on the adventures of an ocean going tug. I'd love to see it as a movie. As I see you are Canadian, I suspect it may give you another impetus to read it, being based in Canada and by a great Canadian author.

The Grey Seas Under - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org