The Cruel Sea (1953)

Directed by Charles Frend; produced by Leslie Norman

Lieutenant Commander Ericson (Jack Hawkins) is a capable merchant marine officer plucked from civilian life and made captain of a new Flower-class corvette at the beginning of the Second World War. With the sudden, immense expansion of the Royal Navy, his officers are a varied lot, with only one thing in common: their inexperience. They and the crew of HMS Compass Rose start their duties escorting convoys across the Atlantic Ocean, battling both the enemy and the sea.

One of the best war-movies, The Cruel Sea benefits from most of its components, particularly from the story and script. The former is from the novel by Nicholas Monsarrat; he was an officer on small escort ships during the war, and the character of Lockhart (Donald Sinden) is largely autobiographical. The alternation in the crew’s lives among boredom and excitement, routine and improvisation, calm and terror, fighting a largely invisible under-water enemy whose defeat – if it comes - must be inferred, all has the stamp of realism.

The screenplay is by Eric Ambler, moving from his usual genre of thriller and spy fiction. The dialogue and interaction among the characters is realistic; technical aspects of naval warfare and seafaring in general are explained obliquely or in the context of the action, negating the need for awkward asides that would not be used in real life.

It’s interesting that the script moves the focus from Ericson to Lockhart at one point, yet the change is seamless and natural. This occurs after the two characters take on a new ship, HMS Saltash Castle. Ericson becomes harder, more driven, due to what has happened before, while Lockhart, now more experienced and authoritative, is also more sympathetic and flexible.

This is reflected in the environment of the ships themselves: Compass Rose provides a more familial atmosphere, a contrast to the larger, more anonymous Saltash Castle. This should not be wondered at, as the prologue, as spoken by Ericson, describes the sailors as the heroes of the story, and the ships as the heroines.

Charles Frend did not direct many motion pictures before moving into television in the early ‘sixties, though several of the movies he worked on were very well received, and he directed many big names. His work on The Cruel Sea is well balanced between the subtle and the necessarily heavy. The relationships of the officers and the crew are often expressed through mannerisms and expressions, yet when the war becomes violent, it becomes violent suddenly and brutally. Even so, the most tension is derived from less conventional incidents, such as having to shut down the ship’s engines in order to repair a part - in the middle of submarine-infested seas.

The actors are first-rate. The Cruel Sea made Hawkins a household name, and rightly so. His character is an old salt - his medal ribbons show participation in the previous world war - sensible and strong. His face says much about his thoughts, though perhaps only to the audience. When he learns that neither of his two newest officers has been to sea, and, then, when one of those officers has gained enough experience and confidence to take over as his ‘number one’, Hawkins’s countenance gives his complete reactions.

One of the best and most stressful moments is when, while battling a submarine, Ericson must fire depth charges amid a torpedoed merchantman’s survivors, bobbing in the water. Ericson keeps muttering that ‘there are men in the water’, as if hoping someone will hear him and relieve him of the awful decision he has to make. The sickening responsibility of command is perfectly portrayed by the actor.

Also excellent is Sinden, who went on to have a busy and very well-respected career in several entertainment media. He makes the transition of Lockhart from a competent but unknowledgeable young man to an officer ready for the captaincy of his own ship - in just a couple of years - entirely believable. Stanley Baker does a good turn in a mean-spirited role, the likes of which his face often put him into, while Moira Lister has a very small but memorable part as the callous wife of another officer. Alec McCowen has a bit part as a sailor.

This is one of those films that seems to say it all about war, from the every-day heroism to the cynicism, from the comradeship to the poisoning of character. And it says it without overwhelming special effects or histrionics, but with good writing, good directing and good acting.