The Cruel Sea (1953)

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In this seagoing military drama set in World War II, Lt. Comdr. Ericson (Jack Hawkins) is made captain of a British corvette, a small escort vessel used to guide and protect convoys traveling through the Atlantic. Ericson had his confidence severely shaken during his last command, in which he lost his ship and most of its men following an attack by a German U-boat. As he leads a new and largely inexperienced crew aboard the H.M.S. Compass Rose, Ericson is once again thrown into a life-and-death dilemma that forces him to choose between destroying an enemy ship and sparing the lives of his own men. The Cruel Sea featured breakthrough early performances from Denholm Elliott and Virginia McKenna, and it was based on a best-selling novel by Nicholas Monsarrat, who stipulated that the film rights could be sold only to a British company. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Starring:: Jack Hawkins, Donald Sinden, (more)

Director(s):: Charles Frend, Alec McCowen, (more)

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Synopsis of The Cruel Sea

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Complete Cast of The Cruel Sea

Jack Hawkins - Lt. Cdr. Ericson
John Stratton - Sub-Lt. Ferraby
Stanley Baker - Lt. Bennett
Bruce Seton - Bob Tallow
Moira Lister - Elaine Morell
Megs Jenkins - Glad Tallow
Glyn Houston - Phillips
Leo Phillips - Wainwright
Fred Griffiths - Gracey
Sam Kydd - Carslake
Barry Steele - Broughton
Harold Goodwin - ASDIC Operator
Don Sharp - Lieut.-Commander
Andrew Cruickshank - Scott Brown
Ronald Simpson - R.N. Captain
Gerard Heinz - Polish Captain
Barry Letts - Raikes

Donald Sinden - Lt. Keith Lockhart
Denholm Elliott - Sub-Lt. Morell
Virginia McKenna - Julie Hallam
Liam Redmond - Jim Watts
June Thorburn - Doris Ferraby
Meredith Edwards - Yeoman Wells
Alec McCowen - Tonbridge
Dafydd Havard - Signalman Rose
Laurence Hardy - Sellars
Jonathan Singer - Gray
Walter Fitzgerald - Warden
Herbert C. Walton - The Waiter
George Curzon - Admiral at party
Russell Waters - Air Raid Warden
John Warner - Sub-Lt. Baker
Gerik Schjelderup - Norweigan Captain

Director(s):: Alec McCowen, Charles Frend

Writer(s):: Eric Ambler

Producer(s):: Leslie Norman

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	Thomas B.

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The Cruel Sea is a British made 1953 black and white classic about the convoy escorts in the North Atlantic during World War II. It is based on the must read novel of the same name by Nicholas Monsarrent. Jack Hawkins is the commander of a very inexperienced crew first aboard the Compass Rose and later the Saltash Castle. These corvettes were used to guard the convoys and destroy U-boats. It is vastly different from Action In The North Atlantic which was more of a propaganda type movie because it was made ten years earlier. This is a low key but tremendous film about the war and men who crewed these ships. I can only imagine the 5 years of hell that the men on these type of missions had to endure. They never knew from moment to moment when the torpedo would come. This film comes very close to portraying that hell! One of the great movies about World War II.

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