Action in the North Atlantic (1943) User Reviews

A Far Crueler Ocean...

[annatrope · 8/10 · 3 March 2007]

This comparatively little-known film should have done for the Merchant Sailors of WWII what "The Cruel Sea" did for the image of the Royal Navy. The men who sailed the convoy ships were treated appallingly by the owners of the vessels they crewed, who indeed where quick to institute "retroactive stoppage of pay" clauses upon receiving word of a ship's being lost. They also were subject to verbal --even physical-- abuse by their own countrymen, who routinely mistook them for "Service Shirkers". "Action" is one of the few films that gives them their due.

This film is remarkable on many counts. Not only is the acting rock solid, and the story in itself a fine "sea saga", but the director has managed to avoid many potential pitfalls thrown into in his path by the War (Propaganda?) Department. The obligatory leave-taking scenes are touching, but not maudlin; the even more obligatory "speech-making" is impassioned, but never embarrassingly so. And the Enemy is portrayed as a thoroughly competent if ruthless professional, as dedicated to his own trade as the convoy Sailors are to theirs. (I for one did not find the lack of English "subtitles" a problem --I could pretty well figure out what the U-Boat skipper and his crew were up to.)

To repeat my opening comments,-- this film, though not as well-circulated as "The Cruel Sea", certainly should rank as its equal.

Stirring, well-acted, realistic tribute to the U.S. Merchant Marines...

[Doylenf · 7/10 · 2 July 2005]

Despite plenty of wartime propaganda and the usual amount of clichés and other staples of WWII action melodramas, ACTION IN THE NORTH Atlantic is given a boost by some of the best staged action scenes ever featured in a Warner Bros. movie of that era.

The realism is startling considering that special effects then included no computer engineering. The script is basically the story of U.S. Merchant Marine survivors of a battle determined to sink the ship that ruthlessly cut into their lifeboat. The climax has them getting their revenge on the Germans after a fierce battle that concludes with the Americans and their farewell ceremonies to shipmates killed during battle. Bogart is given some flag-waving lines to read and the film concludes with a commentary using FDR's voice to salute the Merchant Marines and their contribution to the war effort.

Lloyd Bacon directs with a firm, vigorous treatment of all the battle scenes and only occasionally does the film slow down when dealing with the domestic front. Julie Bishop does a nice job as Bogart's girlfriend and later wife, while Raymond Massey shares his domestic homecoming with Ruth Gordon as his wife. But the film's merits are chiefly due to the action sequences, which are by far among the best ever featured in a Bogart film.

Action is what you get here...but don't expect anything deep. Bogart fans won't be disappointed. Dane Clark plays his usual hothead role with gusto and Alan Hale is a welcome addition to the supporting cast.

A Tin-Can Sonarman and Son and Grandson of Merchant Seamen Comments

[sweetweehee · 8/10 · 25 May 2009]

My grandfather went to sea on square-riggers in 1900 and my Dad served as an Able Seaman all through World War 2. He was 400 miles ENE of Honolulu on 12/7/41 and heard the distress calls of the SS Cynthia Olson, sunk by a Japanese sub 200 miles North of them and 4 hours before the attack occurred. He went on to see action in the invasions of Attu, Kiska, North Africa, Sicily, Salerno, Anzio and Iwo Jima. So he had the dubious honor of being shot at by representatives of all Three Axis Powers(4 if you count the Vichy French). He told me the following story about seeing this film.

He and his shipmate, Dudley, a fellow San Franciscan, had returned to the states after Anzio and were on a bus trip back to San Francisco. They had an overnight stay at some Podunk town in western Nebraska. With nothing else to do, they decided to see what was playing at the local theater. When they saw it was this film, wild horses couldn't keep them from watching it. They attended the screening and just laughed up a storm through the entire movie; especially at the scenes of an old Liberty ship slewing around the ocean like a Fletcher-Class Destroyer. They were SO loud and boisterous that the rest of the local crowd thought they were Nazi saboteurs and laid hands on them with the intention of beating the crap out of them THEN hanging them. Dudley and my Dad had to produce THEIR merchant seaman's documents and Sailor's Union of the Pacific and Seafarer's International Union cards to the crowd to save their skins. Once the crowd realized WHO they were, they were immediately carried to the local saloon and gotten rip-roaring drunk on the townspeople's dime.

I finally got a chance to watch it on TCM sometime back and agree to the potboiler and propaganda elements of the film. That said, I DO think the screenplay is a lot better than he gave credit for. Especially considering it was nominated for an Academy Award. The language and characters ring more true than false and I could swear to knowing many old salts just like the crew. My Dad later went on to sail with Jim Thorpe in 1947/48 and was an able seaman into the early 1960's. But I'll always remember "Action In Northern Nebraska" as one of his favorite sea stories.

So I leave you all with the admonishment and reminder he told me before I went to sea on Destoryers: "Keep her between the anchors!" "Just remember son. No matter WHERE you are at sea, you're NEVER more than seven miles from land...STRAIGHT DOWN!"

Battle Across the Atlantic...

[Xstal · 7/10 · 27 August 2023]

These were battles that saw merchant ships attacked, across the seas like fish in barrels they were tracked, a hidden foe that fought with stealth, their aim to sink the allies wealth, deploying tactics that were tough to counteract. In convoys odds of sinking were reduced, but on occasion isolation was induced, like a lamb that leaves the flock, you were open to be shot, but wise thinking often generates a boost. At its heart there is a little propaganda, encouraging those free to join and clamber, to ride the waves of victory, sailing logistics over sea, there was no reason to abstain, as a bystander.

The Cruel Sea

[rmax304823 · 7/10 · 2 March 2006]

It's hard to dislike the Warner Brothers' war movies of the 1940s despite any weaknesses they might have had. They are inexpensive, unpretentious, and exciting. And, like most Warner Brothers flicks, they're oriented towards a working-class audience. No fancy philosophizing, no pop psych profundities, no ontological Angst.

"If dis fog gets any thicker we'll have to cut our way through it." "Yeah. A good day to be at home with a blond and a book." "Oh, yeah? When did you loin to read?" "Who said I could read?" "But you said --" (Dissolve) There are the usual familiar faces in this one: Bogart, Massey, Alan Hale, Dane Clark, Sam Levene (great as always).

Basically, the story is that the crew of an American freighter is torpedoed in mid-Atlantic and their lifeboat is rammed by the submarine. Picked up, they later gather and form the crew of a new Liberty ship, the Sea Witch, and assigned to a large convoy destined for Murmansk, USSR. The convoy is attacked by a Nazi wolfpack and scatters. One submarine follows the Sea Witch and radios its position to the Luftwaffe. Two Nazi planes are sent out to strafe and bomb the ship but both are shot down after causing considerable damage to the ship. The airplanes are curiously antiquated looking. I think the models are supposed to represent Heinkel HE 59s. Finally, the skulking submarine surface to shoot it out with the Sea Witch, fooled into thinking the Liberty ship is mortally wounded by a torpedo. (Cf., "The Enemy Below.") The Sea Witch rams the submarine and sinks her and the German crew dies screaming as water pours in.

The men killed at sea are buried with proper ceremony, their names and ranks read off, one by one -- John Murphy, Joe Anderson, Frank Ribetti, Morris Goldberg -- and Bogart after reading the burial service throws in his own two cents worth about how "it could be any one of us lying there." The screenplay is by John Howard Lawson, one of the "Hollywood Ten" who was blacklisted after the war for his membership in the communist party. The Red propaganda is visible to the naked eye. Lawson has the temerity to suggest that Russia and the USA fought on the same side in World War II.

Those Liberty ships, manned by civilian merchant seamen, were really Doozies. The first series was slapped together by Kaiser. It took a few days to build each ship from keel to tiptoptagallant. They were small, unarmed, uncomfortable, and underpowered. They were built in three modules that were then joined, and they had a tendency to come apart at the seams in heavy weather.

And the North Atlantic offers what is probably the lousiest weather in the northern hemisphere. The top speed of the ships was about 12 knots. Nicholas Monserrat, in his memoirs, describes being aboard an escort vessel in a convoy and watching the ships beating against a headwind that reduced their flank speed to that of a man walking.

Anyway, there is a romance thrown in here so Bogart can be married, but it's short, unobtrusive, and unsentimental. And, as in practically unavoidable in films describing duels between ships and submarines, there is as much suspense as there is action. At times the sea is more of a threat than the enemy is. The action scenes, when they come, are fast, arousing, and a little confusing.

As a footnote, the Merchant Marine was not well thought of by the Armed Services because, as civilians, their pay rate was far higher than that of enlisted men. Nevertheless, it was extremely dangerous duty and the percentage of men killed at sea was higher than in any branch of the service.

A good example of Warners' craftsmanship, a simple tale, skillfully done.

"Let me tell you something about my iron nerve, son..."

[utgard14 · 7/10 · 27 May 2015]

Well this is one movie title that's certainly not misleading. There's tons of action in this gripping WW2 movie about the Merchant Marine. I might even go so far as to say it's got the best and most realistic action sequences from any WW2 movie I've seen. I'm talking about movies made during the era not stuff made decades later with a gazillion dollar budget, of course. The story's about an American tanker crew that survives their ship being sunk by a German U-boat and spend eleven days adrift at sea before being rescued. They later return to sea on a Liberty ship leading a convoy. Once again they have to deal with the Nazis.

What's not to like? It's a WW2 movie with colorful Warner Bros. character actors Alan Hale, Dane Clark, Peter Whitney, and Sam Levene backing up Humphrey Bogart and Raymond Massey. There's only a couple of (minor) female roles, played well by Julie Bishop and Ruth Gordon. Yeah the plot's pretty basic and the characters may seem clichéd but it's all put together so well that I didn't mind. There's something to be said for using a successful formula.

The script is great with lots of funny lines and stirring speeches. Good music, both score and a nice rendition of Night and Day from a dubbed Julie Bishop. The photography is beautiful. The special effects are exceptional. The direction is terrific, especially in those spectacular action scenes. This is all the more remarkable when one considers director Lloyd Bacon didn't get to finish the picture. Bogart is great (as always) and his fans will love this one. Pretty much anyone who enjoys WW2 movies, particularly those from WB, will like this a lot. It's an emotional, exciting two hours of solid entertainment.

This is the story of the most under recognized service of the World War II

[nodhannum · 10/10 · 29 October 2006]

From what my father described this is pretty much the way it was on the Murmansk run. My father was sunk twice on the way to Murmansk the second time with the PQ-17 convoy (The Massacred Convoy). He was Chief Engineer on the maiden voyage of the liberty ship "Daniel Morgan" and was sunk by the German U-88 on July 4th, 1942. After being picked up by a Russian tanker some three days later he and the survivors hid out behind Russian lines until he came back to Boston on The Queen Mary with hundreds of other merchant seaman that had been sunk. The day was October 15th, 1942...the day I was born.

That wasn't the last time he was sunk.

Convoying Lend Lease

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 26 October 2006]

Raymond Massey and Humphrey Bogart as captain and first mate of a merchant marine ship, see their first ship sunk by a German U-boat. They get a second ship and with some of their surviving crew from the first ship join an international convoy taking supplies to the Soviet Union.

From Halifax to Murmansk quite a flotilla of merchant ships from a whole lot of countries that had declared war on the Axis. The convoy was something like a sea going wagon train which was developed because individual ships were easy prey for submarines. The seagoing wagon train got a destroyer escort and they were armed now as well.

The merchant seaman were not technically part of the armed forces. But that didn't mean they weren't seeing a lot of action as Action in the North Atlantic so clearly demonstrates. Bad enough when the Lend lease was to Great Britain, but when we became allies with the Soviets the only places it could go were the ports of Murmansk and Archangel when they were ice free. That meant a voyage along the long Norwegian coast line which was occupied by Germany.

Bogart and Massey give strong portrayals of dedicated merchant seaman whose life is tough enough in peace time. But they certainly have the right stuff in time of war. Some of the crew of their ship is Dane Clark, Sam Levene, Peter Whitney, and Alan Hale who really steals every scene he's in.

Action in the North Atlantic is filled with a lot of the flag waving that characterized Hollywood era World War II films. The derring do heroics are kept to a minimum. The situations the seaman encounter are quite real for the perilous undertaking they were involved in.

It could probably be remade today and maybe with some of today's stars showing a new generation what it was like to be a merchant seaman in World War II>

Great story of Merchant Mariners as service and individuals

[usmmakp · 10/10 · 15 May 2006]

I am a proud graduate of the U.S.Merchant Marine Academy, Kings Point.I am also a retired US Navy Captain. The screening of "Action in the North Atlantic" was an annual event at Kings Point, since one of the characters was a Cadet serving sea time as part of his training. Cadet Parker well represents the 142 Cadet-Midshipman who were killed in action in WWII (Kings point is only Federal academy which is thus authorized to carry a Battle flag with their color guard.) The characters are real and Warner Bros. could not have picked a better cast. This movie was and is only one of a handful which tried to show the contribution of the merchant marine during the war. I particularly liked the scene where Alan Hale tries to explain to a couple of his shipmates the meaning of the word "rendezvous". They don't make 'em like that any more. I still watch this flic every time it screens.

The title says it all

[JB-12 · 18 May 2000]

Humphrey Bogart was a full fledged star when he made this film. Other Hollywood stars not in the military at the time including John Wayne and Errol Flynn were winning the war on screen so why not Bogart. "Action In The North Atlantic" was a natural.

Bogie Plays Joe Rossi, a first mate on a Merchant Marine freighter. The ship gets blown out of the sea and rammed by a Nazi Sub. Bogie gets a new ship, the ship gets even, and delivers their cargo to their destination(Russia of all places).

All of the typical war movie stereotypes are there. Raymond Massey in a departure from his many villainous roles of that era was the father figure Captain. The Warner Brothers Stock Company were all there led by Alan Hale, Sam Levine, and Dane Clark( who for the first time in his career used this name given to him by Bogart--previously he acted under his real name Bernard Zanville).

In addition, Ruth Gordon and Julie Bishop are there for the perfunctory wife/girlfriend scenes.

The title says it all. Except for a few scenes on land most of the film takes place on board ship. Lloyd Bacon and Raoul Walsh(uncredited)make the battle scenes realistic with the guidance of Byron Haskin.

The dialogue some of which was written by John Howard Lawson came under some controversy. In the 1950s Lawson was named as one of the Hollywood 10 and was blacklisted. As relations between the US and Russia deteriorated anti communist factions pointed to this film as pro russian.

In truth this is a one of the great WWII dramas. It is a stirring tribute to the unsung heroes of the conflict, the Merchant Marines

"I got faith... in God, President Roosevelt, and the Brooklyn Dodgers, in the order of their importance."

[classicsoncall · 7/10 · 7 December 2005]

Raymond Massey and Humphrey Bogart head the cast of this World War II epic detailing the role of the U.S. Merchant Marine, a film apparently convincing enough that it was used as a training film for the real military branch of that name. In fact, the action sequences are very real and convey a sense of what it must have felt like to be under fire and in peril most of the time the men were at sea.

Bogart is Chief Officer Joe Rossi, and Raymond Massey is Captain Steve Jarvis, first of the ship "Northern Star", and later aboard the more modern ship the S.S. Seawitch. The Northern Star was blown out of the water by a German submarine, the villainous Nazis shown ramming the survivors' life boat and casting them adrift for eleven days before being rescued. Curiously, when the men are found aboard a raft, the remains of their ship is seen still smoking behind them in the background; it seems to me this marker should not have gone unnoticed by search parties for almost two weeks.

Bogie and Massey both have love interests back on dry land, actually Rossi has a girl in every port as his character is portrayed. Though in a whirlwind romance he manages to meet, marry and leave his wife Pearl (Julie Bishop) for active duty, all in what seems like a matter of days. Jarvis on the other hand, has had a long marriage to an understanding wife, capably played by Ruth Gordon. She has an atypical reaction to his next assignment - "To a sailor's wife, war is just another storm".

On the opposite side of the spectrum, Alfred "Boats" O'Hara (Alan Hale) finds refuge at sea; he's been married a number of times and finds war safer to matrimony - "Those Liberty boats are sure well named". He's part of a colorful supporting cast that includes a hot headed Polish seaman named Pulaski (Dane Clark), and a dedicated cat lover who stows his pets aboard ship each time out. Probably the most curious thing about the film is how the whole rag tag bunch manages to stay together throughout the war. I'm curious as to the accuracy of the scene where the boys all sign up for a hitch together aboard the Seawitch.

The second half of the movie offers an interesting cat and mouse game between the German sub and the Seawitch. With Captain Jarvis severely wounded, Rossi takes over command and hits upon a clever ruse to defeat the Germans. Setting his ship on fire to make a torpedo hit seem more disastrous than it really was, he directs the ship to ram the surfaced U-Boat, destroying the sub and it's occupants. As the Seawitch makes it's way into the Russian port of Murmansk, an American commander comments on their cunning - "It's not a miracle, it's American seamanship."

Not that it's all guts and glory for the Amercicans, the tragic side of war is conveyed effectively as well. For an early 1940's film, there are a number of battle scenes depicting bodies flying in the air quite realistically amid explosions and torpedo strikes. The poignancy of death is handled discreetly with a burial at sea presided over by Bogie's character. War time audiences must have found some solace in films like this, at a time when patriotism was still a respected ideal.

One of the very best wartime propaganda films

[planktonrules · 9/10 · 24 September 2006]

The term "propaganda" has taken on a very negative connotation, though propaganda can also be a very positive thing--encouraging the masses through logical and/or emotional appeals to get on the bandwagon on a certain topic. In this case, the effort was noble--encouraging people to understand why we were fighting the Axis powers as well as drumming up their support. Now these types of films were made in the hundreds in the USA during the war and many of them are pretty forgettable. However, this might just be one of the very best due to its magnificent writing and acting. Plus, in many ways it's similar to the British wartime film IN WHICH WE SERVE (1942)--but I think that ACTION IN THE NORTH Atlantic is actually a bit better film. Much of this is because the acting is at least equal to the British film (Humphrey Bogart and Raymond Massey versus Noel Coward and John Mills in the 1942 film) and the story is a bit more exciting in ACTION IN THE NORTH Atlantic. Plus, I admired how the often forgotten men of the merchant marine were shown to be heroes--after all, a lot of them died transporting supplies to Britain during the war.

Both films excelled because unlike some jingoistic wartime films, the Allies were NOT shown as super-humans who could do ridiculous things (like in the movie AIRFORCE where a B-17 shoots down fighter plane after fighter plane--something that just could never have happened). In fact, both films feature ships being sunk right out from under the stars in the first half hour of the film! But here's where the films really succeeded, as they showed the indomitable human spirit that despite losses, continues to bravely and without too much complaint do their job. Balancing this need with the families back at home make these both stellar films. In fact, now that I think about it, I STRONGLY recommend you see both. Yes, they are similar, but also different enough to provide a lot of entertainment and wonderful insight into our history.

Propaganda & Diversity

[DKosty123 · 7/10 · 2 April 2007]

This is a quality propaganda film about the World War 2 effort. It is designed purely to prop up the home front. It is quite effective in this effort.

The cast- Humphrey Bogart, Raymond Massey, Alan Hale & Dane Clark is very strong. Granted the cast doesn't get a lot of quality dialog but it does pretty well with what they do have. The sailors wife is really well illustrated.

A whole section of the film is kind of a World War 2 headline for diversity (which was invented way before the 1990's). It shows our hero's ship steaming into Nova Scotia & how diverse a fleet is there from many Allied Countries to ship war materials to fight the Nazi's.

The action sequences in this war time film are well done, & the lack of mechanical detail had much to do with the war effort. While a type of sonar is mentioned, no mention is made of radar & everything appears to be quite crude. This doesn't make the action suffer.

Predictable, trite propaganda film

[svescapekey · 4/10 · 23 November 2010]

"Action in the North Atlantic" was a disappointing, predictable, trite propaganda film. I can only assume that Humphrey Bogart did this movie out of patriotism, for this is no Casablanca or Maltese Falcon.

There isn't really a plot, I cannot imagine how one could even write a spoiler about this movie. After the first ten minutes you know the rest of it. It essentially glorifies the US effort to deliver logistics across the Atlantic, but does not in any way expound on this objective (other than that it's a good thing that we deliver).

The acting is contrived and formula-like, the minor characters frequently get on political soapboxes; pontification about God, country and President Roosevelt abound.

I'd recommend this movie only in the context of seeing how Hollywood supported the US war effort.

Efficient propaganda potboiler

[Nazi_Fighter_David · 6/10 · 24 April 2005]

"Action in the North Atlantic" contained all the stock clichés, including the well-integrated crew with each member delivering his own stereotyped ethnic exhortations, the traditional burial at sea of a prized compatriot, and a tough stand against the enemy…

All the performers took a back seat to the special effects as two spectacularly staged shipboard explosions and fires dominated the film…

As, respectively, the lieutenant and captain aboard a merchant-marine ship, Bogart and Massey had little real chance to show much more than pure determination in their roles, but both alternated effectively between moments of tenderness when on shore with their loved ones (Julie Bishop for Bogart, Ruth Gordon for Massey) and extreme courage on board ship…

Both men uttered the usual wartime banalities as the enemy, consistently portrayed as vicious and inhuman, went about its business of machine-gunning men in lifeboats, maniacally smiling all the while…

Firmly directed by Lloyd Bacon, "Action in the North Atlantic" still works as a war actioner

The Warner Brothers taking pride in their patriotism.

[mark.waltz · 7/10 · 24 June 2019]

It must have created some pride (and tears) when all the Navy's of the world gather together with their flag flying as they begin to fight for the cause of freedom and to destroy those trying to take away freedom. I don't recall having such a stir in my heart other than perhaps the gathering of the Hebrews in Egypt as they prepared to march to freedom guided by Moses in "The Ten Commandments". This deals with the survivors of a Nazi torpedoing of their merchant Marine ship and the determination to strike back add a vicious enemy with no value of human life outside their own. Humphrey Bogart and Raymond Massey join forces together, with Massey is the commander and Bogart as his right hand man, too easy-going he claims to crew members to command a ship, but under the thumb of Massey, it's an easy going command, although Massey is tough when he needs to be.

Certainly there are cliches in this World War II action drama, showing a little bit of Massey and Bogart's domestic life. Massey is reunited with his "Abe Lincoln in Illinois" co-star Ruth Gordon as the devoted wife who greets him lovingly and provides him all the Care he needs while he is on leave. Bogart gets the pretty Julie Bishop, a nightclub singer (scene singing the title song from the upcoming Cole Porter movie bio "Night and Day") and spontaneously marries her, causing instant attention when he has to go off for duty almost right away. Warner Brothers fills out the other roles with familiar contract players, among them Alan Hale Sr. (Memorably attempting to give Hitler a raspberry) and Jane Clark who courageously admits his fears and the desire to simply be home with his wife and children making an honest living.

But as the drama unfolds, he will begin to see what exactly he is fighting for, and that happens with some mesmerizing battle sequences involving various nations involved with the allies as Nazi torpedoes fly Full speed ahead, killing hundreds in the freezing Atlantic. The sailors show their tenderness and camaraderie, supporting one sailor who brings a kitten aboard, and sharing their deepest secrets with each other. It's absolutely written and lacking in extreme cliches which makes this an above-average entry in World War II propaganda films. Warner Brothers would make many films like this, among them "Air Force" and "Edge of Darkness" the same year, with classics like "Destination Tokyo" and "Pride of the Marines" yet to come.

My Favorite War Film

[stphifer · 28 May 2011]

My dad was a sonar man on a destroyer escort and made two convoys across the mid-Atlantic. I saw this film as a kid and quickly reproduced the battle sequences in the bathtub with my model ships. When it finally came out on DVD I snatched it up. It holds up through repeated viewings. I even used the burial at sea sequence in a Memorial Day Service! There is something about Bogey leading in the Lord's Prayer! I buy every WW2 naval picture I can get my hands on--but this is the best of them. If you ever built WW2 ship models, you will love the miniatures in this film-a whole convoy with escorts and a menacing wolf pack of U-boats.

Another favorite is "The Enemy Below" (1957) which takes place on a DE like the one my dad was on. But that film is more personal--two ships battling each other. "Action in the North Atlantic" is on a much grander scale.

Enjoyable, but a bit formulaic.

[Bri22 · 7/10 · 28 May 1999]

Very much a product of its time. Released in the thick of WWII, "Action in the North Atlantic" follows the unsung civilian heroes of the war (the Merchant Marines) as they ship materiel to various fronts. The characters are strictly by-the-book for wartime movies : Raymond Massey is the kind father figure, Bogie is his street-smart lieutenant. Alan Hale, Sam Levene and the rest of the cast are the requisite mix of gruff but lovable characters of various ethnic backgrounds. The whole thing is quite predictable, but fun to watch.

Convoy

[jotix100 · 8/10 · 1 September 2005]

"Action in the North Atlantic" a war time tale of 1943 shows great special effects and battle scenes that have a realistic look to them. In fact, the film which turned up on cable recently, was a total surprise. Director Lloyd Bacon showed a flair with this WWII drama about the men that operated the Merchant Marine.

We are taken to the North Atlantic where a group of ships are made to form a convoy, hoping that being so close to each other, they might be protected from attacks. Little prepared the organizers of this idea for the arrival of the infamous German submarines and planes. The action one sees is centered in the Liberty ship that is heading for the old Soviet Union. The heroic account of what the crew of that ship experienced is a tribute to the courageous men that put their lives in peril in order to get their cargo to the different destinations.

Humphrey Bogart, as Lt. Joe Rossi, makes a great appearance. He is totally believable as the man who takes over for his wounded captain and brings the ship to safety. Raymond Massey plays Capt. Jarvis, a man totally dedicated to his profession. Alan Hale, Sam Levene and Dane Clark are seen as part of the brave crew of the Liberty. Ruth Gordon and Julie Bishop are the women left behind.

The film has a great black and white photography by Ted McCord and a haunting musical score by Adolph Deutsch. The battle scenes were staged by Lloyd Bacon with an uncredited assistance from Raoul Walsh and they are amazing for what was accomplished in those days where the technology wasn't so advanced.

World War II propaganda drama highlights Merchant Marines' mission

[jacobs-greenwood · 6/10 · 6 December 2016]

Directed by Lloyd Bacon, with a story by Guy Gilpatric, additional dialogue provided by W.R. Burnett and A.I. Bezzerides, and a screenplay by John Howard Lawson, this slightly above average war drama details the contributions of the Merchant Marines ("Heroes Without Uniform") during World War II. Gilpatric's Original Story was nominated for a Best Writing Oscar.

This Warner Bros. propaganda film features several of its stars and goes hand in hand with studio's many other contributions to the war effort, providing a stark contrast to the anti-military "propaganda" most movie studios have been turning out since Vietnam. Humphrey Bogart, Raymond Massey, Alan Hale, Sam Levene, Dane Clark, and even Ruth Gordon (who plays Massey's wife as she did in their only other film together, Abe Lincoln in Illinois (1940)), among others, appear.

Set during World War II, Steve Jarvis (Massey) is the Captain of an oil freighter that's transporting needed fuel to the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. Unfortunately, the sea is crawling with German U- boats, determined to sink the unarmed ship to keep it from helping the Allies. His longtime first mate, Lieutenant Joe Rossi (Bogart) has enough experience to be captain of his own ship, but prefers to remain a subordinate, closer to the crew with no paperwork responsibilities. Their usual shipmates include Boats O'Hara (Hale), Chips Abrams (Levene), Johnnie Pulaski (Clark), Whitey Lara (Peter Whitney), and cook Caviar Jinks (J. M. Kerrigan, uncredited). During this particular voyage, they've picked up a studious new youngster Robert Parker (Dick Hogan). Soon, however, their ship is sunk by a German submarine, and all hands must abandon ship. Several of the non-credited seaman, including Kerrigan, Creighton Hale & Glenn Strange, die in the burning sea while Jarvis, and the rest of his crew, man the only lifeboat. But the U-boat surfaces and, after some hostile banter between the two captains, the German orders his boat to sink the American's lifeboat. Fortunately, Jarvis had expelled some rafts from the freighter before it sunk and, after 11 days at sea without food or water (not really possible?), the men are rescued.

Jarvis returns to his wife while Rossi meets a bar (Irving Bacon appears, uncredited, as the bartender) singer, Pearl (Julie Bishop), whom he marries rather hastily. Parker goes to Merchant Marine school where he becomes a cadet, while the rest of the crew gathers at their union's meeting place to wait for another ship to join. The family man Pulaski voices the things that perhaps the others are only thinking about not necessarily wanting to go out again so soon after nearly being killed.

However, when the opportunity presents itself, all sign on again together for another mission and all hard feelings towards Pulaski are forgotten. Jarvis "retrieves" Rossi and all the men find themselves assigned to the U.S.S. Sea Witch, including Cadet Parker and a regimen of other sailors assigned to operate the ship's guns. The Sea Witch is part of a 73 ship convoy assigned the mission to transport much needed supplies (including aircraft, tanks, and more) to Murmansk, Russia. Charles Trowbridge appears, uncredited, as the Rear Admiral.

Naturally, the convoy runs into a wolf-pack of German U-boats. Lots of exciting action sequences follow with torpedoes launched, most hitting their targets, and subs sunk by Destroyers with depth charges. The Sea Witch gets separated from the convoy and must proceed to the destination without escort; their only defense are their installed guns and its Navy crew. They battle a German U-boat (perhaps even the same one that sunk the oil freighter at the beginning of the film, if you can believe the coincidence) and dive bombers on their way.

It should come as no surprise that the Sea Witch reaches its destination, much to the delight of the Russian town and its residents. However, Jarvis is injured by strafing fire from one of the dive bombers while Parker is killed by the other when it's shot down and crashes into the Sea Witch's bow. Rossi must then perform a crude surgery to remove the bullet in Jarvis's leg. After having escaped the German U-boat in the fog and by turning off all power such that they were "invisible" to it, the Sea Witch encounters it again before reaching port.

The German U-boat commander was smart enough to determine the target destination such that it rendezvoused with Jarvis's boat again. In any case, after their ship receives a wounding torpedo, Rossi (now in charge per Jarvis's injury) orders the men to light fires on its deck to fool the U-boat captain into thinking their damage was greater such that he might surface. The commander takes the bait which, along with a smoke screen he'd ordered, allows Rossi to ram the submarine broadside, sinking it.

This same strategy was actually copied by director Dick Powell in his film The Enemy Below (1957), though Powell chose to add a bit more (having Mitchum, the American Captain, rescue Jurgens, the German).

The Merchant Marines Movie

[Chazzzzz · 10/10 · 23 October 1999]

Certainly there have been many war movies made about WWII. But this is the only one I can recall that is about the Merchant Marines' efforts. Made during the height of the war, this film boasts of a splendid cast (even if they are somewhat predictable in their characters), and spectacular cinematography. I highly recommend this film to those who have never seen it. Bogart & Massey are great. A solid 10.

Always keep em sailing

[kapelusznik18 · 6/10 · 25 April 2017]

(Mild Spoilers) Humprey Bogart in his first film release since his Academy Award winning-Best Picture-"Casablanca" is on the high seas in the choppy and cold North Atlantic as second mate or 1st officer John Rossi doing his part for the allied war effort against the Nazis. It's Rossi who's sailing his cargo ship the "Seawitch" through U-Boat infested waters to the Russian seaport of Murmansk with trucks tanks and fuel going to the desperate Red Army holding off the Nazis in their attempt to capture the Russian city of Lenningrad. Having survived a previous U-Boat attack and 11 days at sea on a raft until he and what was left of his crew including his good friend Captain Stev Jarvis, Raymond Massy, were rescued Rossi were determined not to get his crew and his ship sunk a second time around; that's if he and those on board could help it.

With the convoy #211 that he was part of getting attacked by a wolf -pack of German U-Boats the "Seawitch" was cut off from the convoy and left on its own to fend off both German U-Boats as well as bomber attacks as it tried to make it way to Murmansk some 1,000 miles away. In one of the German attacks Capt. Jarvis was badly wounded and put in sick-bay with Rossie taking over command of the ship. The German U-Boat captain, Wilhelm Von Brincken, who felt that he his Fuhrer -Hitler-and crew were insulted by the "Seawitch" crew by, when he ordered them to surrender, giving him the finger forgot about the rules of war and was now more then determined to sink the "Seawitch" and its crew even if they surrendered or not.

A cat and mouse game is played by the "Seawitch" and the German U-Boat with a squad of German fighter bombers joining in. That lead to a kamikaze like attack by one of the German planes that crashed, with the pilot losing control,into the "Seawitch" killing a number of it's crewmen. Just as the U-Boat was about to torpedo the listing US cargo ship a number of allied destroyers and bombers showed up and then dropping bombs and a number of depth charges on it to finally put it out of commission.

P.S Also in the cast is Dean Clark in his first staring role as seaman Johnnie Polaski with Sam Levene and Alan Hale Sr as seamen Abel "Chips" Abrams & Alfred "Boats O'Hara" to round out the multi ethnic,Polish Jewish & Irish, crew. It was Humprey Bogart who insisted that the ship's captain should be of what we now politically correctly call African/American decent but was overruled feeling that it would hurt the films box office returns especially in he southern states.

The Real Merchant Marine

[max843 · 8/10 · 7 February 2012]

This film was so meaningful to me. My grandmother's first cousin, Alexander Miller MacKinnon 19, drowned during a March 1942 attack while serving in the Merchant Marine.

He was aboard the "Colabee," having just left Cuba with a load of sugar for Baltimore. 10 miles out they were hit by the German submarine U-126. 23 dead, 14 survivors. Ironically the U-126 was itself destroyed the following year with no survivors.

As a child in 1940s Buffalo all our windows were carefully covered with black-out shades each evening. I heard the adults whispering that this was in case the Germans came up the St. Lawrence to the Great Lakes but we did not really know U-Boats were operating so close to our shores.

A year earlier Alex had been assigned to the SS Santa Elisa, hauling sugar cane from Chile to New York, arriving Christmas Eve 1941. But on the return trip to Chile in January 1942 the Santa Elisa was attacked, just as she left NYC carrying crates of safety matches and barrels of highly explosive carbide crystals. She was then towed back to the Brooklyn Yard for repairs. Which is why Alex was aboard the Colabee.

After being refitted the Santa Elisa set out to carry gasoline from England to Malta as part of Churchill's 62 vessel Operation Pedestal. That August 1942 she was attacked a second time and torpedoed by Italian motorboats, the gasoline caught fire and she went up in flames off of Tunisia. (One account says no survivors; official MM record states no deaths.)

Many parts of the movie show what our Merchant Marine was really going through. Yet it wasn't until 1988 that President Reagan signed the bill conferring Veteran status on all mariners who served in WWII, guaranteeing their benefits.

A good wartime propaganda film that does not embarrass itself.

[trevholcroft · 7/10 · 11 December 2012]

A good film which interestingly shows the Germans as obviously pretty mean but nevertheless as fairly stolid and was willing to see their extensive dialogue delivered in German without subtitles. The context and gestures were enough to judge what was being said, quite forward thinking in its way and took the audience as adults able to follow the action without being spoon fed.

The crew mess on the liberty ship features a huge American fridge. We must presume that its accurate as it was made contemporary with the times. Its an interesting example of just how much more prosperous and sophisticate the USA was at the time compared with the UK and how these films can be useful historical references.

There was in fact a similar film about the British merchant navy made at the same time called San Demetrio London. I remember it being repeated regularly by the BBC on Sunday afternoons.

Prolix and tedious

[fwdixon · 3/10 · 12 February 2012]

Episodic, boring and about a half hour too long, this is a pure WWII propaganda film for the Merchant Marine. Watching this on DVR, I found myself fast forwarding thru much of the seemingly endless propaganda speeches that litter this picture. The performances are, at best, adequate and at worst, dreadful. Warner Brothers usual array of character actors provide little, if any, "action" to this film. Alan Hale, whom I normally find enjoyable, chews up scenery at every turn. Raymond Massey is, well, Raymond Massey. Bogie does his best with what he was given but even he can't save this turkey. Stereotypes and clichés run rampant throughout the film. Some pretty good battle scenes don't save this flick from being a two hour exercise in tedium. All-in-all, this film is best for Bogie fans and Merchant seamen.