The Cruel Sea Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

The Cruel Sea Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov June 7, 2011

Nominated for three BAFTA Awards, including Best British Film and Best British Actor, Charles Frend's "The Cruel Sea" (1953) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Optimum Home Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include the original theatrical trailer for the film; video interview with Donald Sinden; and collection of stills from the shooting of the film. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked"

A Royal Navy corvette

Adapted from the famous novel by Nicholas Monsarrat, Charles Frend’s The Cruel Sea tells the story of Captain Ericson (Jack Hawkins, The Bridge on the River Kwai), who is put in charge with HMS Compass Rose, a fast corvette, and its inexperienced crew during WWII. Because of his substantial experience as a seaman, he is teamed up with two young officers, Lockhart (Donald Sinden, Mogambo) and Ferraby (John Stratton, The Third Key), who have never been in the open sea.

As the Compass Rose begins searching for German U-boats, Captain Ericson and Lockhart form a bond that proves crucial for the success of their mission. Soon after, they also start relying on each other’s instincts and trusting each other’s judgment.

However, in the ensuing cat-and-mouse game, the sea quickly proves far more dangerous than the German U-boats. For example, a few powerful storms force the Compass Rose into a treacherous territory, where it instantly becomes an even bigger target for the German U-boats, and destroy several corvettes patrolling nearby areas.

The Cruel Sea is a slow and methodical film, providing its audience with an authentic feel of the many risks seamen had to overcome during WWII. Its technical lingo and various tactical descriptions are so detailed, so accurate, that from time to time it becomes rather difficult to immediately grasp the nature of the threats and complex dilemmas the seamen face. A great deal of excellent documentary footage is used as well. However, this obvious and very well-managed pursuit of authenticity is not at odds with the conventional cinematic drama that flourishes after the Compass Rose is dispatched to begin neutralizing the German U-boats.

The characterizations are excellent. It is incredibly easy for the audience to relate to the seamen that the camera chooses to follow closely because they are all ordinary people, not heroes, who, despite their training and ranks, continuously reveal authentic emotions. For example, in one of the most memorable sequences, Captain Ericson ignores a group of survivors to sink a U-boat, and later, he is tormented by their desperate screams for help. Elsewhere, one of Captain Ericson’s officers, Morell (Denholm Elliott, Raiders of the Lost Ark), accidentally discovers that his wife has started seeing another man. He returns to the corvette and instantly resumes his duties, but for some time his thoughts remain with his wife and he struggles enormously.

The enemy is never seen, so the atmosphere during the cat-and-mouse game remains incredibly tense. There is a genuine sense of fear amongst the sailors because everyone realizes that the invisible enemy can fire a torpedo and sink the Compass Rose at any time.

Hawkins is outstanding as the strong and authoritative but never cocky captain who has seen it all. When he does not issue orders, he is a tough but fair man who is not afraid to show emotion, which is why everyone on board the Compass Rose respects him. Sinden is similarly brilliant as his right-hand man, understanding well that together they could accomplish a lot and save many lives. Stratton exudes confidence but never arrogance. Stanley Baker also has a strong cameo appearance as an insecure lieutenant who falls seriously sick.

In 1954, The Cruel Sea earned an Oscar nomination for Best Writing, Screenplay (Eric Ambler). During the same year, the film was also nominated for three BAFTA Awards, including Best British Film and Best British Actor (Hawkins).

The Cruel Sea Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.31:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Charles Frend's The Cruel Sea arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Optimum Home Entertainment.

Similar to Cross of Iron and Ice Cold in Alex, The Cruel Sea has been digitally restored. Naturally, there are massive improvements in terms of detail, clarity, contrast, and grayscale management. However, the best news is that there have been no attempts to filter the rougher/raw footage. Unsurprisingly, there is a lot of fluctuating grain and the film retains its borderline documentary appearance. This said, grain exposure could be superior, and in some areas blacks and grays could be rebalanced better. Image stability is good. Ultimately, the release offers a strong presentation of The Cruel Sea that should please its fans. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

The Cruel Sea Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0. For the record, Optimum Home Entertainment have provided optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature.

The lossless track retains various limitations of the original soundtrack. For example, dynamic intensity is very modest even during the action material. However, the dialog is clear, clean, and easy to follow. Despite some very light unevenness, stability is good. The upper register is healthy, too.

The Cruel Sea Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Interview with Donald Sinden - in this video interview, Donald Sinden recalls how he became involved with The Cruel Sea and some of the most memorable scenes in it were filmed, and discusses the novel that inspired it, its reception, etc. In English, not subtitled. (33 min, PAL).

• Trailer - the original theatrical trailer for The Cruel Sea. In English, not subtitled. (4 min, 1080p).

• Behind the Scenes Stills Gallery - a collection of stills from the shooting of The Cruel Sea. (1080p).

The Cruel Sea Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Charles Frend's The Cruel Sea is undoubtedly one of the very best British war films ever made. Shot on board of an actual Royal Navy corvette, the film is incredibly realistic, occasionally looking like a big documentary feature. Simply terrific. Like Cross of Iron and Ice Cold in Alex, The Cruel Sea has been recently restored. Needless to say, it looks fantastic on Blu-ray. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.