The Eternal Sea Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		2.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.5

The Eternal Sea Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman August 6, 2015

There's probably some old adage floating around out there that goes something like this: "you can take the sailor out of the sea but you can't take the sea out of the sailor." And in the case of a stubborn sailor like John Madison Hoskins, nothing can really take the sailor out of the sea to begin with, even a debilitating injury and a world that seems determined to keep him out of his comfort zone. The Eternal Sea is a 1955 Drama centered on a man who loves his family yet all but acknowledges that the Navy is his true home and that nothing can get between him and his one true love, not the end of war, not the sinking of a vessel, not a missing leg, and certainly not the desk-bound brass that considers everything but his heart in the effort to relive him of duty. The film tells a simple but engaging story of dedication and determination, of one man's stalwart insistence that his journey isn't over until he says it is, everything going against him be damned.

Home?

John Madison Hoskins (Sterling Hayden) is a Navy lifer wants nothing more than to command his own ship. At the height of World War II, he's set to take command of his own ship, the Hornet, but she's lost in battle hours before he's given the reigns. He spends the next two years training pilots and finally gets his chance take command of the Princeton. But she's set to take on a deadly mission and he boards as merely "Prospective Captain" rather than full-time skipper, with the change in command set to occur after her latest action. Unfortunately, the Princeton comes under heavy fire, and in the chaos, Hoskins loses a foot. It's a long physical recovery that's harder on his state of mind than it is on his body. Everyone -- including his wife Sue (Alexis Smith) -- is pushing him to retire, but he cites U.S. Code and fights to not only remain enlisted by serve in the command position he's always wanted.

While war is the setting for The Eternal Sea, it's the war inside, the struggle for a man's place in the world, and by extension his very essence, that's the real focal point. Hoskins is not just a career sailor, he's a lifer. He thrives at sea, on duty, serving his country. Even when he's stuck training recruits instead of leading them on the battlefield, he's satisfied to a point. But it's service that matters to him, and the film's crux comes when everything short of his very life pushes him away from what he loves. The movie paints a fascinating picture of opposing perspectives as Hoskins is pulled in two dramatically different directions by two strongly opposing forces, each speaking sense to him in their own way. His family -- particularly his wife Sue -- and the Naval brass believe he's better served retiring from active duty. His inner voice -- his iron will -- says otherwise, and says that not only should he not retire, but he should press forward and fulfill his dream of serving as Captain on board a Naval vessel. In essence, who he is externally -- his wife, his friends, his colleagues, even his body -- clashes with who he is internally, resulting in a battle for his very soul, which proves much more taxing than any wartime combat, even the battle that took his foot.

Where the film suffers is its lack of nuance. The entire narrative feels like a blunt-force instrument. It's heavy and choppy, transparent, and gauged by the progression of raw base elements. There's not much of a human side to the movie, even as that's its main element. Hoskins feels like an unapproachable, larger-than-life figure who is defined only by his never-say-die attitude. There's nothing beyond. That's an admirable quality but it makes the movie a little too cut-and-dry in its dealings. He never faces any sort of major internal struggle. His determination is such that it leaves no room for exploration. He's full speed ahead and his way or the highway, and nothing more. That lessens the core narrative combat for, essentially, his soul. The push from the other side becomes more a suggestion and less a possible realistic outcome. Fortunately, Sterling Hayden is quite good in the role nonetheless. He carries that stubborn, singleminded approach very well. He looks the part, too, standing a good head or more taller than everyone else and commanding every scene by sheer physical presence alone. Even as the film lacks character nuance, he hits the character's basics very well and whittles Hoskins down to the essence the film requires, no more and no less.

The Eternal Sea Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Eternal Sea sails onto Blu-ray with a good-when-it's-on 1080p transfer presented at a 1.66:1 aspect ratio which places small vertical "black bars" on either side of the 1.78:1 frame, retaining the picture's original aspect ratio. The transfer retains a balanced, attractive grain structure, lending to the image a handsome filmic texture that helps accentuate the crisp, well-appointed details seen throughout, including skin textures and crisp military uniform lines. The grayscale is attractive and even, with quality blacks and even whites. Unfortunately, the image is littered with -- covered in, better said -- speckles, spots, and general debris, and not only on worn-out stock footage. It's consistent and relatively thick. Stray vertical lines also appear frequently and often linger, in multiples, for a fair amount of time. The general wear-and-tear keeps the transfer down, but it's otherwise a fairly attractive presentation.

The Eternal Sea Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Eternal Sea floats onto Blu-ray with a merely adequate DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 lossless soundtrack. The presentation pushes to the middle, creating a "phantom center" effect that never stretches beyond. Basic dialogue, which is the key element in the film, plays clearly enough. Music is sharp, lacks nuance, and even struggles to approach baseline clarity. Action scenes are messy. Gunfire, buzzing planes, and explosions are barely identifiable one from another, playing as a more globular sound than distinct effects. An underlying scratchiness and hiss accompanies much of the movie.

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

This Blu-ray release of The Eternal Sea contains no bonus content. The main menu only offers selections for "Play" and "Chapters."

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

The Eternal Sea is a quality film that looks at a challenging human drama that sees an imposing, larger-than-life figure pulled in two very different directions, with his very essence at stake. But the film is so cut-and-dry that the story loses some of its impact. Hoskins is a simple man whose single-mindedness drives the story but also detracts from it. There's never a real sense of struggle, just a depiction of his eagerness to put aside his wounds and continue on with what he loves. That's admirable, but with the way the movie's structured it lessens the impact of the total narrative. Still, it's a worthwhile watch. Olive Films' Blu-ray release of The Eternal Sea delivers video that's really good when it's on, relatively poor audio, and no extras. Rent it.