The Cohen Media Group and Kino Lorber have released a double feature of British 1950s black & white WWII films directed by Lewis Gilbert. The movies are ALBERT R.N. and THE SEA SHALL NOT HAVE THEM, which I will be covering in this post.
British director Lewis Gilbert had a long and distinguished career. He's not as well known as some of his contemporaries, probably due to the fact that he made films of all types, and he didn't have a particular "style" that film buffs could pin down. Gilbert directed contemporary comedy-dramas like ALFIE and EDUCATING RITA, but he also directed three very big-budget James Bond spectaculars, and plenty of historical war features.
Gilbert made a number of movies concerning WWII, including well-regarded ones such as REACH FOR THE SKY and SINK THE BISMARCK! This disc has two of Gilbert's lesser-known Second World War features.
THE SEA SHALL NOT HAVE THEM deals with a very little-known aspect of the Royal Air Force--their air & sea rescue units. The main story, set in 1944, concerns the search for the crew of a Hudson plane shot down over the North Sea. The crew tries to survive the harsh conditions while riding out the choppy waters on a dinghy, while a RAF rescue boat searches for them. Among the crew of the shot-down plane are Michael Redgrave and Dirk Bogarde, while the crew of the rescue boat contains a number of fine British supporting actors.
The British WWII films of the 1940s and the 50s have a tendency to be much more lower-key and realistic than the ones made in Hollywood. British WWII films mostly focus on a group working together and putting their issues and problems aside instead of any individual heroics. You won't find any John Wayne or Errol Flynn types in movies like THE SEA SHALL NOT HAVE THEM. In that film you will see a firm but fair skipper of the rescue boat (played by Anthony Steel), and a gruff but caring Flight Sergeant (played by Nigel Patrick). Michael Redgrave and Dirk Bogarde are the most notable names in the credits, but they do not have much more screen time (or importance) than the rest of the cast.
Of course, there's all sorts of trials and tribulations for the characters to go through before the men in the dinghy can be rescued. One thing that is made clear in THE SEA SHALL NOT HAVE THEM is how bad the conditions are--nearly everyone in the cast winds up wet, chilly, and miserable. The rainy, freezing weather is so vividly portrayed that one might need to have some blankets and hot chocolate handy when watching this Blu-ray.
THE SEA SHALL NOT HAVE THEM does not contain major battle sequences, and most of the actors spend a lot of time on sets in front of a process screen. This might annoy modern viewers who are not used to classic films, but the story is dramatic enough to make one put aside such details.
Any movie made in Britain in the 1950s is going to have connections to Hammer Films, and THE SEA SHALL NOT HAVE THEM has plenty. Among the supporting cast are actors such as Victor Maddern, Eddie Byrne, Michael Ripper, and Anton Diffring, who plays a downed German fighter pilot. Anthony Nelson Keys was associate producer on the film, and the art director was Bernard Robinson.
The film is presented on this Cohen Media Group Blu-ray disc in the 1.37:1 aspect ratio. The print used here is not in the best condition. Wear and damage can be seen from time to time, and the image is not very sharp. It's certainly watchable, but considering this is a Blu-ray one wishes a better looking version of the film had been available.
Despite the condition of the film THE SEA SHALL NOT HAVE THEM is a very good WWII drama, and it's another example of the fine directorial work of Lewis Gilbert. I'll be looking at ALBERT R.N. (which much of the cast & crew of THE SEA SHALL NOT HAVE THEM also worked on) in the future.
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