Main Cast: Michael Redgrave, Dirk Bogarde, Bonar Colleano, Jack Watling, Anthony Steel
Release Year: 1954
Country: US/UK
Run Time: 92 minutes
Plot
The Sea Shall Not Have Them is our candidate for the most dramatic title of any British World War II film. Happily, the film itself upholds the promise of its name. The focus of the story is a dramatic rescue at sea, which consumes well over a third of the running time. A British bomber carrying high-ranking officer Michael Redgrave, commander Dirk Bogarde and two other men is blasted out of the sky by a German plane. The four men survive, board an inflatable dinghy, and patiently await rescue in the storm-tossed Atlantic. The Air-Sea Rescue Units are poised to write off the search for the downed flyers as hopeless, but Redgrave is carrying vital documents, and is therefore not expendable. Based on a novel by John Harris, The Sea Shall Not Have Them scores highest on its suspense content, and lowest on its banal dialogue exchanges. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
The Sea Shall Not Have Them is a fascinating mix of documentary-style filmmaking and drama, done decades before the notion of "docu-drama" entered the lexicon of producers. Director Lewis Gilbert, who also co-wrote the screenplay, was running on all cylinders for this picture, giving a warm and vivid (yet accurate) picture of life among the ranks in a specialized unit of the Royal Air Force -- but also handling the action sequences, of which there are many, about as well as any filmmaker of the era. The result is one of the finest thrillers of its period, a superb mix of intimate drama, large-scale thriller, and spare realism that punches several buttons at once in most viewers. The performances are superb to a man, with Michael Redgrave the most mannered (but still acceptable), and Nigel Patrick turning in some of the best work of his film career. Malcolm Arnold's score, which is used relatively sparingly throughout, also lends some impact to the drama, and has long deserved a separate recording. The producer/director team of Daniel M. Angel and Lewis Gilbert was better known for Reach For The Sky and Carve Her Name With Pride, but this movie is at least their equal, and deserves to be re-discovered. It also anticipates the tone and structure of Gilbert's Sink The Bismarck!, and shows what this filmmaker -- now best known for big-budget James Bond thrillers such as Moonraker -- could do in relatively modest circumstances. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide
Bernard Robinson - Art Director, Anthony Nelson Keys - Associate Producer, Basil Keys - First Assistant Director, Lewis Gilbert - Director, Russell Lloyd - Editor, Malcolm Arnold - Composer (Music Score), Muir Mathieson - Musical Direction/Supervision, Moray Grant - Camera Operator, Stephen Dade - Cinematographer, George R. Busby - Production Manager, Daniel M. Angel - Producer, Cliff John Richardson - Special Effects, Lewis Gilbert - Screenwriter, Vernon Gilbert Harris - Screenwriter, John Harris - Book Author
A British aircraft is forced to ditch in the North Sea. Taking to the dinghy with the crew is an agent with secret German plans. A RAFAir Sea Rescue launch is deployed to the search, struggling against bad weather, mechanical problems and a fire in the galley.
The film's title seemed ironic to Noel Coward. Noting the names of the two leading men, he commented, "I don't see why not. Everyone else has."[citation needed] (Redgrave was reportedly bisexual, while Bogarde was homosexual.)
