Sink the Bismark: Review

snowsub · 10-15-06, 10:04 PM

Don't know if that been reviewed here yet, but I just watched it on the weekend and thought I'd post my comments on it.
If you've seen it aswell feel free to comment....

Sink the Bismark (1960)
Kenneth More & Dana Wynter

Now I watched the theatrical trailer before seeing the movie and bust out laughing on the "emotional performance" of Dana, man they must have had different interetations of showing emotions cause the amount was very very minimal in the trailer (though there was a couple of scene's in the movie that showed almost normal emotion from her and the cast). I just thought that they played the reserved englishman too far.

It was good to see some of the action taken from HQ's perspective. I'm sure some would have wanted it to be taken more from the Capitans (and on the ships) perspective but having it played out the way it did was ok by me.

The central plot contains the lead character Captain Jonathan Shepard (Kenneth More) taking command of the british naval war room in '41 just before the Bismark sails out of the Baltic. And follows the event's until the sinking of the Bismark, both via the actions directing the allied ships in the War room and on the ships themselves when action takes place.

It's got a small personal sub-plot to do the the Captain's family (I'll not go into it in-depth cause people may not have watched it yet) and the inter-play between the two main characters (Kenneth More & Dana Wynter's).

Now the choice of alternating between actual naval footage, staged mock's and model usage may not please some but it wasn't too bad in it's execution. Actually the parts where the cruisers were shadowing the Bismark in fog actually looked very good for models. When I was watching it I couldn't help but think if they re-made it now all the naval actions scene's would be in CGI and to me that would be a great loss because I actually liked seeing the achival naval footage.

Now there was imo some overacting by the german high commander (the capitan of the Bismark was ok) and later in the movie there was descent emotions from Captain Jonathan Shepard & 2nd Officer Anne Davis so in that respect in balanced out.

So overall I'd definately recommend watching it.
I actually learned a couple of things from it

4 stars (out of 5)

Torplexed · 10-16-06, 01:23 AM

Yeah...I always get a kick out of how the actor playing Admiral Lutjens does it in an arrogant, cocksure manner which was typical of how 'Nazis' or Germans were routinely portrayed back then. "We are meant to rule the world...none can stop us under our glorious Fuhrer." Or something to that effect.

The real Lutjens was downright fatalistic and felt the mission was probably doomed from the beginning. The real Fuhrer was never informed when the Bismarck's breakout was underway.

horsa · 10-16-06, 08:59 AM

It’s interesting how films often have their subliminal messages ( or maybe in some cases not so subliminal) . There’s a guiding hand there that must have its say.

My favourite is in James Cameron’s Titanic. Early in the film we are told
” Titanic , English ? - Naw, it’s made by big Irish hands” . This point of view is understandable because the ship is the real hero of the film and its demise is so obviously the fault of the arrogant, insensitive English whose incompetence drives her inevitably onto the iceberg. The Irish have also clearly invented the violin and are thus the only people capable of actually enjoying themselves.

I always had a gut feeling that James Cameron might be tempted do to a remake of “Sink the Bismarck”. I’m sure “the English” ( never British) would be portrayed as complacent incompetents in sneering pursuit of the noble but fatally doomed crew of the Bismarck. Contrast that with this version which rather overplays the weary, stiff upper lip attitude of “ we have a job to do and if that involves sinking the Bismarck I suppose we’d better get on with it” .

Was Kenneth More really what casting directors thought the British public wanted to see as their archetypal hero ? A different age, I suppose, when it was assumed we all accepted our class values. Heroes were always middle class and had the unquestioning obedience and admiration of innocent working class underlings, ready with a happy smile to “have just one more go, sir”. If you get to see the film again watch the office staff in the background . They NEVER TALK. They all silently and without fuss move from one filing cabinet to another, quietly “doing their duty”. Shades of Stepford Wives controlled from somewhere else. Makes you shudder.

mr chris · 10-19-06, 01:07 PM

I remember watching this film many times as i grew up. though have not seen it in ages. I do remember though that i thought it was high time that it was remade. I often think that the is great scope of many a good film to be made about the war at sea in WWII be it be about U-boats or surface ships. The has to be someones out there who would beable to get the money together to make a masterpice that would rank alongside the great Das Boot. The really is no lack of story's from this time that deserve to be made in to films.

fred8615 · 10-20-06, 08:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by horsa

I always had a gut feeling that James Cameron might be tempted do to a remake of “Sink the Bismarck”. I’m sure “the English” ( never British) would be portrayed as complacent incompetents in sneering pursuit of the noble but fatally doomed crew of the Bismarck. Contrast that with this version which rather overplays the weary, stiff upper lip attitude of “ we have a job to do and if that involves sinking the Bismarck I suppose we’d better get on with it” .

Actually, Cameron *has* already done his part to lessen the English role in sinking the Bismarck. He and a crew went down and did an extensive survey of the Bismarck wreck, which was shown on the Discovery HD channel. The survey included an ROV that went inside. The conclusion of the experts along with the expedition: Bismarck was scuttled by the crew, not sunk by torpedoes.

madDdog67 · 10-20-06, 10:21 AM

I loved that movie as a kid. There was a cool song about it as well. IIRC, the same guy did "The Battle of New Orleans" too.

"In May of nineteen forty-one the war had just begun,
The Germans had the biggest ship,
They had the biggest guns.
The Bismarck was the fastest ship,
That ever sailed the seas,
On her deck were guns as big as steers,
And shells as big as trees.

Out of the cold and foggy night,
Came the British ship the Hood.
And ev'ry British seaman he knew and understood,
They had to sink the Bismarck, the terror of the sea.
Stop those guns as big as steers,
And those shells as big as trees.

We'll find that German battleship,
That's makin' such a fuss.
We gotta sink the Bismarck,
'Cause the world depends on us.

They hit the decks a-runnin' boys,
And spin those guns around.
When we find the Bismarck we gotta cut her down.

The Hood found the Bismarck and on that fatal day.
The Bismarck started firin' fifteen miles away.
We gotta sink the Bismarck was the battle sound.
But when the smoke had cleared away,
The mighty Hood went down.

For six long days and weary nights,
They tried to find her trail.
Churchill told the people put ev'ry ship a-sail,
'Cause somewhere on that ocean,
I know she's gotta be.
We gotta sink the Bismarck to the bottom of the sea.

We'll find that German battleship,
That's makin' such a fuss.
We gotta sink the Bismarck,
'Cause the world depends on us.
They hit the decks a-runnin' boys,
And spin those guns around.
When we find the Bismarck we gotta cut her down.

The fog was gone the seventh day,
And they saw the mornin' sun.
Ten hours away from homeland,
The Bismark made its run.
The Admiral of the British fleet said,
Turn those bows around.
We found that German battleship,
And we're gonna cut her down.

The British guns were aimed,
And the shells were comin' fast.
The first shell hit the Bismarck,
They knew she couldn't last.
That mighty German battleship is just a memory.
Sink the Bismarck was the battle cry,
That shook the seven seas.

We found that German battleship,

Was makin' such a fuss.
We had to sink the Bismarck,
'Cause the world depends on us.
We hit the deck a-runnin' and,
We spun those guns around.
We found the mighty Bismarck,
And then we cut her down.

We found that German battleship,
Was makin' such a fuss.
We had to sink the Bismarck,
'Cause the world depends on us.
We hit the deck a-runnin' and,
We spun those guns around.
We found the mighty Bismarck,
And then we cut her down."

10-15-06, 10:04 PM	#1
snowsub 中国水兵 Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Moreton bay Posts: 286 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	Sink the Bismark: Review Don't know if that been reviewed here yet, but I just watched it on the weekend and thought I'd post my comments on it. If you've seen it aswell feel free to comment.... Sink the Bismark (1960) Kenneth More & Dana Wynter Now I watched the theatrical trailer before seeing the movie and bust out laughing on the "emotional performance" of Dana, man they must have had different interetations of showing emotions cause the amount was very very minimal in the trailer (though there was a couple of scene's in the movie that showed almost normal emotion from her and the cast). I just thought that they played the reserved englishman too far. It was good to see some of the action taken from HQ's perspective. I'm sure some would have wanted it to be taken more from the Capitans (and on the ships) perspective but having it played out the way it did was ok by me. The central plot contains the lead character Captain Jonathan Shepard (Kenneth More) taking command of the british naval war room in '41 just before the Bismark sails out of the Baltic. And follows the event's until the sinking of the Bismark, both via the actions directing the allied ships in the War room and on the ships themselves when action takes place. It's got a small personal sub-plot to do the the Captain's family (I'll not go into it in-depth cause people may not have watched it yet) and the inter-play between the two main characters (Kenneth More & Dana Wynter's). Now the choice of alternating between actual naval footage, staged mock's and model usage may not please some but it wasn't too bad in it's execution. Actually the parts where the cruisers were shadowing the Bismark in fog actually looked very good for models. When I was watching it I couldn't help but think if they re-made it now all the naval actions scene's would be in CGI and to me that would be a great loss because I actually liked seeing the achival naval footage. Now there was imo some overacting by the german high commander (the capitan of the Bismark was ok) and later in the movie there was descent emotions from Captain Jonathan Shepard & 2nd Officer Anne Davis so in that respect in balanced out. So overall I'd definately recommend watching it. I actually learned a couple of things from it 4 stars (out of 5) __________________

10-16-06, 01:23 AM	#2
Torplexed Let's Sink Sumptin' ! Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 5,823 Downloads: 43 Uploads: 0	Yeah...I always get a kick out of how the actor playing Admiral Lutjens does it in an arrogant, cocksure manner which was typical of how 'Nazis' or Germans were routinely portrayed back then. "We are meant to rule the world...none can stop us under our glorious Fuhrer." Or something to that effect. The real Lutjens was downright fatalistic and felt the mission was probably doomed from the beginning. The real Fuhrer was never informed when the Bismarck's breakout was underway. __________________ --Mobilis in Mobili--

10-19-06, 01:07 PM	#4
mr chris Silent Hunter Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Herefordshire, England Posts: 3,562 Downloads: 216 Uploads: 0	I remember watching this film many times as i grew up. though have not seen it in ages. I do remember though that i thought it was high time that it was remade. I often think that the is great scope of many a good film to be made about the war at sea in WWII be it be about U-boats or surface ships. The has to be someones out there who would beable to get the money together to make a masterpice that would rank alongside the great Das Boot. The really is no lack of story's from this time that deserve to be made in to films. __________________

10-16-06, 08:59 AM	#3
horsa Pacific Aces Dev Team Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Halifax, England Posts: 502 Downloads: 44 Uploads: 3	It’s interesting how films often have their subliminal messages ( or maybe in some cases not so subliminal) . There’s a guiding hand there that must have its say. My favourite is in James Cameron’s Titanic. Early in the film we are told ” Titanic , English ? - Naw, it’s made by big Irish hands” . This point of view is understandable because the ship is the real hero of the film and its demise is so obviously the fault of the arrogant, insensitive English whose incompetence drives her inevitably onto the iceberg. The Irish have also clearly invented the violin and are thus the only people capable of actually enjoying themselves. I always had a gut feeling that James Cameron might be tempted do to a remake of “Sink the Bismarck”. I’m sure “the English” ( never British) would be portrayed as complacent incompetents in sneering pursuit of the noble but fatally doomed crew of the Bismarck. Contrast that with this version which rather overplays the weary, stiff upper lip attitude of “ we have a job to do and if that involves sinking the Bismarck I suppose we’d better get on with it” . Was Kenneth More really what casting directors thought the British public wanted to see as their archetypal hero ? A different age, I suppose, when it was assumed we all accepted our class values. Heroes were always middle class and had the unquestioning obedience and admiration of innocent working class underlings, ready with a happy smile to “have just one more go, sir”. If you get to see the film again watch the office staff in the background . They NEVER TALK. They all silently and without fuss move from one filing cabinet to another, quietly “doing their duty”. Shades of Stepford Wives controlled from somewhere else. Makes you shudder.

10-20-06, 10:21 AM	#6
madDdog67 Loader Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: VA, USA Posts: 84 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	I loved that movie as a kid. There was a cool song about it as well. IIRC, the same guy did "The Battle of New Orleans" too. "In May of nineteen forty-one the war had just begun, The Germans had the biggest ship, They had the biggest guns. The Bismarck was the fastest ship, That ever sailed the seas, On her deck were guns as big as steers, And shells as big as trees. Out of the cold and foggy night, Came the British ship the Hood. And ev'ry British seaman he knew and understood, They had to sink the Bismarck, the terror of the sea. Stop those guns as big as steers, And those shells as big as trees. We'll find that German battleship, That's makin' such a fuss. We gotta sink the Bismarck, 'Cause the world depends on us. They hit the decks a-runnin' boys, And spin those guns around. When we find the Bismarck we gotta cut her down. The Hood found the Bismarck and on that fatal day. The Bismarck started firin' fifteen miles away. We gotta sink the Bismarck was the battle sound. But when the smoke had cleared away, The mighty Hood went down. For six long days and weary nights, They tried to find her trail. Churchill told the people put ev'ry ship a-sail, 'Cause somewhere on that ocean, I know she's gotta be. We gotta sink the Bismarck to the bottom of the sea. We'll find that German battleship, That's makin' such a fuss. We gotta sink the Bismarck, 'Cause the world depends on us. They hit the decks a-runnin' boys, And spin those guns around. When we find the Bismarck we gotta cut her down. The fog was gone the seventh day, And they saw the mornin' sun. Ten hours away from homeland, The Bismark made its run. The Admiral of the British fleet said, Turn those bows around. We found that German battleship, And we're gonna cut her down. The British guns were aimed, And the shells were comin' fast. The first shell hit the Bismarck, They knew she couldn't last. That mighty German battleship is just a memory. Sink the Bismarck was the battle cry, That shook the seven seas. We found that German battleship, Was makin' such a fuss. We had to sink the Bismarck, 'Cause the world depends on us. We hit the deck a-runnin' and, We spun those guns around. We found the mighty Bismarck, And then we cut her down. We found that German battleship, Was makin' such a fuss. We had to sink the Bismarck, 'Cause the world depends on us. We hit the deck a-runnin' and, We spun those guns around. We found the mighty Bismarck, And then we cut her down."