- Film Review
- Reviewed By David Parkinson
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4 out of 5
The postwar British film industry relied heavily on "now the story can be told" accounts of engagements that helped turn the Second World War in favour of the Allies. Too many were smug action adventures that devalued the true heroism of the exploits they depicted, but this fine film fully captures the tensions, dangers and complexities of battle by concentrating on the unsung back-room planners as much as on the combatants themselves. There are necessary caricatures on both sides, but at the same time there is a respect for the enemy that is missing in many previous flag-wavers. An unusually restrained Kenneth More is first-rate as director of operations at the Admiralty.
Plot Summary
Second World War naval drama starring Kenneth More. In 1941, Captain Jonathan Shepard, director of operations at the British Admiralty, begins planning the destruction of Germany's seemingly invincible battleship, the Bismarck. When the vessel moves into the north Atlantic war zone, the success of Shepard's mission becomes imperative.
Cast and crew
Cast
- Captain Jonathan Shepard
- Kenneth More
- Anne Davis
- Dana Wynter
- Captain Lindemann
- Carl Mohner
- First Sea Lord
- Laurence Naismith
- ACNS
- Geoffrey Keen
- Admiral Lutjens
- Karel Stepanek
- Commander on King George V
- Michael Hordern
- Commander Richards
- Maurice Denham
- Captain Banister
- Michael Goodliffe
- Captain on King George V
- Esmond Knight
Crew
- Director
- Lewis Gilbert
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