All, many years ago I remember watching a British war film about a lone tanker separated frm its convoy, gets torpedoed, and the crew abandon ship. But it doesnt sink and three or four row back and get on board, and play a cat and mouse game making the tanker seem abandoned to get the sub to surface at the right end, facing her single gun. Its NOT Action in the North Atalntic, which Ive just watched and was American anyway and pretty bad, this was definitely a British postwar production. Can anyone identify this film for me???
TIA phylo
unidentified movie.....
Hi Phylo,
Definitely sounds like the film SAN DEMETRIO LONDON. Produced in 1943 by Ealing Studios, (Micheal Balcon). A British WW2 'flagwaver', but for all that a well produced film shot in what would now be called a documentry style, very realistic. Stars amongst others Mervyn Johns, and a youthful Gordon Jackson, (Hudson the butler in 'Upstairs Downstairs').
Also stars the American actor Robert Beatty.
What's more, it's based on a true story, there is a model of the ship and details of the incident in the Imperial War Museum Lambeth, London.
PS on totally another matter, got that book you mentioned in my posting, The Sands of Dunkirk, great stuff, a really good fascinating read, thanks for putting me on to it.
Regards
Ron Clayton.
Definitely sounds like the film SAN DEMETRIO LONDON. Produced in 1943 by Ealing Studios, (Micheal Balcon). A British WW2 'flagwaver', but for all that a well produced film shot in what would now be called a documentry style, very realistic. Stars amongst others Mervyn Johns, and a youthful Gordon Jackson, (Hudson the butler in 'Upstairs Downstairs').
Also stars the American actor Robert Beatty.
What's more, it's based on a true story, there is a model of the ship and details of the incident in the Imperial War Museum Lambeth, London.
PS on totally another matter, got that book you mentioned in my posting, The Sands of Dunkirk, great stuff, a really good fascinating read, thanks for putting me on to it.
Regards
Ron Clayton.
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phylo_roadking
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Ron, ta muchly! Yep have heard of the San Demetrio. I was only guessing at postwar because of the production values, as you say its a quality number, and guessed but didn't want to venture it was a take on the Ohio story and Malta, given that its over thirty years since I saw it!
Like a lot of book, The Sands Of Dunkirk was written in that heyday of books like the Longest Day, A Bridge Too Farr etc., when the event swere still close at hand and hadn't suffered from revisionism and political correctness. Doesn't paint the grestest picture of the average Tommy, alongside the notable bravery and courage of the Rearguard. But thats how things were, after all. I always remember the parable of JohnColville recording Churchill being in tears at British soldiers, after the breavery and exploits of colonial troops, giving up Tobruk after three days. And this hard on the heels of Percivals capitulation in Singapore.
regards, phylo
Like a lot of book, The Sands Of Dunkirk was written in that heyday of books like the Longest Day, A Bridge Too Farr etc., when the event swere still close at hand and hadn't suffered from revisionism and political correctness. Doesn't paint the grestest picture of the average Tommy, alongside the notable bravery and courage of the Rearguard. But thats how things were, after all. I always remember the parable of JohnColville recording Churchill being in tears at British soldiers, after the breavery and exploits of colonial troops, giving up Tobruk after three days. And this hard on the heels of Percivals capitulation in Singapore.
regards, phylo