The Cruel Sea - DVD

"The men are the heroes; the heroines are the ships. The only villain is the sea, the cruel sea..." So begins this classic film, based on Nicholas Monsarrat's novel, itself based on the author's first hand experience of the North Atlantic Convoys in the Second World War. More nuanced than other "war films" of the period, the film features Jack Hawkins, Donald Sinden, Denholm Elliott and Virginia McKenna all speaking in nice clipped voices but the real star of the show is the duffle coat. Watch with a hot cocoa if you're on the bridge, or a pink gin if you're in the wardroom.