Sink the Bismarck! (1960)

SINK THE BISMARCK! is a solid British WW2 movie about the hunt for the German battleship and the efforts of the British navy to destroy it. What I liked about this film was the direction, by THE SPY WHO LOVED ME's Lewis Gilbert; he gives it a stark look enhanced by the black and white photography, and helps to make this a film full of documentary realism particularly in the battle scenes.Not that this is a pure action film, because a lot of it is about the logistics of mounting a full-scale operation to pinpoint and attack a battleship. To this end we get an absolutely huge cast of British performers that acts as a genuine who's who of British cinema at the time. The cast ranges from the solid Kenneth More and Laurence Naismith as the leads to the likes of British film regulars Sam Kydd and Michael Ripper playing cameos. The film I can most liken this to is A NIGHT TO REMEMBER, a similar documentary-style film about the sinking of the Titanic, also starring More.

A distinguished wide-screen film that honors those who served in a great British naval episode while showing generally how naval warfare was carried out in the early days of WWII.Effectively portraying the sheer power of one of the most monstrous weapons ever devised by the dark side of the human mind- the battleship Bismarck. Battleships had a hideous, graceful sort of massive beauty during their brief heyday at the peak of war technology but went the way of the dinosaur after WWII. Their vulnerabilities are demonstrated in this film, as are certain unfortunate (but not necessarily erroneous) tactical moves by the German Admiral and the Captain of the Bismarck.In case you don't know the story I won't spoil it but an event occurs around the middle of this film that has a sudden awesome shock value that can still cause your jaw to drop. It is perfectly set forth despite the low-tech film techniques available in 1960- the producers do a great job.A deadly serious film about deadly serious heavy subject matter, "Sink the Bismarck" has qualities that hold up and it is worth your viewing time.

SINK THE BISMARCK – 1960 Another well made war film from that great 1950 to 1966 era, when more than a few excellent war time films were knocked out. This one tells the tale of the German battleship, Bismarck. Bismarck was the first battleship built by Germany since the First World War. Because of several ocean raids made earlier in the war by GRAF SPEE, SCHARHORST and GNEISENAU. The British were worried that Bismarck could wreak havoc of the Atlantic convoys.When Bismarck and the cruiser Prinz Eugen, made their break to reach the Atlantic, the Royal Navy sent every ship they could to hunt them down. First honours went to the German Navy, when they sank the star of the R.N. the Hood, and heavily damaged the Prince of Wales.Later on, Bismarck's luck ran out when a lucky hit with a torpedo dropped by a Swordfish aircraft, damaged her steering gear. Unable to escape the rest of the ships in pursuit, she went to the bottom under a hail of shells and torpedoes. Prinz Eugen escaped and made it to German held France.The film itself is told from the British headquarters managing the pursuit. Kenneth More plays the officer in charge. He is supported by a slew of British character actors like, Geoffery Keen, Laurence Naismith, Michael Horden and Maurice Denham. Pretty Dana Wynter supplies the female content.Shot is black and white, the film features some excellent model work, and top notch battle scenes. The director, Lewis Gilbert keeps this one moving at a steady pace with nary a slow moment on screen.Even 50 plus years after being made, this one stands up very well and is worth a look.

I saw this movie when it came out. I was nine years old living in a tiny Idaho town, and it was great stuff. In different ways, it's still great stuff, despite the melodramatic excesses (Lutjens wasn't a Nazi idiot, and that completely over-the-top scene with the agent tapping out a few more words after the Germans shoot him.) Anything with Kenneth More is worth watching more than once.So, why is the sinking of the Bismarck such a big deal for the Brits? Well, as Johnny Horton's song reminds you at the start, it was May of 1941, and Britain was out of allies. In the movie itself it mentions the loss of Maleme in Crete--a disaster on top of two more disasters, the recent evacuation of the Greek mainland, and Rommel's defeat of the British army remaining in North Africa. The Royal Navy took large losses covering the evacuation from Crete. In other worlds, any betting man in the USA would put his money on Germany whipping the Brits. But these disasters were happening far away and were hard to understand; the Bismarck chase filled American front pages at a very critical moment. It was Revenge at Sea (which, incidentally, is the title of a book about a similar chase-down in World War I.) Now that's the kind of stuff that sells newspapers.