Mat thanks – Family and friends for your continued support, Michael Kohler, Steve Kempnich, Ian Haug, Paul Lane, Talon Clemow, Mark Richards, big thanks to Curt Emerton and family I was quite interesting before watching this film since it involved a very important part of the war effort that was responsible for rescue of downed planes and sunken ships. But had it not been for the ending, not much really happened in this 92 minute film. It had all the wrappings of a mid 1950 movie but failed to include enough action to make the viewer enjoy the adventure.

Chapman, J. (2022). The Money Behind the Screen: A History of British Film Finance, 1945-1985. Edinburgh University Press p 358 The film title is the motto of the Royal Air Force's Air Sea Rescue Service. [3] Gilbert called it "standard fare" but it "did very well." [4] Plot [ edit ] Producer Dan Angel arranged one of the strongest male casts of the era. [8] It was one of a number of sea-related themes made in Britain following the success of The Cruel Sea. [9] It was one of a number of war movies Anthony Steel made in which he was supporting of an older British star. [10] The film was shot at the Riverside Studios in Hammersmith and Felixstowe in Suffolk. Filming had finished by June 1954. [13] Reception [ edit ] Critical [ edit ]And it had a lot of similarities to 'In Which We Serve' (1942), which I thought was actually the better of the two films overall. It's rather second-tier stuff but it belongs to a genre that was much better than most of the material being put on the screen, like the sad rendering of Norman Mailers "The Naked and the Dead" or the soap operatic "Battle Cry."

By that time the boat hadn't moved for about fifteen years,but sometimes,deep into a summer's evening dope - induced reverie I was sure I could vaguely hear the mighty roar of its two engines racing out into the Channel. I watched this film from a muddy looking print currently on YouTube. I hope there are better quality copies out there. For instance, I was surprised by Air Craftsman Milliken and the fact that he wasn't in prison for being a blatant homosexual, but I suppose during the war they took all the willing help that they could get and I'm all for diversity in the forces, I just couldn't believe how obvious they were making it with his character in this film from 1954, way before the change in the law in 1967.Meanwhile, a base tries to organise a rescue attempt, as one of the missing soldier's girlfriend frets, and an overzealous corporal is more interested in nailing one of the evacuees for the supposed theft of army property, than ensuing his safe return. It all takes place in a British society still ridden with class differences, where "steady on, old chap" was a common phrase, and foreigners where generally depicted as being slightly odd. I think some reviewers are missing what this movie is trying to portray..... for me anyway..... that is the continuous monotony for many, especially so close to the end of the war, of such sea rescue patrols.... this for me is highlighted or more obvious from the scenes involving the Entertainment Officer at the base and his discussions with the CO responsible for finding and retrieving the vital information and the important passenger before the Germans do.... whilst the CO is under pressure from the powers that be and his own personal determination to find and rescue the downed crew... he is being asked to approve somewhat irrelevant and mundane plans such as preparing and informing service personnel for civilian life and dealing with small issues like petty theft or rather theft by finding (as it was called)

All stirring stuff, but despite the odd moment of levity involving an inept crew member, and a few anecdotes about another who seems obsessed with his wife, hearing these underwritten characters prattle on for an hour and half does have the tendency to wear on the nerves. Nothing much of note happens until the final gun battle... Until then, it struggles to hold your attention... PRODUCER'S SUCCESS STORY". The Sun. No.13760. New South Wales, Australia. 18 March 1954. p.46 (LATE FINAL EXTRA) . Retrieved 22 September 2020– via National Library of Australia. He is the most memorable character in "The Sea Shall not have them",a British war film of the best type- no heroics,no gung - ho attitudes,just ordinary blokes from across the class spectrum so binding seventy five years ago doing a dangerous job to the best of their abilities. All in all it was a fair piece of work, but I didn't think that it was wholly realistic or delivered with the best production values.The whole thing was quite drawn out, but oddly, I couldn't see where it could be altered to give it a better pace. Although, having said that, the editing and film quality in general was poor and that was a shame because it really wasn't that bad a story, if a bit of a repetition of others available, with it's theme of being stranded in a lifeboat and dangerously close to the enemy, whilst aircraft strafed the water around them with bullets. when Britain's internal squabbles were momentarily pushed to one side before being enthusiastically reinstated at the first opportunity. INCIDENT IN THE CHANNEL". The Beaudesert Times. Vol.XXXVI, no.1835. Queensland, Australia. 1 October 1943. p.1 . Retrieved 22 September 2020– via National Library of Australia. The movie centered around a plane that had been shot down with the crew having to abandon the plane and get into a rubber raft. And with little time to send a signal, all the authorities know is a wide area where the plane was possibly located. Now a small rescue ship is on the way to see if they can spot possible survivors of a mission that was considered value to the war effort. Even though the concept was interesting, the script for the most part was uneventful. That rarely happens under ordinary circumstances in the movies, right? Things work until the actual battle begins, and then the engineer - invariably Scottish - puts things together with string and old cutlery. This is not that sort of movie. It's pacing is odd. It's crisis and routine, and nothing gets done, until the last minute, just like in real life. People talk oddly. Dirk Bogarde, one of the downed fliers, is shrill.