Efficiently told story of HMS Defiant in 1797 during the Napoleanic Wars, under the command of stern but fair Captain Crawford (Alec Guiness) and his competent, cruel, and well-connected First Mate (Dirk Bogarde). Bogard is a fine and valiant officer but he has a slight weakness in that he relishes the dealing out of humiliation and harsh punishment. Guiness will have no threats from Bogarde, but Guiness has a weakness too. His twelve-year-old son (David Robinson) is a heart-bustingly vulnerable Midshipman on his first sea voyage. Through an ambitious intermediary, Bogarde has the kid thrashed daily after they sail into the Mediterranean Sea, until he looks positively bloodless. Guiness can't intervene without seeming to give his son special treatment.
Guiness guides the Defiant through an engagement with a French ship, sinks the Frog and takes a cargo ship as a prize. He then orders the captured ship to be sent back to England with a skeletal crew aboard, which happens to include his son. Out from under the yoke of Bogarde, Guiness takes back command of the ship.
All this time, a collective mutiny is underway among all the ships of the British fleet -- what with press gangs, maggoty cheese, and whimsical floggings, things aren't going well in the forecastle. A climactic battle follows in which all things are cleared up.
Dirk Bogarde is an excellent actor but his role is a limited one. He has little to do but insinuate threats and smile in an oleaginous way. Guiness, on the other hand, has more room for maneuvering and gives his role greater depth. His best scene is during a snappish encounter with Bogarde in his cabin. It's truly amazing what Guiness can do with two simple words during the argument -- "Yes?" "IF?" He's a powerful actor with a monumental range. How do the Brits keep producing these guys? Off the screen, Guiness was always polite, cheerful, and a little guarded. I've searched the record and nowhere does he reveal that he kept a collection of pantyhose in his closet. Probably because he didn't do any such thing.
It's a rattling good tale. Not the kind of fantasy we associated with an Errol Flynn swashbuckler but a more realistic treatment of conditions above and below decks. It would be an above average film in any case, the the performances add even more in the way of quality.
Guiness guides the Defiant through an engagement with a French ship, sinks the Frog and takes a cargo ship as a prize. He then orders the captured ship to be sent back to England with a skeletal crew aboard, which happens to include his son. Out from under the yoke of Bogarde, Guiness takes back command of the ship.
All this time, a collective mutiny is underway among all the ships of the British fleet -- what with press gangs, maggoty cheese, and whimsical floggings, things aren't going well in the forecastle. A climactic battle follows in which all things are cleared up.
Dirk Bogarde is an excellent actor but his role is a limited one. He has little to do but insinuate threats and smile in an oleaginous way. Guiness, on the other hand, has more room for maneuvering and gives his role greater depth. His best scene is during a snappish encounter with Bogarde in his cabin. It's truly amazing what Guiness can do with two simple words during the argument -- "Yes?" "IF?" He's a powerful actor with a monumental range. How do the Brits keep producing these guys? Off the screen, Guiness was always polite, cheerful, and a little guarded. I've searched the record and nowhere does he reveal that he kept a collection of pantyhose in his closet. Probably because he didn't do any such thing.
It's a rattling good tale. Not the kind of fantasy we associated with an Errol Flynn swashbuckler but a more realistic treatment of conditions above and below decks. It would be an above average film in any case, the the performances add even more in the way of quality.