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Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated) Binding: DVD EAN: 0024543072133 Format: Anamorphic, Black & White, Closed-captioned, DVD-Video, Widescreen, NTSC Label: 20th Century Fox Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox Number Of Items: 1 Publisher: 20th Century Fox Region Code: 1 Release Date: May 20, 2003 Running Time: 97 minutes Sales Rank: 6335 Studio: 20th Century Fox Theatrical Release Date: February 11, 1960
Description: It's spring 1941, and Great Britain is the only country in Europe yet to be defeated by the Nazi army, but all of that could change soon. The Nazis have launched their juggernaut battleship, the Bismarck, to close off British supply lines and ultimately invade England. A counterstrike is ordered, and with an arsenal of ships at their command, Royal intelligence officers Jonathan Shepard (Kenneth More) and Anne Davis (Dana Wynter) fight desperately to distroy the Bismarck.
Amazon.com: Sink the Bismarck! recounts one of the most famous battles in the history of naval warfare. Shot in semidocumentary style, the black-and-white film covers all sides in the famous hunt for the powerful German warship that terrorized the sea for eight days. The story and combat are rendered as faithfully as possible to C.S. Forester's novel. There are a few historical errors and some other minor liberties taken for dramatic license, both of which the viewer will easily be able to overlook. The only major addition to historical fact is a fictional romance between leads Kenneth More and Dana Wynter, which never gets in the way of the action. Edward R. Murrow cameos, and one of the founding fathers of movie magic, Howard Lydecker, assists with the special effects. The film is a compelling wartime drama that deserves a viewing. --Mark Savary
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - Drama at Sea...
May, 1941: Great Britain stands alone resisting the march of Nazi Germany. France has fallen, Rommel's Afrika Corps is hounding the British Eighth Army in North Africa, and the British are losing the battle for Crete. German submarines and surface raiders are cutting Britain's vital supply lines across the North Atlantic. At this particularly bad moment, the new German battleship Bismarck leaves Germany to attack convoys in the North Atlantic.
1960's "Sink The Bismarck" is a screen adaptation of C.S. Forester's novel of the same name, itself a dramatization of the actual pursuit of the Bismarck by the British Royal Navy. If a few historic details get slighted, the suspense more than makes up for it, as the Bismarck escapes into the North Atlantic, then annihilates a pursuing British battleship.
The center of the drama is the Admiralty Operations Room in London, where the hard-nosed Operations Chief, one Captain Shepard (Kenneth More), moves ships to confront the Bismarck and makes some shrewd guesses as to her route and intentions. He is assisted by a smart young WREN Officer, Anne Davis (the attractive Dana Wynter). Shepard has been traumatized almost into emotional numbness by the loss of his ship at sea and a wife to the Blitz, while his son goes missing in action during the pursuit of the Bismarck. The sensitive Davis will help revive his sense of humanity, providing an emotional core to the dramatic action at sea.
In 1960, special effects were fairly limited, but the movie skillfully weaves in actual combat footage to provide a vivid impression of the exchanges of naval gunfire and the horror of damaged and sinking ships. Especially astonishing is footage of British carrier pilots attacking the Bismarck in obsolete, open-cockpit Swordfish biplanes.
"Sink The Bismarck" is highly recommended as an excellent and entertaining example of a whole genre of World War II films turned out in the 1960's, as that war was still in living memory.
Rating: - One sided battle
Bismarck was one heck of a ship, too bad it had to end without a more even battle. The British used so many battleships to sink a ship without steering! Not exactly what one would expect from the British navy. It's like six lions going after a wounded elephant that cannot fight back. Does not show much bravery on the part of the British, I was rooting for the Bismarck during the whole movie !!
Rating: - Outstanding WWII film
Sink the Bismark is a darn good WWII action film. Although special effects are much better today, it holds up quite well! The characterizations are believable enough to compel us to root for the people. Ironically, the character that most holds the film together is the battleship, Bismark. The story of the short but violent life of the "most powerful" battleship gives the ship its own life. I highly recommend this film for anyone with an inclination to military history or adventure on the oceans!
John Bobek, author The Games of War: A Treasury of Rules for Battles with Toy Soldiers, Ships, and Planes.The Games of War: A Treasury of Rules for Battles with Toy Soldiers, Ships and Planes
Rating: - WW Two at it's best
Great movie! A must have for war movie buffs......suspense and action in a fast paced thrill ride
FIVE STARS
Rating: - A Good Movie
Truly a good movie. A wonderful "cat and mouse" true story. This movie, as others, shows the British fortitude. The "stiff upper lip". They went thru a lot and stood strong. The sinking was a necessity. War is never good, on any level, and this movie shows that even though they sank a battleship, many men were lost, on both sides.
- Drama at Sea...
- Outstanding WWII film
