Action in the North Atlantic

"Warner Bros. thunderous story of the men of the merchant marine!"

1943 2h 6m EN

👍

7.1

SOLID

⭐

IMDB

★7.1TMDB · 63★7IMDB · 5,077

War

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Merchant Marine sailors Joe Rossi (Humphrey Bogart) and Steve Jarvis (Raymond Massey) are charged with getting a supply vessel to Russian allies as part of a sea convoy. When the group of ships comes under attack from a German U-boat, Rossi and Jarvis navigate through dangerous waters to evade Nazi naval forces. Though their mission across the Atlantic is extremely treacherous, they are motivated by the opportunity to strike back at the Germans, who sank one of their earlier ships.

“Warner Bros. thunderous story of the men of the merchant marine!”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

TCMSubscription

Amazon VideoRent

Apple TV StoreRent

Google Play MoviesRent

Google Play MoviesBuy

YouTubeBuy

Fandango At HomeBuy

Cast

Humphrey Bogart
Lt. Joe Rossi
Raymond Massey
Capt. Steve Jarvis
Alan Hale
Boats O'Hara
Julie Bishop
Pearl O'Neill
Ruth Gordon
Mrs. Sarah Jarvis
Sam Levene
Abel 'Chips' Abrams
Dane Clark
Johnnie Pulaski
Peter Whitney
Whitey Lara

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Lloyd Bacon
Writers: John Howard Lawson, Guy Gilpatric
Languages: German, English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $2.2M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

83 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: German, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Lloyd Bacon, shot by Ted D. McCord. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Adolph Deutsch. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor George Amy shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Humphrey Bogart and Raymond Massey and Alan Hale carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Warner Bros. thunderous story of the men of the merchant marine!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Lloyd Bacon directs. Ted D. McCord behind the camera. Adolph Deutsch scores. George Amy cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in German, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $2.2M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
283 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: German, English.
4Directed by Lloyd Bacon, shot by Ted D. McCord. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Adolph Deutsch. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor George Amy shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Humphrey Bogart and Raymond Massey and Alan Hale carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Warner Bros. thunderous story of the men of the merchant marine!".
9IMDB entry: tt0035608 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 63 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Ted D. McCord
Original score: Adolph Deutsch
Editing: George Amy
Costume design: Milo Anderson
Makeup / hair: Perc Westmore
Runtime: 126 min · 2h 6m
Status: Released
Budget: $2,231,000
Box office: $3,460,000
Return: 155% of budget
Original language: EN
IMDB: Action in the North Atlantic (1943)
IMDB rating: 7/10 · 5,077 votes
MPAA: Approved

Awards

Nominated for 1 Oscar. 1 win & 1 nomination total

Also by

Lloyd Bacon

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2022-06-26
★ 7/10
Humphrey Bogart heads a decent cast in this exciting compendium of tales of maritime courage and determination during WWII. Initially he serves under Raymond Massey ("Capt. Jarvis") on a tanker but when that falls foul of an U-boat, they find themselves stranded on a raft and left to the elements by it's particularly unpleasant Captain. Some while later, the team reunite to escort a convoy to Murmansk and encounter the same submarine and a deadly cat-and-mouse game ensues. It is bit too long, but Massey, Bogart alongside the always reliable Alan Hale manage to bang the drum successfully for the most part, demonstrating the prowess of these brave sailors facing the elements and Nazis as they tried to keep the supply lines open. The cinematography is tautly presented and effective, as are the effects and the flag-waving is a bit more sophisticated than in many similar propaganda exercises - tragedy and success occur giving the film a certain degree of realism and plausibility.

Production companies