The Sea Shall Not Have Them

"SURGING DRAMA! Excitement that leaps from the screen!"

1954 1h 31m EN

👍

7.2

SOLID

⭐

6.3

IMDB

★7.2TMDB · 17★6.3IMDB · 763

DramaWar

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

During the autumn of 1944, RAF Hudson, carrying a VIP passenger in possession of highly secret information, is shot down and ditches in the North Sea. Fighting the elements and trying to keep up morale, the occupants of the aircraft's dinghy talk about their lives awaiting the rescue they hope will come. The film's title reflects the motto of the RAF's Air Sea Rescue Service, one of whose high speed launches battles against its own mechanical problems, enemy action, time and the weather to locate and rescue the downed crew and the vital secret papers they carry.

“SURGING DRAMA! Excitement that leaps from the screen!”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Michael Redgrave
Air Commodore Waltby
Dirk Bogarde
Flt Sgt Mackay
Jack Watling
Flying Officer Harding
Bonar Colleano
Sgt Kirby
Anthony Steel
Flying Officer Treherne
Nigel Patrick
Flt Sgt Slingsby
James Kenney
Cpl. Skinner
Sydney Tafler
Cpl. Robb

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Lewis Gilbert
Writers: Vernon Harris, Lewis Gilbert
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom

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

ERA

Did you know

72 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Lewis Gilbert, shot by Stephen Dade. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Michael Redgrave and Dirk Bogarde and Jack Watling carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "SURGING DRAMA! Excitement that leaps from the screen!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0047463 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 17 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Lewis Gilbert directs. Stephen Dade behind the camera. Malcolm Arnold scores. Russell Lloyd cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

172 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by Lewis Gilbert, shot by Stephen Dade. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Malcolm Arnold. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Russell Lloyd shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Michael Redgrave and Dirk Bogarde and Jack Watling carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "SURGING DRAMA! Excitement that leaps from the screen!".
7IMDB entry: tt0047463 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 17 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Stephen Dade
Original score: Malcolm Arnold
Editing: Russell Lloyd
Runtime: 91 min · 1h 31m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: The Sea Shall Not Have Them (1954)
IMDB rating: 6.3/10 · 763 votes
MPAA: Not Rated

Also by

Lewis Gilbert

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2024-07-08
★ 7/10
Despite the fact that much of this film appears to have been filmed in a London lido, it still manages to engender quite a bit of peril. The passengers of a shot down plane are adrift in the Channel in a lifeboat with limited rations, cold and wet, praying for rescue before discovery by the Nazis or death by more long-drawn out means. It's got many of the usual ingredients of a wartime adventure, but is told in quite an interesting manner - each of the passengers having their few minutes of fame to explain why they are in their current predicament. Their would be rescuers are having quite a few problems of their own, and the whole thing builds nicely to quite an exciting denouement. The cast - Dirk Bogarde, Michael Redgrave, Nigel Patrick and Anthony Steele work efficiently, if not sparklingly, together within the confines of their dinghy; their tolerances of their environment and of each other - regardless of rank - stretches patience and tests tempers in a plausible fashion. At times I felt I was on the boat with them - a testament to the intense direction from Lewis Gilbert who manages to compensate for the limited resources available to the film, and create quite a compelling, realistic looking story.

Production companies

Who made it

AN
Angel Productions
GB

Key crew

Art DirectionBernard Robinson
ProducerDaniel M. Angel
MusicMalcolm Arnold
Music DirectorMuir Mathieson
Script SupervisorBetty Forster
NovelJohn Harris
EditorRussell Lloyd
Camera OperatorMoray Grant
Special EffectsCliff Richardson
Boom OperatorEric Cass

Themes & keywords

What it's about, really

rescue
sea
based on novel or book
world war ii
black and white

Release history · US

When it landed

Theatrical1955-06-01NR

6.8