''Seagulls Over Sorrento'' is a 1954 British

war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super- ...

made by the

Boulting brothers John Edward Boulting (21 December 1913 – 17 June 1985) and Roy Alfred Clarence Boulting (21 December 1913 – 5 November 2001), known collectively as the Boulting brothers, were English filmmakers and identical twins who became known for thei ...

based on the play of the same name by Hugh Hastings. The film stars

Gene Kelly Eugene Curran Kelly (August 23, 1912 – February 2, 1996) was an American actor, dancer, singer, filmmaker, and choreographer. He was known for his energetic and athletic dancing style and sought to create a new form of American dance accessibl ...

and was one of three made by Kelly in Europe over an 18-month period to make use of frozen MGM funds. The cast features

John Justin John Justin (24 November 1917 – 29 November 2002) was a British stage and film actor. Early life John Justinian de Ledesma was born in Knightsbridge, London, England, the son of a well-off Argentine rancher. Though he grew up on his fathe ...

Bernard Lee John Bernard Lee (10 January 190816 January 1981) was an English actor, best known for his role as M in the first eleven Eon-produced James Bond films. Lee's film career spanned the years 1934 to 1979, though he had appeared on stage from ...

and Jeff Richards. It was shot at MGM's

Elstree Studios Elstree Studios is a generic term which can refer to several current and demolished British film studios and television studios based in or around the town of Borehamwood and village of Elstree in Hertfordshire, England. Production studios ha ...

with sets designed by the

art director Art director is the title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and unify the vis ...

Alfred Junge Alfred Junge (29 January 1886, Görlitz, Silesia (now Saxony), Germany – 16 July 1964, London) was a German-born production designer who spent a large part of his career working in the British film industry. Junge had wanted to be an art ...

with

location shooting Location shooting is the shooting of a film or television production in a real-world setting rather than a sound stage or backlot. The location may be interior or exterior. The filming location may be the same in which the story is set (for ex ...

taking place in the

Channel Islands The Channel Islands ( nrf, Îles d'la Manche; french: îles Anglo-Normandes or ''îles de la Manche'') are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two Crown Dependencies: the Bailiwick of Jersey, ...

. Although the film finished shooting in July 1953, MGM could not release it in the United Kingdom until the play finished its London run, which delayed the film's release for almost a year. It was released as ''Crest of the Wave'' in the United States and Canada.

Plot

A small group of British sailors stationed on a Scottish island engaged in top-secret research on a new and dangerous torpedo are joined by a US Navy scientist, Lt. Brad Bradville (

), and his assistants. When several tests of the weapon fail, and men are killed, tensions within the group mount. Bradville must prove that the torpedo can work and win over the British, especially Lt. Rogert Wharton (

), before the Admiralty pulls the plug on the project.

Cast

as Lt. "Brad" Bradville (USN) *

as Lt. Roger Wharton *

as Able Seaman "Lofty" Turner * Jeff Richards as Torpedoman 2d Class "Butch" Clelland (USN) *

Sid James Sidney James (born Solomon Joel Cohen; 8 May 1913 – 26 April 1976) was a British actor and comedian whose career encompassed radio, television, stage and screen. He was best known for numerous roles in the Carry On film series. Born to a mi ...

as Able Seaman Charlie "Badge" Badger *

Patric Doonan Patric Doonan (George William Doonan) (18 April 1926 in Derby, Derbyshire – 10 March 1958 in London) was a British stage and screen actor. He was the son of comedian George Vincent Doonan and Doris Mary (Nee Endsor) he was the brother of ...

as Petty Officer Herbert * Ray Jackson as Able Seaman "Sprog" Sims * Fredd Wayne as Torpedoman 2d Class "Shorty" Karminsky (USN) * Patrick Barr as Cmdr. Sinclair * David Orr as Able Seaman "Haggis" Mackintosh * John Horsley as John Phillips - Medical Officer *

Lockwood West Harry Lockwood West (28 July 1905 – 28 March 1989) was a British actor. He was the father of actor Timothy West and the grandfather of actor Samuel West. Life and career West was born in Birkenhead, Cheshire, England in 1905, the son of Mildr ...

as Curly - Stores Petty Officer * Harry Van Engel as Able Seaman Dawson * John Fabian as Lieutenant Lane * Peter Bathurst as Geoff *

Martin Boddey Albert Martin Boddey (16 April 1907 – 24 October 1975) was a British film and television actor. He was a founder member of the Lord's Taverners charity. Boddey started acting when he was nearly 40, often portraying irritable authority fig ...

as Member of Admiralty Board *

Ronald Adam General Sir Ronald Forbes Adam, 2nd Baronet, (30 October 1885 – 26 December 1982) was a senior British Army officer. He had an important influence on the conduct of the British Army during the Second World War as a result of his long tenure ...

as Member of Admiralty Board *

John Rolfe John Rolfe (1585 – March 1622) was one of the early English settlers of North America. He is credited with the first successful cultivation of tobacco as an export crop in the Colony of Virginia in 1611. Biography John Rolfe is believed ...

as Wireless Operator

Original play

The original stage play was written by Australian playwright Hugh Hastings and was based on his experiences in World War II. It opened in London's West End on 14 June 1950, and was a hit there,TC
"Notes: 'Seagulls Over Sorrento'."
''Turner Classic Movies''. Retrieved: 21 April 2016. but played for only two weeks on Broadway in New York City.

played the same role in the London stage production. The play ran for over 1,600 performances in London. Film rights were sold to the Boulting Brothers for £10,000.

Production

Because the play – in which all the characters were British, and the emphasis was more on the enlisted men than in the film – was a hit, MGM retained the title for the film everywhere except in the US and Canada, where the title ''Crest of the Wave'' was used. Although set on a Scottish island, the movie was filmed in

Jersey Jersey ( , ; nrf, Jèrri, label= Jèrriais ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey (french: Bailliage de Jersey, links=no; Jèrriais: ), is an island country and self-governing Crown Dependency near the coast of north-west France. It is the ...

and at

Fort Clonque Fort Clonque is a 19th-century coastal fortress in Alderney, in the Bailiwick of Guernsey in the Channel Islands. It was constructed at a time when French naval power was becoming an increasing concern to the British. It is built on a rocky outcro ...

Alderney Alderney (; french: Aurigny ; Auregnais: ) is the northernmost of the inhabited Channel Islands. It is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown Dependencies, Crown dependency. It is long and wide. The island's area is , making i ...

in the

, with interiors filmed at MGM's British studios at

Borehamwood Borehamwood (, historically also Boreham Wood) is a town in southern Hertfordshire, England, from Charing Cross. Borehamwood has a population of 31,074, and is within the London commuter belt. The town's film and TV studios are commonly know ...

Elstree Elstree is a large village in the Hertsmere borough of Hertfordshire, England. It is about northwest of central London on the former A5 road, that follows the course of Watling Street. In 2011, its population was 5,110. It forms part of t ...

. Production took place between 4 May and late July 1953. The corvette monitoring the tests was HMS ''Hedingham Castle'' (pennant F386).

Ernesto de Curtis Ernesto De Curtis (4 October 1875 – 31 December 1937) was an Italian composer.

Reception

According to MGM records the film earned $349,000 in the US and Canada and $59,000 elsewhere, resulting in a loss of $58,000.

1960 Australian TV adaptation

The film was adapted for Australian television in 1960.

''Scapa''

Hastings later did a musical version of his play called ''Scapa'' which debuted in London in 1962. It received terrible reviews.

References

Notes

Bibliography

* Johnson, Rob and David Smiedt. ''Boom-Boom: A Century of Australian Comedy''. Sydney, Australia: Hodder & Stoughton, 1999. .

External links

* * * * {{Amg movie, 88118, Seagulls Over Sorrento 1954 drama films 1954 films British black-and-white films British war drama films Submarine films Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films 1950s English-language films Films set in Scotland Films directed by John Boulting Films directed by Roy Boulting British films based on plays Films scored by Miklós Rózsa 1950s war drama films Films shot at MGM-British Studios 1950s British films