Sink the Bismarck!

''Sink the Bismarck!'' is a 1960 black-and-white CinemaScope British war film based on the 1959 book ''The Last Nine Days of the Bismarck'' by C. S. Forester. It stars Kenneth More and Dana Wynter and was directed by Lewis Gilbert.Weiler, A.H
"Movie Review – Sink the Bismarck – Of Men and Ships."
''The New York Times''. To date, it is the only film made that deals directly with the operations, chase and sinking of the battleship by the Royal Navy during the Second World War. Although war films were common in the 1960s, ''Sink the Bismarck!'' was seen as something of an anomaly, with much of its time devoted to the "unsung back-room planners as much as on the combatants themselves". Its historical accuracy, in particular, met with much praise despite a number of inconsistencies.

''Sink the Bismarck!'' was the inspiration for Johnny Horton's popular 1960 song, " Sink the Bismarck".Polmar and Cavas 2009, p. 251.
The film had its Royal World Premiere in the presence of the Duke of Edinburgh at the Odeon Leicester Square on 11 February 1960.

Plot

In early 1939, Nazi Germany's most powerful battleship, , is launched, beginning a new era of German sea power. Two years later, after war has begun, British naval intelligence discovers ''Bismarck'' and the heavy cruiser are about to sail into the North Atlantic to attack Allied convoys. From a London underground war room, Captain Jonathan Shepard (Kenneth More) coordinates the hunt for the dreaded ''Bismarck''. Later, the two German warships encounter and in the Straits of Denmark, and the four warships engage in a deadly gun duel. The battle results in the annihilation and violent disintegration of the ''Hood'', shocking combatants on both sides. Now ''Prince of Wales'' is alone and is fired on by the two German ships. However, it manages to inflict damage on the ''Bismarck's'' bow. ''Bismarck'' returns fire, destroying the ''Prince of Wales bridge. Eventually, ''Prince of Wales'' emits a smoke screen behind which to retreat. ''Bismarck'' and ''Prinz Eugen'' also retreat, but they are shadowed by the cruisers HMS ''Suffolk'' and HMS ''Norfolk'' using radar. Later, ''Prinz Eugen'' breaks away and heads toward the port of Brest, in occupied France, while ''Bismarck'' turns and fires at the British cruisers to provide cover as it escapes. The attack forces the cruisers to retreat. An air assault from the carrier damages ''Bismarck's'' fuel tanks, but the vessel is otherwise largely undamaged.

Back at London's operations headquarters, Captain Shepard gambles that Admiral Gunther Lütjens, in command of ''Bismarck'', is returning to friendly waters where U-boats and air cover will make it impossible to attack, so he plans to intercept and attack the German vessel before it reaches safety. Shepard commits a disproportionately large force to the search, and his wager proves correct when ''Bismarck'' is located steaming toward the French coast. British forces have a narrow time window in which to destroy or slow their prey before German support and their own diminishing fuel supplies can preclude further attacks. Swordfish torpedo planes from HMS ''Ark Royal'' have two chances. The first fails when the pilots misidentify as ''Bismarck'', but thankfully their new magnetic torpedo detonators are faulty, with most exploding as soon as they hit the sea. Returning to the carrier and changing to conventional contact exploders, their second attack, this time on the "real" ''Bismarck'', is successful. One torpedo causes only minor damage; but a catastrophic second hit detonates near the stern, jamming the German battleship's rudder, drastically slowing her down.

Unable to repair its rudder, ''Bismarck'' steams in circles. During the night the German battleship is attacked by two British destroyers. They fire torpedoes, and one hits; but ''Bismarck'' returns fire, sinking the destroyer HMS ''Solent''. The main force of British ships (including battleships and ) find ''Bismarck'' the next day and rain shells upon her. Lütjens in his final moments insists that German forces will arrive to save them, but he dies when a shell destroys ''Bismarck''s bridge. Shortly afterwards, the remaining bridge officers are killed, and the crew abandon their sinking ship. On board ''King George V,'' Admiral John Tovey orders the newly joined cruiser to finish off ''Bismarck''. The cruiser fires six torpedoes at the severely damaged German battleship. Four torpedoes strike home, causing the vessel to sink faster than its crew can escape. The captain of ''King George V'', Wilfrid Patterson, lowers his head as ''Bismarck'' rolls over and disappears beneath the waves. Admiral Tovey orders ''Dorsetshire'' to pick up survivors, finally saying tersely: "Well, gentlemen, let's go home."

Cast

Ashore

* Kenneth More as Captain Jonathan Shepard (More had served as a Royal Navy lieutenant on HMS ''Victorious'' during the war.)
* Dana Wynter as Women's Royal Naval Service Second Officer (WRNS) Anne Davis
* Laurence Naismith as First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Dudley Pound. (Naismith served in the Royal Artillery in the war.)
* Geoffrey Keen as Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff (A.C.N.S.)
* Michael Goodliffe as Captain Banister. (Captured at Dunkirk after being shot in the leg.)
* Maurice Denham as Commander Richards. (Served in the Medical Corps in the war.)
* Peter Dyneley as Commander Jenkins (uncredited)
* Norman Shelley as voice of Winston Churchill (uncredited)
* Jack Watling as RNVR Signals Officer
* Thomas Waldron Price as Flag Lieutenant to First Sea Lord
* Seán Barrett as Able Seaman Brown
* Victor Maddern as Leading seaman, in closing scene outside Admiralty (uncredited)

and
* Edward R. Murrow as himself: Ed Murrow, CBS London radio correspondent in 1941

At sea

* Karel Štěpánek as Admiral Günther Lütjens in ''Bismarck''
* Carl Möhner as Captain Lindemann of ''Bismarck'' (voice: Robert Rietti)
* Walter Hudd as Admiral Holland, in HMS ''Hood''
* John Stuart as Captain Kerr of HMS ''Hood''
* Esmond Knight as Captain Leach of HMS ''Prince of Wales''. (Knight served as a gunnery officer on board ''Prince of Wales'', and was seriously injured and blinded during the battle with ''Bismarck''.)
* Johnny Briggs as Young Seaman in ''Prince of Wales'' (uncredited)
* Sydney Tafler as Henry, civilian workman aboard ''Prince of Wales''
* Sam Kydd as civilian workman aboard ''Prince of Wales''
* Julian Somers as civilian workman aboard HMS ''Prince of Wales''
* Ernest Clark as Captain Ellis, HMS ''Suffolk''
* Mark Dignam as Captain Maund, HMS ''Ark Royal''
* John Stride as Tom Shepard, Captain Shepard's son, TAG (Telegraphist/Air Gunner) in ''Ark Royals Swordfish squadron (uncredited)
* David Hemmings as seaman in ''Ark Royal'' (uncredited)
* John Horsley as Captain, HMS ''Sheffield''
* Peter Burton as Captain Philip Vian, 4th Destroyer Flotilla
* Jack Gwillim as Captain Wilfrid Patterson, HMS ''King George V''. (Gwillim served 20 years in the Royal Navy, rising to the rank of commander.)
* Michael Hordern as Admiral Sir John Tovey, C-in-C Home Fleet, in HMS ''King George V''. (Hordern served as a lieutenant commander on HMS ''Illustrious'' during the war.)
* Edward Judd as Navigating Officer on board ''Prince of Wales'' (uncredited).

Production

C. S. Forester reportedly wrote the story as a screen treatment for 20th Century Fox before even writing the book.

Writer Edmund H. North worked closely with Forester's story, compressing events and time lines to make the plot taut. Along with the director, he decided to use a documentary-style technique, switching back-and-forth from a fairly insular war room to action taking place on remote battleships. The action is made more realistic when the human element of men in a game of wits and nerves is involved. The use of Edward R. Murrow reprising his wartime broadcasts from London also lends an air of authenticity and near-documentary feel. The film credits identify the actual Director of Operations as Capt. R. A. B. Edwards and "Capt. Shepard" as fictional. The Shepard-Davis interplay added human interest to the storyline.

In a similar manner, the battle between British and German forces is also recreated as a human drama, with Admiral Lütjens pitted against Captain Shepard in a "psychological chess match".

Ships involved

''Sink the Bismarck!'' was made in 1960, as the last major Second World War fleet units were being retired. Producer John Brabourne was able to use his influence as son-in-law of Lord Mountbatten, then Chief of the Defence Staff, to obtain the full co-operation of the Admiralty. The soon-to-be-scrapped battleship provided some footage of a capital ship's 15-inch gun turrets in action, and was used for scenes set on board HMS ''Hood'', ''Prince of Wales'', ''King George V'', and ''Bismarck'' herself.Niemi 2006, p. 99. The cruiser , now preserved in London, was used to depict the cruisers involved in ''Bismarck''s pursuit, including , ''Suffolk'', ''Sheffield'' and ''Dorsetshire''. A in reserve was used as the set for ''Bismarck''s destruction,Erickson 2004, p. 254. and one of her tall raked funnels is glimpsed in the final scenes.

The aircraft carrier is briefly shown as herself, despite the postwar addition of a large angled flight deck and a massive Type 984 "searchlight" radar; the same ship is also used to depict HMS ''Ark Royal'' sailing from Gibraltar. All flying from both carriers was filmed aboard – clearly marked with her postwar pennant number R06 – and three surviving Fairey Swordfish aircraft were restored, of which two were flown from her flight deck. These three aircraft now form the core of the Royal Navy Historic Flight. A 2010 article in ''Aeroplane'' identifies the Swordfish flown in the production: ''LS326'', carrying its true serial, was marked as "5A" of 825 Naval Air Squadron, while ''NF389'' was marked as ''LS423'' / "5B". The same actor plays the leader of the Swordfish attack from HMS ''Victorious'' (in reality, Lt Cdr Eugene Esmonde VC, DSO), and also the pilot from HMS ''Ark Royal'' who later fired the torpedo which crippled ''Bismarck''s steering gear (in reality Lt John Moffat RNR).

The destroyers used to depict the torpedo night attacks were the , representing the flagship of "Captain (D), of the 4th Destroyer Flotilla" (in reality, Captain Vian in ) and the , representing the fictitious which ''Bismarck'' destroys in the film. Their pennant numbers can be made out quite clearly, although they are reversed because of the film's convention that British ships should move from left to right on the screen and German ships ''vice versa''. These were the last classes of destroyer built during the war, and the last to have the classic War Emergency Programme destroyers' outline. HMS ''Cavalier'' remained in service until 1972, the last RN destroyer to have served in the Second World War, and is now preserved at Chatham Dockyard to commemorate all these vessels, but the newer and larger HMS ''Hogue'' was broken up shortly after the film was completed, following a collision off Ceylon with the Indian cruiser (formerly ).

The large models of the major warships ''Bismarck'', HMS ''Hood'', HMS ''Prince of Wales'', HMS ''King George V'', HMS ''Rodney'' and the s, are generally accurate, although HMS ''Hood'' is depicted in a slightly earlier configuration than that which actually blew up. The use of models in a studio tank was intercut with wartime footage and staged sequences using available full-size warships.Dolan 1985, p. 88. ''Bismarck'' anti-aircraft guns, however, are represented by stock footage of British QF 2-pounder naval guns.

Historical accuracy

''Sink the Bismarck!'' was made before 1975, when the British code-breaking at Bletchley Park was declassified, so it did not reveal that Shepard's hunches about the movements of the ''Bismarck'' were supported by intelligence. Direction finding and traffic analysis showed that on 25 May, ''Bismarck'' stopped talking to Wilhelmshaven and started up with Paris, and Shepard committed to the belief that ''Bismarck'' was headed for the French coast. The radio switch from Wilhelmshaven to Paris might have been caused by ''Bismarck''s crossing the line southern Greenland – northern Hebrides which brought her under Group West instead of Group North.Kennedy Nonetheless, Shepard's hunch was soon proved correct when, by good luck, a Luftwaffe Enigma transmission was intercepted and decoded at Bletchley Park, revealing that ''Bismarck'' was headed for Brest to repair an oil leak. The Luftwaffe Enigma code had been broken early in the war, unlike the German naval Enigma, which was only broken later and was subject only to traffic analysis during the ''Bismarck'' affair. Damage during its battle with HMS ''Hood'' and HMS ''Prince of Wales'' caused flooding that put ''Bismarck''s bow barely above sea level, and oil slicks caused by hits from HMS ''Prince of Wales'' were apparent; in the film, ''Bismarck''s bow remains at its normal height above sea level.

Some minor continuity errors involve the visual appearance of ''Bismarck''. When a spy in Kristiansand, Norway, sees ''Bismarck'' arrive in Norwegian waters (sailing from the east), the ship is shown sailing from right to left (from the west). ''Bismarck'' has no apparent camouflage but in fact, the ship still had striped " Baltic camouflage" along her sides, which was removed shortly before she headed out to sea. Also, the photo-reconnaissance Spitfire that photographs ''Bismarck'' and ''Prinz Eugen'' in a fjord is shown as two different versions with different canopies.

''Sink the Bismarck!'' simplifies the movements of HMS ''Hood'' and HMS ''Prince of Wales'' in the battle. The film shows an early order to turn to allow the British ships to fire full broadsides. In reality, they sought to close the distance first, presenting smaller targets to the German ships but using only their forward gun turrets which reduced their firepower advantage by eight big guns, while ''Bismarck'' and ''Prinz Eugen'' were firing full broadsides of all their main guns. The film does not show that HMS ''Hood'' mistook heavy cruiser ''Prinz Eugen'' for ''Bismarck'', at first firing at the wrong ship before correcting fire. Only in its final moments did HMS ''Hood'' begin a turn to fire broadside on ''Bismarck''. ''Bismarck'' hit HMS ''Hood'' during the turn and she exploded. The turn presented ''Hood''s deck armour at an angle more vulnerable to penetration and has been cited as a possible cause for her explosion, an issue the film does not cover. HMS ''Hood'' is shown firing to port while the ''Bismarck'' is shown firing to starboard; in fact it was the other way around.

In one scene, Lütjens speculates that after ''Bismarck'' has undergone repair in Brest, the two German battleships based there, ''Gneisenau'' and ''Scharnhorst'', could join ''Bismarck'' in raiding Allied shipping. There is no record of such a discussion at that time, although it would have been possible for ''Bismarck'' to sortie with the two battleships if ''Bismarck'' had reached the port.

Another historical deviation was made in depicting the night engagement between British destroyers and ''Bismarck''. The film portrayal shows three British hits by torpedoes, while the British destroyer HMS ''Solent'' is hit and destroyed by ''Bismarck''. There was no destroyer named ''Solent'' and no successful torpedo attack, although S-class submarine did exist during the war as a submarine operating in the Eastern Fleet in 1944. On 26 May, a Royal Navy destroyer squadron, led by Captain (later Admiral) Philip Vian in , did exchange gunfire during unsuccessful torpedo attacks, with ''Bismarck'' inflicting minor damage to the destroyers. The heroic action of the attached Polish destroyer (ex N-class HMS ''Nerissa'') was not depicted, although she sailed straight for ''Bismarck'', signalling "I am a Pole" as she went, but none of her shots found their mark.

The aircraft that finally located ''Bismarck'' after she escaped detection by HMS ''Suffolk'' and HMS ''Norfolk'' is correctly shown as a Catalina, but the fact that it was piloted by an American Naval Reserve officer, Ensign Leonard Smith, could not be revealed until long after the war, since the United States was neutral at the time of the engagement."Bismarck: British/American Cooperation and the destruction of the German battleship"
. ''Naval History & Heritage Command''. Retrieved: 1 December 2013. The attacks by Fleet Air Arm Swordfish show some aircraft being shot down; no Swordfish was lost to ''Bismarck''s guns and all were recovered. However, from HMS ''Victorious''s air raid, two Fairey Fulmar escort fighters ran out of fuel and ditched. Three fliers were picked up from a rubber boat.Evans 2000, p. 170.

''Sink the Bismarck!'' also does not show controversial events after ''Bismarck'' sank, including 's quick departure after rescuing only 110 survivors, because the ship suspected that a German U-boat was in the area and withdrew.

Portrayal of Günther Lütjens

The film has been criticised for its portrayal of German Admiral Günther Lütjens, who is portrayed as a stereotypical Nazi, committed to Nazism and crazed in his undaunted belief that ''Bismarck'' is unsinkable. In reality, Lütjens did not agree with Nazi policies; along with two other navy commanders, he had publicly protested against the brutality of antisemitic crimes during Kristallnacht. He is portrayed as saying “Never forget that you are Nazis”, but the term "Nazi” was not widely used in Germany at the time, as it had negative connotations. He was one of the few officers who refused to give the Hitler salute when Hitler visited ''Bismarck'' before its first and final mission, deliberately using instead the traditional naval salute. He was pessimistic of the chances of success of ''Bismarck''s mission and realised that it would be a daunting task. The film shows Lütjens ordering Captain Ernst Lindemann to open fire on HMS ''Hood'' and HMS ''Prince of Wales''. In reality, Lütjens ordered Lindemann to avoid engaging HMS ''Hood''; Lindemann refused and ordered the ship's guns to open fire.Evans 2000, p. 170.

Reception

Critical

For the most part, the historical accuracy in ''Sink the Bismarck!'' was praised by critics, with ''Variety'' calling it a "first-rate film re-creation of a thrilling historical event"."Review: 'Sink the Bismarck!'
''Variety''. Retrieved: 1 December 2013. A contemporary ''The New York Times'' review by A. H. Weiler, likewise championed its realism in saying "a viewer could not ask for greater authenticity". However, it went on to criticise both the acting and the constant scene changes "from Admiralty plotting rooms to the bridges of the ships at sea", claiming that this lessened the "over-all effectiveness" of both scenes. ''Film4'' praised its cinematography, noting that it "very realistically re-enacted scenes in the War Room of the Admiralty" as well as "excellently filmed episodes using miniature models".

During the postwar period, war films were one staple of the British film industry, with ''Sink the Bismarck!'' an exemplar, sharing the "common themes, actors ... visual style and ideological messages" of the genre. British magazine '' Radio Times'' viewed ''Sink the Bismarck!'' positively, stating that "this fine film fully captures the tensions, dangers and complexities of battle by concentrating on the unsung back-room planners as much as on the combatants themselves" while also praising More's performance. Attention was drawn to the ways in which it deviated from other war films of the period, specifically commenting on how "there is a respect for the enemy that is missing in many previous flag-wavers". The film was given a four-star rating.Parkinson, David
"Sink the Bismarck!"
'' Radio Times'', 2013. Retrieved 1 December 2013.

Gilbert's continual forays into events that shaped the British war experience mirrored his own background as a wartime filmmaker. His films merged historical episodes and the role of the individual, with ''Sink the Bismarck!'' characterised as having an "emotional punch, not least because Gilbert's direction relentlessly focuses on the human dimension amidst the history".

Box office

''Sink the Bismarck!'' was well received by the public and, according to box office receipts, it was the seventh most popular film released in Great Britain in 1960. The film replicated the success of other British war-themed productions in the decade that also received healthy box office, including '' The Cruel Sea'' (1953), '' The Dam Busters'' (1955) and '' Reach for the Sky'' (1956). Unlike most British war films ''Sink the Bismarck!'' was a surprise hit in North America.

Other productions

A revival of interest in the ''Bismarck'' was reflected in numerous publications that followed the film, as well as a variety of scale models that were produced. When the 1989 expedition by Dr. Robert Ballard to locate and photograph the remains of the battleship proved to be successful, further attention was directed to the story of the ''Bismarck''. A number of documentaries have also been produced including the Channel 4 miniseries ''Battle of Hood and Bismarck'' (2002) and ''Hunt for the Bismarck'' aired in 2007 on the History Channel network worldwide."Dogfights: Hunt for the Bismarck DVD."
''History Channel'', 2013. Retrieved: 1 December 2013.

See also

* Battle of the Denmark Strait
* Operation Rheinübung – history of the sortie of ''Bismarck'' and ''Prinz Eugen''
* Last battle of the battleship ''Bismarck''

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

* Allon, Yoram, Del Cullen and Hannah Patterson, eds. ''Contemporary British and Irish Film Directors: A Wallflower Critical Guide.'' New York: Wallflower Press (Columbia University Press), 2002. .
* Ballard, Robert D. and Rick Archbold. ''The Discovery of the Bismarck: Germany's Greatest Battleship Surrenders Her Secrets.'' New York: Warner Books Inc., 1990. .
* Budiansky, Stephen. ''Battle of Wits: The Complete Story of Codebreaking in World War II''. New York: Touchstone, 2002. .
* Dolan, Edward F. Jr. ''Hollywood Goes to War''. London: Bison Books, 1985. .
* Emsley, Clive et al. ''War, Culture and Memory''. Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, UK: Open University Course Team, 2003. .
* Erickson, Glenn. ''DVD Savant: A Review Resource Book.'' Rockville, Maryland: Wildside Press, 2004. .
* Evans, Alun. ''Brassey's Guide to War Films''. Dulles, Virginia: Potomac Books, 2000. .
* Forester, C. S. ''Sink the Bismarck! The Greatest Sea Chase in Military History,'' (John Gresham Military Library Selection), originally published as the ''Last Nine Days of the Bismarck''. New York: Ibooks, Inc, 2003. .
* Frietas, Gary A. ''War Movies: The Belle & Blade Guide to Classic War Videos.'' Bandon, Oregon: Robert D. Reed Publishers, 2011. .
* Hyams, Jay. ''War Movies''. New York: W. H. Smith Publishers, Inc., 1984. .
*
* Lovell, George. ''Consultancy, Ministry & Mission.'' London: Continuum, 2000. .
* Mayo, Mike. ''Videohound's War Movies: Classic Conflict on Film''. Canton, Michigan: Visible Ink Press, 1999. .
* Mcgowen, Tom. ''Sink The Bismarck'' (Military Might). Kirkland, Washington: 21st Century, 1999. .
* Niemi, Robert. ''History in the Media: Film and Television.'' Santa Barbara, California: ABC/CLIO, 2006. .
* Polmar, Norman and Christopher P. Cavas. ''Navy's Most Wanted: The Top 10 Book of Admirable Admirals, Sleek Submarines, and Other Naval Oddities'' (Most Wanted Series). Dulles, Virginia: Potomac Books Inc., 2009. .
* Shipman, David. ''The Great Movie Stars: The International Years.'' London: Angus & Robertson, 1980. .
* Solomon, Aubrey. ''Twentieth Century Fox: A Corporate and Financial History'' (The Scarecrow Filmmakers Series). Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, 1989. .
* Whitley, M. J. ''Destroyers of World War Two: An International Encyclopedia.'' Annapolis, Maryland: US Naval Institute Press, 2000. .
* Zetterling, Niklas and Michael Tamelander. ''Tirpitz: The Life and Death of Germany's Last Super Battleship.'' Havertown, Pennsylvania: Casemate Publishers and Book Distributors, L.L.C., 2009. .

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Sink The Bismarck!
1960 films
1960 war films
20th Century Fox films
German battleship Bismarck
British war films
British World War II films
British black-and-white films
CinemaScope films
1960s English-language films
Seafaring films based on actual events
World War II films based on actual events
Royal Navy in World War II films
Films based on British novels
Films scored by Clifton Parker
Films set in 1941
Films set in London
Films shot at Pinewood Studios
Films directed by Lewis Gilbert
Films based on works by C. S. Forester
1960s British films