Customer Reviews

Sea Wolves [VHS]

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This review refers to the DVD(WB) edition of "The Sea Wolves"....

The neutral waters off Goa, a Portuguese colony in India, is the setting for this unusual but true war story.And what's more unusual are the heroes of this dangerous mission.

It is 1943, and German merchant ships are relaying information to U-boats as to the whereabouts of Allied war vessels. The German merchants being in waters considered neutral are all but impossible to stop.Two officers(Gregory Peck/Roger Moore) of a unique British Military organazation, are assigned to the task of putting an end to these deadly exploits.They turn to a group of seniors who are veterans but haven't seen action in over 40 years. These guys spend most of their time trying to stay on their Polo ponies at their little country club. They are "The Calcutta Light Horse". Most would give their right arms to see action again, and now they will have their chance...Their mission..to board the German Vessels and destroy them!

Led by one of their own(David Niven),they jump at the chance to help the war effort, and head fearlessly into danger,and face tense situations with bravery and humor and become heroes once again.The "Sea Wolves" is great war story, that is based on actual events, and will have you smiling and rooting for the good guys all the way through. And of course with Moore involved,you know there will be some romance as well!

You can't go wrong with this cast, who only get better and better with age. Also included are Patrick MacNee and Trevor Howard.It was directed by Andrew McLaglen and based on the book "Boarding Party" by James Leasor.It was beautifully filmed on location in India.

Warner Bros. has made a nice transfer to the DVD. The picture is clear and sharp and may be viewed in Widescreen, or a Standard format.The colors are good, the ocean sparkles as does Peck's smile. The stereo surround sound is very good, although the dialouge is a little low at times, but clear and distinguishable for the most part. There are no Special features, but may be viewed with English or French subtitles.

Spend some time with these dapper Gents, you'll have fun doing it.....Laurie

also recommended:A Bridge Too Far

This film is a throwback to the classic war films pre-Saving Private Ryan. Since that film, a very good one I might add, Hollywood has attempted to out-blood n' gore itself with each new war movie. Well that's certainly a part of war, possibly THE single most important part at the personal level of conflict, but it's not necessary for a film to entertain. If all you want is to see suffering, spend a Friday night at any inner city ER. No, The Sea Wolves is something more. It tells the tale of a band of aged Boer War veterans enlisted by the British Special Operations Executive to conduct a clandestine raid on a German merchant ship transmitting intelligence to U-boats cruising the Indian Ocean. As is usually the case with Hollywood, the film takes some liberties with the actual event but it is quite entertaining nonetheless. David Niven is superb, as always. Gregory Peck's role was equalling well done, if one can excuse the rather poor English accent that tends to fade in and out. The tongue-in-cheek, very British exchanges between he and Roger Moore are quite enjoyable. I hadn't seen this movie in 20+ years and it is as entertaining as ever. I'm happy to see that lesser known films like The Sea Wolves are making it onto DVD. Just don't expect lots of body parts flying about or language that would make Mike Tyson blush.

Gregory Peck, Roger Moore and David Niven are the lead actors in this true story having taken place in WW II in India and Goa. It is shot on location where it happened, giving great authenicity to the scenes and how they took place. I think just about every older English actor who has appeared in any war films is present here. This was one of the reasons I liked the film. A gathering of "old" friends in one place from the other films gives it credence as you know they are well trained, in a way. This is sort of like "The Wild Geese", same cast of characters in the support roles. The print of the film in 1.85 to 1 letterbox is of great quality. The surround sound works well. While the subject matter of getting the sinking of ships stopped is serious, there are many very funny spots as the older men of the Light Horse get geared up for war after 40 some years. There is one especially tender moment when David Niven is shaving at 5am and his wife is worried about another woman. Both Gregory Peck and Roger Moore play their respective characters believably. Not sure why they didn't check one character out............

I first saw this film on HBO. I tuned in because two long-time favourites (Roger Moore & Patrick Macnee) were listed. I watched it over several times, bought it on VHS, and now own it on DVD.

This is based on a true event in WWII, when the British were losing cargo to a U-Boat pack in the Indian Ocean. Since the problem stemmed from the neutral Portugese port of Goa, nothing 'official' could be done. The Calcutta Light Horse, a group of retired British military, are recruited to do the impossible, and pulled it off. The event was declassified in 1980, and the film was made. Most of the cast is portraying actual persons involved, as shown in the end credits.

To play the 'past prime' Light Horse members, the film recruited major names: David Niven, Trevor Howard, Kenneth Griffith, Morgan Sheppard, Patrick Allen, Glyn Houston, and a cadre of others you will know. The "thin on top, thick in the middle" troops are led by professional soldiers Gregory Peck, Roger Moore, and Patrick Macnee. Peck plays Col. Lewis Pugh, a colonel whose family was in Coventry when it was plastered by the Luftwaffe. Moore plays Capt. Gavin Stewart, a bit of a playboy who falls for local lovely spy Barbara Kellerman. Macnee plays Major "Yogi" Crossley, the explosives expert fond of reading the paper while standing on his head. All cast members are well up to the task. Most memorable of the supporting cast is Wilton who is charged with nursing the engines of their rather creaky craft. When told he has to stay on the ship rather than going aboard the target vessel, Wilton says: "Request permission to say, 'S--t' sir."

The fun is watching these men train for the mission; the suspense is watching them perform it. To a man, the whole Light Horse volunteered for the mission, despite knowing there was no pay, recognition, medals, or any form of compensation. With only one fatality, despite overwhelming odds and several casualties, they manage.

The only flaw of the film, for me, is Peck's British accent which is overdone when present and tends to fade in and out. Director Andrew McLaglen should have dispensed with it entirely. (MacLaglen also directed Moore in 'fflokes,' another offbeat role for The Saint whose name was Bond.)

Action, humour, romance, suspense - all based on a true story - this one has it all, including a title & credit sequences of the actual event.

The film opens with incredibly accurate information that Forty-six freighters were sunk by the German submarines in the Indian Ocean in the past few weeks... The U-boats know exactly where and when to strike...

On one hand, we also know that the Portuguese authorities dismantled the ships' radios when they gave them permission to stay there... On the other, if Radio Monitoring is right, and the transmitter is actually in the harbor, it must be on a ship...

Not being able to break the code, the British Intelligence has to find out from where the information to those U-boats originates... To find whoever heads the spy ring, and to get rid of the transmitter without forgetting to violate Portugal's neutrality...

Now if a British Commando cannot violate Goa's neutral status, they might have to turn to amateurs... The Light Horse has not been in action as a unit since the Boer War in 1900... If they were caught, it might be taken as a drunken escapade... We are speaking about ex-soldiers on holiday, stealing a river ferry, sailing it the whole way round India from Calcutta to Cochin... and then heading for the neutral port of Mormugoa, Portuguese colony...

In that port, at anchor is a German ship, the Ehrenfels... Their job is to seize that ship, or sink her where she is... Also in that port are two other German ships so if they can knock them off at the same time, so much the better...

As you can see it is a crucial operation where many allied lives might be saved...

David Niven is the only man with any experience at sea...Charlie Wilton will remain aboard to nurse the engine of the old tub... Trevor Howard will have his only chance to settle accounts for his boy killed in Burma... Roger Moore has to deal with some spies... Peck has to lead the whole suicide adventure...

The film moves along beautifully, reaching an exciting and tense climax... Don't miss it!

Recently, we read Roger Moore's book "My Word is my Bond" and thanks to this excellent biography of all the work accomplished by Roger Moore, we became familiar with movies we had never seen by our favorite... Bond, James Bond. So, we are trying to see all his films.

In The Sea Wolves, Roger Moore stars with Gregory Peck, David Niven, Trevor Howard and Barbara Kellerman among many wonderful stars.

The plot revolves around retired British military men who now form part of "The Calcutta Light Horse," a club where they play games, drink, party, and reminisce about the days when they lived the action of war.

Goa, a Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state in terms of area and the fourth smallest in population. Located on the west coast of India, it is located in the region known as the Konkan. To the north we find Maharashtra, to the east and south Karnataka and to the west, the Arabian Sea. In his book, Roger Moore tells us that the film took place close to Christmas and they wanted to have a meal as they did back home, with turkey, stuffing, Christmas pudding and all the trimmings, so they set out to recreate an English meal in Goa... to no avail.

This film is based on a true story. In 1943, German merchant ships used to gather information and sink Allied war vessels. Two British officers, masterfully played by Roger Moore and Gregory Peck are sent to Goa to search for clues as to how the information is relayed and to put a stop to the casualties. Roger Moore meets a woman and falls in love with her without realizing that she is dangerous to say the least.

The design a plan to sink the German ships and they turn for help to the retired military men of The Calcutta Light Horse Club. These men can't wait to get into action and it is quite fun to see the preparation they undergo to get back in shape. Patrick Macnee of the series "The Avengers" is part of the team. At first we did not recognize him because he was missing his John Steed umbrella and hat, but the voice gave him away.

As the movie progresses, the men learn that their mission entails destroying German ships and it is quite fun to see how delighted they are to get back into action after over 40 years of rest.

Thanks to Roger Moore's book, we also learn lots about the close relationship the actor had with both Gregory Peck and David Niven and how Niven discovers that he suffered from motor neurone disease because while he walked his daily routine, he could not lift his heel off the ground.

The film is based on a great story and on real facts, the action is superb and the plot, interesting and filled with humor.

This film is, as has been stated previously, a throwback to a lost era in film-making. The cast is generally superb, although some are underutilized (Patrick McNee in particular). Interestingly, Barbara Kellerman was not the original choice for the female lead (according to Roger Moore's recent biography); Diana Rigg was. This is not McLaglen's best film (I think ffolkes is), but it is enjoyable nonetheless. Strangely, my copy has a very soft soundtrack. I have to crank the sound or use the subtitles to understand the dialogue.

good quality movie packed with top and secondary stars combining together to provide some really old fashioned entertainment

This is another DVD I purchased as a Christmas gift for my husband. It is based on a true story with a fantastic cast doing a respectable job. Yes, it is not action-packed like the modern war movies are, but it is a part of history and one worth knowing about and seeing.

Okay, so maybe these men were a bit older than the average troop, They may have some difficulty performing a Physicle training test. But they sure as hell got the job done, and that reader is what old is about.