Customer Reviews

We Dive at Dawn

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

We Dive At Dawn is a standard issue, exceptionally well acted British war film about a submarine of the Royal Navy. It is a visual masterpiece of Navy detail. Sir John Mills et al, are well cast and extremely believable in their roles.

The filming was done on an actual submarine and depot ship. I know a sailor who was in the depot ship, HMS Maidstone in Holy Loch Scotland, at the time the movie was made. He advised me of a small detail that make the film much more interesting to watch. If you look closely in the control room scenes, there is a sailor in a white turtleneck sweater close to Mills. That sailor is the actual submarine CO keeping a close eye on things to make sure nothing awkward happens.

This film is a tale of submarine warfare in the Baltic Sea. It was not an easy area for submarines to operate in because it is relatively shallow and a submarine likes to have a lot of water between it and the enemy on the surface. This is not the case in the Baltic. There were heavy casualties amongst British submarines sent to this area.

I had an opportunity to live in the Holy Loch area in the mid-60s when HMS Maidstone was replaced by USS Hunley. As I look at the film, I see some of the same landmarks that were there in 1941-42 as in 1964 - absolutely unchanged.

What is a little bit different for this film is that we see a great deal of the life of the sailors of the Royal Navy. It readily shows the team concept that is life in submarines. Remember, there may only be 5-6 officers in addition to the captain. The crew was essentially masters of their own destiny in a very real sense since even junior sailors had tremendous responibility placed on them. And they excelled, uniformly. The ending is typically understated British and yet highly effective. As the submarine of the story returns, another departs on patrol, "like a ruddy train line" as the flag officer watching the boat leave comments to Mills as the latter stands by to give his report.

This is an exceptional movie and belongs in any navy history enthusiasts library.

A British submarine in WW2 is sent on an impossible mission to sink the German warship "Brandenburg". To destroy their target, they must find their target - somewhere deep in enemy-controlled waters. The captain navigates his submarine past nets, mines, and enemy destroyers, and then must clandestinely obtain fuel and oil from an enemy-held port for the return voyage.

This tale of submarine adventure was made with the support of the British military in the darkest days of WW2, so the boats you see really are warships and not Hollywood mock-ups. The plot is fairly predictable and the overall production is hindered by thick British accents at times, but its still a good late-night war movie. "The Enemy Below" and "Torpedo Run" are better, but this film is British and made under war-time conditions, so that counts for something in the "Authenticity" department.

This B&W movie is a classic. You are given insight to the crew's personal lives and interactions. There is enough action (after the first 25 minutes) to keep you interested constantly. Very interesting, a few very exciting action sequences. Not all action takes place on/in the water!

This is one of the best English movies of World War II. From the taut suspense of the submarine sequences, to the humor of Portman's drunk scene in the fish and chips shop, this film is a wonderful portrayal of ordinary life and the military during the war.

I like British pictures and Royal navy.This film shows me how about inside "H.M.S.".I am pleased to hear the ordres and answers.
I found interesting to see subs entering seaport hoisting jory-roger if she made some ship sink and the other hand ,ships in port blow sirens.
I like these "seamanship".

This, to my knowledge, is the best available print of this film. It is available on public domain discs, but those are of vastly inferior quality. If you are a fan of British films in general or lead John Mills and director Anthony Asquith in particular, you will find this worthwhile.

VCI Entertainment and Gainsborough Pictures, presents "WE DIVE AT DAWN" (1943) (97 min/B&W) -- Starring John Mills, Louis Bradfield, Ronald Millar, Jack Watling, Reginald Purdell, Caven Watson, Niall MacGinnis & Eric Portman

Directed by Anthony Asquith

The plot is all about reality, submarine warfare in WWII, with all the behind the scenes thrown in for good measure. We Dive At Dawn is not one of the absolute best of this genre but it is very good. Any film involving John Mills would have a problem being bad. And there is also the marvelous Eric Portman.

This film is much stronger than the later submarine based film 'Above Us the Waves' also starring Mills probably because this was actually made during the war, when there was a real threat. It's a good story, with dastardly Germans (Nazi's) and the good old Royal Navy coming up with the goods. Typical war film and Mills with his stiff upper lipped British officer role pulls it off brilliantly. Mills, who must by now know how to command his own submarine, battleship and platoon. He makes it look believably realistic looking through a periscope searching for his next mission.

A must see film. Highly recommend!

BIOS:
1. Anthony Asquith (Director)
Date of Birth: 9 November 1902 - London, England, UK
Date of Death: 20 February 1968 - Marylebone, London, England, UK

2. John Mills[aka: Lewis Ernest Watts Mills]
Date of Birth: 22 February 1908 - The Watts Naval Training College, North Elmham, Norfolk, England, UK
Date of Death: 23 April 2005 - Denham, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

3. Eric Portman [aka: Eric Harold Portman]
Date of Birth: 13 July 1901 - Halifax, Yorkshire, England, UK
Date of Death: 7 December 1969 - St Veep, Cornwall, England, UK

Mr. Jim's Ratings:
Quality of Picture & Sound: 5 Stars
Performance: 5 Stars
Story & Screenplay: 5 Stars
Overall: 5 Stars [Original Music, Cinematography & Film Editing]

Total Time: 97 min on DVD ~ VCI Entertainment ~ (May 17, 2011)

One has to admire the movie "We Dive at Dawn," especially considering that at the time it was being made, Britain was still in the midst of fighting the Germans, and victory in World War II was nowhere near an assured thing.
The movie itself tells the story of the Royal Navy submarine Sea Tiger, and its pursuit into the Baltic of the German battleship Brandenburg. The movie starts a little slow with an odd little bit of what people today would call "soap opera" as we follow the seamen of the Sea Tiger on shore leave and see a glimpe into their private lives. That leave however is abruptly canceled as one by one the crew are recalled to duty on board the submarine.
That's when the picture really picks up with rising tension and suspense. To say anymore would realy spoil much of the fun of the movie, but be assured there is action aplenty and well shaped characterization in this gem of the British cinema.
One quibble about the transfer. When I first put in the disc I was somewhat perturbed by the quality of the movie with the occassional blurring and odd editing. However once the action began I found it easy to ignore these shortcomings (probably a result of the movie's age) and instead just enjoyed it's escapism.
This review refers to the Region 2 DVD release

I agree with most other reviewers of this film. It just may be the most realistic of all the WWII sub genre (except maybe "Das Boot"). The tape has a grainy image and the sound is sub-par. This is forgivable because it adds to the film's realism.

Strong storyline and plot elements do a good job of keeping things moving between the somewhat low-key battle sequences (meaning that they are not "in-your-face" like typical Hollywood efforts). An excellent cast contributes significantly to the overall success of this film. The ensemble work is stellar. The interplay between players is like the action, understated. The end result is that the viewer is taken along by the story as a whole and a very competent script.

This film works well as a whole and stands up to multiple viewings. Highly recommended.

"We Dive at Dawn" is a very good British production with an outstanding cast. Starring Sir John Mills, Louis Bradfield, Ronald Miller, Jack Waitling, Reginald Purdell, Caven Watson, Niall Macginnis and Eric Portman. An English language 97 minute B&W classic you do not want to miss. Get it now at Amazon.com before they all run out. I enjoyed the film very much and am sure you will also. Very realistic depiction of submarine action.