Spikeopath Sink the Bismarck! Is directed by Lewis Gilbert and adapted to screenplay by Edmund North from the book written by C.S. Forester. It stars Kenneth More, Dana Wynter, Carl Möhner, Laurence Naismith, Geoffrey Keen, Karel Stepanek, Michael Hordern and Maurice Denham. Music is by Clifton Parker and CinemaScope photography by Christopher Challis. World War II, the North Atlantic, the British Navy desperately tries to sink Germany's prime battleship. The scourge of the seas, The Bismarck. Cracker-jack war movie that brings brains and brawn to the party. Instrumentally the pic is concerned with the officers back at headquarters (Moore outstanding), how they try to device a plan to capture and sink The Bismarck. The second guessing of its movements, the attempts to keep a lid on the emotional pains as news filters through about losses in battle, men missing in action, with some personal issues bubbling away to further compound the hot-bed of stress. This all makes for a riveting and intelligent backdrop to the scenes out at sea. It's fascinating that as Winston Churchill was demanding that he didn't care how they did it, that they simply must destroy The Bismark, Hitler was sending out birthday greetings and pleasantries to his Naval commanders. The battle scenes are spanking, a mixture of real footage, great model work and superb effects, while the great Christopher Challis photographs it all in screen filling clarity. Stiff upper lips at the ready for a truly great WWII movie. 8/10

ma-cortes This is an excellent picture dealing with infamous ship including spectacular battle sequences and prestigious main cast helped by a fleet of the best Brit character players . It's one of the last great Brit pictures about warfare naval action and being based on real incidents . British Navy sets out to locate and sink notorious German battleship during WWII in this most stirring account of the quest for the formidable Bismarck . This is the World War II story of the British Navy's effort to defeat Nazi Germany's most powerful warship . This is a splendid British film concerning historic deeds during WWII , the naval battle in the Atlantic Ocean between German battleship and British squadron of various ships , carriers and airplanes . This picture is based on fact , but there have been complaints that is most inaccurate . Magnificent performances from Kenneth More as the withdrawn officer director operations supported by a beautiful as well as interesting Dana Wynter . The main and secondary cast are stunningly incarnated by a magnificent plethora of English actors such as Michael Hordern , Maurice Denham , Michael Goodliffe , Jack Gwillim , Michael Ripper , Bernard Lee , David Hemmings , Ian Hendry , Laurence Naismith , Geoffrey Keen and Esmond Knight, who plays the captain of the HMS Prince of Wales, actually served as an officer on board her and was injured during the battle. Excellent scale models , though also utilized actual battle footage ; according to special effects cameraman L.B. Abbott, the miniatures were photographed with spherical , non-anamorphic lenses . This made it easier to force the perspective of the image to make the miniatures appear bigger and further apart. The producers knew that the use of miniatures and explosions would have to look very realistic to be successful , they hired Howard Lydecker, one of the legendary Lydecker brothers who were generally considered to be the best special effects team in the industry and they had spent decades perfecting their craft at Republic Pictures. The film contains an evocative and atmospheric cinematography in black and white by classic cinematographer Christopher Challis who also photographed 'The battle of the River Plata¨. The flick was stunningly directed by Lewis Gilbert . The motion picture will appeal to wartime genre buffs and British classic movie fans . Rating : Better than average .The film is based on true events , these are the followings : Bismarck and her sister ship Tirpitz were the largest battleships ever built by Germany, and two of the largest built by any European power.In the course of the warship's eight-month career under its sole commanding officer, Capt. Ernst Lindemann, Bismarck conducted only one offensive operation, in May 1941, codenamed Rheinübung. The ship, along with the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen, was to break into the Atlantic Ocean and raid Allied shipping from North America to Great Britain. The two ships were detected several times off Scandinavia, and British naval units were deployed to block their route. At the Battle of the Denmark Strait, Bismarck engaged and destroyed the battlecruiser HMS Hood, the pride of the Royal Navy, and forced the battleship HMS Prince of Wales to retreat; Bismarck was hit three times and suffered an oil leak from a ruptured tank. The destruction of Hood spurred a relentless pursuit by the Royal Navy involving dozens of warships. Two days later, while heading for the relative safety of occupied France, Bismarck was attacked by obsolescent Fairey Swordfish biplane torpedo bombers from the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal; one scored a hit that rendered the battleship's steering gear inoperable. In her final battle the following morning, Bismarck was neutralised by a sustained bombardment from a British fleet, was scuttled by her crew, and sank with heavy loss of life. Most experts agree that the battle damage would have caused her to sink eventually. The wreck was located in June 1989 by Robert Ballard, and has since been further surveyed by several other expeditions

JLRMovieReviews Kenneth More and Dana Wynter star in this film about the German Bismarck, which had sunk a lot of the British fleet. The orders were, no matter the cost or how it was done, sink the Bismarck! Kenneth More was given duty in an office to supervise the means of attack of the Bismarck, with Dana Wynter aiding him. In the beginning, he came across as too rough on his staff, but, as Dana learned more about him, she found there was a man with feeling underneath all that gruffness. I was very impressed with this film, as it was very good in creating believable and real people, with whom the viewers could sympathize for and relate to. Even the actors on the Bismarck were memorable, especially the commander. The time and place was brought to life vividly and the film was very respectful of the subject matter, with very exciting battle scenes. This was a grade-A picture that needs to be discovered today.

ianlouisiana A remarkable movie with Mr.K.More at his very best as the Director of Operations in a bunker under the Admiralty engaged in a hunt for the "Bismarck" when she breaks for the Atlantic intending to wreak havoc on Allied convoys. Cool - headed rather than cold,he is the man who must make the hard decisions - the important ones. With the lives of many thousands of sailors in his hands he directs the escorting ships away from the convoys and redeploys them in a desperate search for the German battleship. His calculated risk pays off and,cornered by the Royal Navy,the "Bismarck" is ruthlessly blown to pieces,graphically portrayed on the screen. Nobody in the bunker whoops or throws their hat in the air,Mr More merely slips the model of the "Bismarck" into a pocket and goes back into his office.Job done. Brilliantly photographed in black and white(for wasn't the war fought in black and white for my generation?)"Sink the Bismarck" is the best type of understated British war movie. Mr More's apparent cold - bloodedness covers a tragic past,but there's a war to be won,time enough to grieve afterwards. Mis Dana Wynter strikes a slightly false note as a bereaved Wren officer who tries to bring out More's humanity,but otherwise the casting is perfect. "Remember The Hood" was a byword of the time,but we should also remember the "Bismarck" and her brave,doomed crew.