Sea Stories-Or Who's got the Best one?

Hollywood seems to have had a long record of mashing storyline from books together.  "Horatio Hornblower" was done just like "Master and Commander" where they took the plots from multiple books and attempted to make a two hour movie.

Far as sea stories that kept me glued to the plot, I watched one a few years ago I found on YouTube called "To the Ends of the Earth" with Benedict Cumberbatch.  It was such a strange movie, with a story that seemed to go nowhere, about a voyage from England to Australia on an East Indianman, that was once a 2nd rate ship of the line, that I ended up watching the three part mini series all in one sitting.  The nautical feel and the acting was what made the movie really appealing to me. It was made the same time as "Master and Commander". 

Master and Commander

Caine Mutiny

Crimson Tide

Red October

Das Boot

Not thinking about accuracy or authenticity, just what entertained me and I found enjoyable.

Captains Courageous

Das Boot

The Sand Pebbles

The Bedford Incident

The Enemy Below

In Harm's Way

Away All Boats

It was my father's war experience movie.   He was on an attack transport.  While Away All Boats was Pacific theatre & my fathers ship operated mostly in the Atlantic & Med theatres he was at Leyte & Iwo.  
I remember him taking me to go see the movie.  I borrowed the book from the library and have found copy for my own library    I haul it out every now & then to re_read it    It might just be time to do so again

Total, Tora, Tora was long before CGI. Miniatures, full scale models, flyable replicas and real warbirds were used. The Val and Kate were based on BT-13s and we're pretty good, the Zeros were based on AT-6s and weren't as convincing,  but at that point there were no flyable Zeros. We have all three at WWII Weekend in Reading each year (except this year of course).

The Battle of Britain and 633 Squadron were also long before CGI.

The Enemy Below

Assault on a Queen

Forgot this one with the Duke and Donna Reed: They Were Expendable

Also in Tora, Tora, Tora; The Akagi and Nagato were full scale, waterline replicas, built on the shore in Japan so that their bows stuck out over the water to make it look like they were afloat or at sea.

To those already listed I’ll add a few more...

The Bounty

PT 109

Run Silent, Run Deep

The Bridges at Toko Ri (a personal favorite)

stikpusher

To those already listed I’ll add a few more...

The Bounty

PT 109

Run Silent, Run Deep

The Bridges at Toko Ri (a personal favorite)

 

How in the heck could I not mention The Bridges at Toko Ri!! This is my all time favorite war movie period. 

Ditto on Bridges at Toko Ri.  They seem to went the extra mile to depict the coldness and solitude of that war and being on a ship in the middle of it. It is by far my favorite "anti-war" movie as well. 

WillysMB

Total, Tora, Tora was long before CGI. Miniatures, full scale models, flyable replicas and real warbirds were used. The Val and Kate were based on BT-13s and we're pretty good, the Zeros were based on AT-6s and weren't as convincing,  but at that point there were no flyable Zeros. We have all three at WWII Weekend in Reading each year (except this year of course).

The Battle of Britain and 633 Squadron were also long before CGI.

 

Ya, the zeros at least had a look of a zero, what is discusting is these modern CG monvies is that they will draw up the USS Hornet on the Doolittle Raid and use the Essex Class as their reference, or have swarms of German fighters look like Mustangs.  German DR1's are all painted to look like the Red Baron.  If they are going to take the time to do CG, as least make it somewhat authenic. 

I find it hard to beat any Forster book, especially the Hornblower series, although his novel (I think it was called) The Gun.

While not a sea story per se, it featured a naval officer during the Napoleonic wars.  The Royal Navy was supporting a rebel group in Spain.  They offloaded a big ship's gun- forget the size- and the story is about moving this huge (and heavy) gun over rough ground to a fortified city they wish to reconquer.

scottrc

Ditto on Bridges at Toko Ri.  They seem to went the extra mile to depict the coldness and solitude of that war and being on a ship in the middle of it. It is by far my favorite "anti-war" movie as well. 

 

An interesting side note to this movie, I worked for a sergeant back in the late 1970s in the police dept. who was in the Navy  and serving on the Oriskany in 1954 when the movie was filmed. Jay got to meet the crew and cast. Sadly my friend passed away a couple of years ago. RIP Sgt. Cuthbert.

We can't forget Final Countdown and Down Periscope.

WHat about Sink the Bismark?

Tora tora tora was a good movie in its day and still watchable.  The Japanese side wae filmed by them and co-ordinated with the American film crew.

Don't forget the original Midway.  Computers for movies were way in the future.

Last time I went to Universal Studios Park they had some of the metal film models on display and were discussing how they were used.

I'll add in another....loved the branch and hornet nest in the wardroom during the briefing.

30 seconds over Tokyo

The Caine Mutiny.

ikar01

We can't forget Final Countdown and Down Periscope.

WHat about Sink the Bismark?

Tora tora tora was a good movie in its day and still watchable.  The Japanese side wae filmed by them and co-ordinated with the American film crew.

Don't forget the original Midway.  Computers for movies were way in the future.

Last time I went to Universal Studios Park they had some of the metal film models on display and were discussing how they were used.

 

 

You're right!  How could I forget Final Countdown!  As far as cinema photography it was the greatest aviation film ever.  I am kind of a camera person, and I was awed by the camera work.  I believe it was the Paul Mantz team that did it.  There was one landing approach I remember.  Your vantage point was about 25 feet forward of an F-14 on carrier approach.  You could see the pilot clearly, and watch the yaw string on the nose (didn't realize that a high tech aircraft like that would still use a yaw string)!

I was wondering what that string was for.  I was never that close to a F-14 to see it.

Aboiut 6 months after the movie our squadron was set to host VF-84.  One of our pilots started to fish around in his collection of his gun film.  A few days later he came back with a large blow up to put under his plexiglass desk cover.  A beautiful frame of a F-14 with the glare on the top of his wings taken from above and behind as his wings were starting to retract.  Also in the frame were the readings of his HUD imposed on the F-14.  Also in the picture was a spot of ight and the word fire.  He was one of the selected pilots to actually handle one of the missions and wanted to make sure the navy guys say the picture.

Thats a lot of great war films, but to change gears abit. 

1956 Moby *** and In the heart of the sea.

crown r n7

Thats a lot of great war films, but to change gears abit. 

1956 Moby *** and In the heart of the sea.

 

You must mean Moby Richard 

Wow! That's the name of a classic . 

For newer stuff, Hunter - Killer was fun, and speaking of fun, I was on set for some of The Hunt For Red October.

Driving out on the Mole at Long Beach and saw the top half of a 688 class sub sail sitting on the baseball field .  .  . Got the talking to the grips and Voila!

Don Stauffer

 

and watch the yaw string on the nose (didn't realize that a high tech aircraft like that would still use a yaw string)! 

A tiny detail often overlooked in models. Yes quite unique using such a simple thing on such a complex aircraft.

I'm glad someone mentioned Down Periscope, definitely an underrated submarine movie.  I'm going to take a different tack and recommend the movie Wind.  The racing scenes are fantastic, for those not familiar with America's Cup racing (at the time) they do a decent job of explaining what's going on and why, you get a peak behind the scenes at how the boats were designed, built, and financed, not to mention the contentiousness of the post race press conferences.  

Aww, Lewbud, you just like talking about the "whomper"; and having Jennifer Grey in it didn't hurt.

Tanker-Builder, the ships used in the movie were real Big model ships.

http://www.daveswarbirds.com/tora/ships.htm

Going back to the 50s, many of us were around then, but I don't think many remember it, the T.V. show Navy Lod.  Way before color TV, and you cound never tell who might be on it.