SINK THE BISMARCK! The FILM, The FACTS - WFP Review
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- čas přidán 12. 09. 2024
- Explore 1960's Sink the Bismarck in this revised review with new video and content. Discover why it's a popular classic and the real history of the events. Starring Kenneth More and Dana Wynter. Music: Bensound. PLEASE REMEMBER TO SUBSCRIBE.
I have some 800 movies in my collection. This movie, I’ve seen 24 times. Never gets old.
OK, not exactly historically accurate at all points, but I think it captures the realities , the fears, the decisions that had to be made, and sacrifices of what really happened.
The Acting is superb , and fictional story line, believable.
It’s just a fantastic movie.
📻🙂
You're right. This is a very watchable movie. I saw it new in 1960 and at 10 years old I was blown away at the battle scenes. They still stand up to this day. I have it on DVD and view it frequently.
Dana Wynter. Let me go on record, drop dead gorgeous. What a babe! She, epitomizes a lot of the beauty of more modern women, and her character actually shows empathy, a rare quality in actresses today. They should have made a sequel with her, "After the Bismarck,” and later, “Remember the Bismarck,” and finally “Raise the Bismarck,” staring, Dana Winter. She was born in Germany, ironic.
Incredibly attractive woman. As for the rest, well, the next: actresses show what their directors tell them to show. The sequels would have been as good as U571.
I feel she was the model for any number of Douglas Reeman female characters.
She became Burt Lancaster's love interest in the original Airport Movie. What is it about that woman and disasters? 😊
Stared in a Tom Selleck Magnum episode, older but fantastic looking.
@@aaronleverton4221 'The sequels would have been as good as U571.' What a beutal thing to say. It is difficult to think of anything that has been as 'good' as the appalling U571.
she took a while to master the american acccent - but that was typical of the time - no one cared - - Dana's beauty was so potent that none other than Ava Gardner had to removed from a film she was starring in - Ava later apologized for that
Great to see this, my Dad was an extra in this film. He was at medical school in London and it was common for the students to work as extras at the film studio. He is clearly visible in the scene where the mail is being handed out to the sailors.
@@nickhoare8599 thanks. It is always special getting comments from people with historic contact with a film.
@@Vlad65WFPReviews It was a pretty good deal apparently, £5 (around a £100 now) and a free lunch. At one point the Dean of the medical school had to ask the film studio to stop taking medical students as so many were going and missing lectures.
@@nickhoare8599 and you got to hang out with David Hemmings
Shepherd and Davis, a destroyer not sunk, a Swordfish not shot down, a film of HMS Sheffield showing as Bismarck, a few repeated scenes of battle and the fact the HOOD/BISMARCK confrontation is staged in reverse of the actual directions the two sides were steaming……. AND a very very BAD Churchill voice impersonator….. HECK! I grew up loving this flick, grabbed the book off the library shelf, after which I “graduated” to Forrester’s Hornblower, obviously, and I STILL LOVE IT. I only hope evil Hollywood never considers remaking it and ruining another classic.
Amen. For all its flaws, its a brilliant film.
I think your been too critical, it’s a great movie and is reasonably accurate for a film rather than a documentary , the modern Pearl harbour is more worthy of criticism as it was garbage.
"evil Hollywood"? You do know that the movie was made by 20th Century-Fox, an American company?
If Hollywood were ever to remake it, it would be US Navy chasing the Bismarck and an American plane dropping the torpedo!
@@nigelpower1509 and the dummies wouldn’t even notice!
It should be noted that the blood dripping down the speaking tube on Prince of Wales actually happened. I'm glad you mentioned Esmond Knight's participation in the Battle of Denmark Strait. He recovered from his wound sufficiently to play Chorus in Lawrence Olivier's 1944 production of Henry V.
He was also still suffering from the effects when he played a German officer in the film The Silver Fleet which is why there is always somebody at a door to make sure he didn't hit it
Always good to see this classic movie. My Dad served on the battleship King George V, which he helped build before he joined the RN. He enjoyed it too. Which is quite a compliment let me tell you.
This pops up reasonably regularly on tv in the UK and despite having seen it many times I always find it hard to turn over when it's on. Always, for me, an indicator of a good film is that the time flies by and before you know it it's over.
Again, agreed. Old Jack Warner called it something like the 3 scratchy butt test. If you were aware of wanting scratch three times during a movie, you were finding it too long.
I’m an American and I think it’s a great movie!
Me too.
Well done and kudos for not using an AI voice.
I first saw this movie on TV in the late 1960s as a young boy. It wowed me and even today it still holds up for entertainment even though there are inaccuracies.
I have watched this film countless times, I believe that would they did with what they could reveal at the time the book was written and the film made, for example the breaking of the enigma, the use of rdf and radio comm chatter for fixing the position of the Bismarck.
But gods. They did so well showing the tough decisions that people have to make behind the scenes, the action scenes are brilliant, using vanguard for the gun loading scenes (as a perfect example).
The grief when Shepard thinks his son is dead, describes surviving his ship sinking and then going home to find his wife and instead… the way they slowly reveal why he is such a closed off person and the wren officer slowly coaxing him out, softly gently and tenderly.
I like to think that although there is the hinted possibility of romance there, it’s more likely to be a lasting friendship between the two.
Brilliant video by the way, very thurough and precise!
Subscribed.
Good film. The key narrative of the events is one of great luck on both sides. The hit on HMS Hood was an incredibly lucky on actually a very well armoured ship. Then the Royal Navy had equal luck with the torpedo hit on Bismarck’s rudders. The tragedy is the whole story resulted in; the deaths of 3500 young men but that’s the reality of war.
Just one note: the blood was not “coming from the ceiling” but actually, more gruesome, through the voice tube (that are still used, or at least installed, as backup to power voice boxes and sound-powered phones on modern naval ships today). That tube went from the bridge down four decks to the piloting officers station before dripping on the piloting officers chart.
Good clarification. The voice tube also reminds me of the powerful scene in The Cruel Sea when the captain gets his new ship but is reminded of his crew screaming through the tube on the Compass Rose
One other note. It is not 'the ceiling', but the Deckhead
@@andrewstackpool4911 Actually overhead in the navy.
@lancemcclung3991 Actually deckhead in my (RAN) and RN
@Vlad65WFPReviews Yeah. A horrifying scene and based on fact.
Probably the most powerful war at sea movie ever made. It covered everything that happened 'out there'.
Really, well done. I loved the news reels and the German footage. Nice to hear a genuine person.
@@jannarkiewicz633 thanks. It was interesting doing some research as that allowed me to "discover" things like the British version of the newsreel and that scary footage of Bismarck firing in anger.
Thank You for this presentation ! It was very good. The Cast was excellent; Kenneth Moore, Dana Wynter and the Officers and Crews of both ships.
My father served aboard HMS Rodney throughout WW2 including the action depicted in this film. I found a Pathe News Reel of HMS Rodney and other ships returning to Greenock for repairs and refueling once the action was complete, and to my astonishment saw him along with his shipmates celebrating the victory for the cameras. He was barely 19 years old at that time.
Thanks for this! It's great having contact with people with connections to the history - amazing how many people write in. It must have been amazing to see your dad as a young man in that setting. I may dig around youtube to look for any Pathe reels.
Much of the footage of the Bismarck sailors fighting flooding explosions and fire I believe were carried out at the RN's Sea Survival School. Abandoning could be done from any ship. Anyone who has served will have been through that fun.
Great commentary on this outstanding film. One correction...the blood that dripped upon the sailor below decks came through the communication tube on which the fatally injured bridge officer had collapsed, not from the ceiling.
Yes, that was noted - of course given the metal construction - that did remind me of the captain hearing the screams of his crew through the tube in the Cruel Sea
The Hood was a battlecruiser rather than a cruiser. It was a 'one off' as it was under construction in WW1 when the other ships of the same class were all destroyed in the Battle of Jutland. Attempts were made to address some of the design issues. Increased armour made the Hood sit low in the water and its decks could be awash in heavy weather. They had not cured the vulnerability of the magazine and loading system which was largely responsible for the loss of its sister ships.
The three British battlecruisers lost at Jutland were not of the same class as Hood. Hood's sisters of the Admiral class, Anson, Howe, and Rodney, had construction cancelled as resources were diverted to more badly needed ships--such as merchantmen.
As for Hood, five thousand tons of armor was added after a pause in construction, resulting in an armor scheme that was equivalent to, if not better than, a Queen Elizabeth-class battleship.
Though designated battlecruiser (and this was due, primarily, to its speed), Hood was, in effect, the world's first fast battleship.
As for Jutland, battlecruisers Lion, Princess Royal, and Tiger were all hit multiple times and managed not to explode and remained in action.
Concerning the three British battlecruisers lost, strikes on turrets (not deck penetrations) combined with careless cordite handling practices (in order to increase rate of fire) resulted in catastrophic destruction--rather than some glaringly inherent design flaw in the ships themselves.
What happened to British battlecruisers at Jutland had no bearing on Hood's fate at Denmark Strait.
@@carlrobinson2183 Ah, thank you, either I was misinformed by an I think Channel 4 documentary, or remembered it in insufficient detail.
Chanel 4- hmm...
Drachinfel's analysis of Hood's destruction is the most persuasive I've seen- a combination of Hood's wake formation at speed exposing her hull below the waterline, coupled with that million to one chance hit in just that wrong place.@@carolynekershaw1652
Breaks my heart to know that only 3 men survived the Hood sinking. God bless those who went down with the Hood. Now none are alive. RIP men of the Hood.
I agree. It was sobering to find that photo of the full ship's company. It is also tragic and ironic that to most people today, HMS Hood is best known due to its grim fate when it met the Bismarck.
I remember there was an interview of one of the survivors of the Hood very late in his life. At the end of that interview film it was noted that when he passed, soon after, he was buried at sea at the Hood’s resting place. Where there, he joined his shipmates at last. Very moving to me even after 45 years since i saw the interview…
It is impressive that a guy who was wounded on the Prince of Wales served as the captain of the ship in the movie. Reminds me of Richard Todd who played paratrooper leader John Howard in The Longest Day. Todd WAS a paratrooper in the same area and wound up meeting up with Howard either on D-Day or perhaps Plus-1 or Plus 2. Donald Pleasance played a POW in The Great Escape and guess what? He was a POW of the Germans in WW2.
@@your_royal_highness I knew about Todd but not about Donald thanks
@@Vlad65WFPReviews yeah, the director was not happy with Donald’s unsolicited advice until he learned about the history. He became much more solicitous after. It’s amazing to find out about actors who were real life heroes. Charles Durning landed on Omaha in one of the first waves of D-Day. Got wounded there I think. PTSD as a result. Eddie Albert disobeyed orders to pick up wounded marines off an invasion beach in the Pacific in his Higgins boat while under fire. Lee Marvin got shot in the ass on I think Saipan and is buried at Arlington. I also think he was a sniper. You can google all that stuff. Oh, the former U.S. President Gerald Ford served on an escort carrier as an officer and braved helping putting out a fire from a bomb hit. This was an inferno under the flight deck and he and many others could gotten blown up. Little known stuff like that.
@@your_royal_highness yes, it is quite a list. There are also Anthony Quayle, who organized behind the lines stuff in Eastern Europe and David Niven - plus many more. (You always wonder if Lee Marvin's wartime trauma contributed to his drinking issues - I love him as a performer)
Peter Butterworth, famous for his various roles in the Carry On series of comedies, once applied for a part in the movie The Wooden Horse but was rejected as not looking ‘heroic’ enough to be a P.O.W., in fact Butterworth had been a P.O.W. and was involved in supporting both the escape shown in that movie and the one later made famous by the movie The Great Escape.
@@mrjockt interesting fact. Filmmakers can be cruel.
This is a great film I always like to watch it now and again, I always loved Kenneth More and he says in his book about the making of ' Sink The Bismark' that he found it hard as he normally played happy go lucky type people and he had to joke around in between takes as he had to be very detached as a character, I think he did very well.
I wish that Jack Watling and the director could have played a joke on Kenneth More when filming the scene when Watling's character announces that the Hood had been sunk.
"Message from Prince of Wales sir.
Hood.... has hit an iceberg!"
Ideally Laurence Naismith should have been around the table as well, with Micheal Goodlife just off-camera
@Vlad65WFPReviews He and Sir Alec together. Hmmmm.
I agree re More. It's interesting that apart from Dark of the Sun, he certainly wasn't happy go lucky in Night To Remember, Reach for the Sky and, to an extent in his cameos in The Battle of Britain.
To my mind, rather than happy go lucky, he played the 'stiff upper lip' slightly terse English Gentleman to a tee.
He did introduce some humour in The Longest Day, but again played a Commander to a tee.
I suspect that his war time service did impact him mentally and, like thousands more, resorted to alcohol to deal with the pain.
@@Vlad65WFPReviews As far as I know Kenneth More never had an alcohol problem. His last years were however plagued by Parkinsons Disease, which may have given some people the wrong impression of him.
@@andrewstackpool4911 I don't believe he had an alcohol prpoblem.
@@nigelpower1509 Thank you for that important clarification. I may have misread something about More in this regard, and have removed the comment. What did seem to have hurt his big screen popularity was remarrying with a much younger bride (which wouldn't seem to matter today) and he regained international recognition in TV's The Forsythe Saga, which I fondly recall.
This video is great. I was glad to see that you discussed the incorrect script aspect of the admiral's political views. Further to that, according to Ludovic Kennedy's book about the Bismark, membership of the Nazi party was strongly discouraged in the Kriegsmarine. The service, as should have been, wanted to be apolitical.
Thanks for commenting - and interesting point. It draws an notable parallel with Japan, where the Navy under leaders such as Yamamoto was far more moderate and less hawkish than the army
One of my favourite films. Although i wish HMS Rodney was given the credit she deserved.
_Rodney_ had serving USN officers aboard at the time which was a classified fact for many years
People have to understand that this movie is not a documentary and therefore not strictly accurate, its a drama but so many people don't realise this and base their understanding on this movie. Thank you for mentioning Lutyens political stance and that he was not a Nazi, he was a decent and noble man and Officer and I feel this was a real insult.
Of course you are right about always having to caution people that popular history dramas or actioners are not documentaries - Oscar-winning Braveheart is not even close. And while I am a fan of the movie I agree that the treatment of Lutjens was most unfair. I'm not an expert on the interesting dynamics between Lutjens and Lindemann but it seems the captain was much more aggressive (he was a former gunnery trainer) which lead to some friction - he might have been a better candidate if the screenwriter was looking for a "villain" - but he wasn't the senior officer.
Great movie. Only have seen it about 8 times.
One detail that was probably not known in 1960 is that Prince of Wales won her exchange with Bismarck. It is a common belief that Admiral Lutjens erred in not finishing off his opponent. This belief is false. Prince of Wales scored two critical hits on Bismarck and reduced her speed to 27 knots. Both German ships turned away because they thought torpedoes were in the water and they opened the range. Bismarck no longer had a speed advantage. (See Simon Read's " The Iron Sea)
Esmond Knight was not the only British actor who participated in the events shown in a movie. Richard Todd played Maj John Howard in the Longest Day. LT John Todd was part of Howard's force that siezed Pegasus Bridge. In the movie you see LT Todd reporting to Major Howard. When they were filming one of the scenes and not getting it right, Todd stepped out of character to make it right.
HMS Hood was not a battleship but a battlecruiser.
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Yes! But it was a Big-Ass Battle Crusier!
Another very brief appearance in the film is Johnny Briggs a.k.a. Mike Baldwin from Coronation Street.
Thank you for mentioning the declassified role of the code breakers. A close member of the family was at Bletchley Park and after things about Station X became public had told me they were decoding Bismark’s signals.
@@CallumSmith-hb6ip my favorite thing about doing these videos is the contact with people like you who relate stories about family members and friends with experience in the events in these movies. Thanks for sharing
One of my favorite movies EVER
"Sink The Bismarck" such a classic movie.
I've been a fan of this movie and have followed the story of Bismarck for most of my life. I would love a modern remake... I think the CGI could do wonders. I wonder who'd they get to reprise Dana Wynter's role... such a babe 😍
@@Shaugh69 I doubt it but I never expected a Tom Hanks naval movie
Great film. Watched many times.
Esmond Knight, who played the captain of the Prince of Wales, was actually on the ship during the battle, seeing HMS Hood blowup. He was severely wounded, losing one eye during the battle.
@@kenowens9021 yes and mentioned in the video
My absolute favourite trivia from this film is Esmond Knight who played the Captain of HMS PoW was in the real battle the young bridge officer who along with Captain Leach survived the direct hit to PoW’s bridge by Bismarck.
Now take the Repulse & put her with the Home Fleet !! Love that quote from the film as my Dad was aboard Repulse!
Thanks for watching and writing! I truly love to hear from people with personal links to movies and their stories. Even though he was on a larger ship, what did your dad think of the Cruel Sea (or, conversely, Das Boot, if he saw it)?
Was he on the HMS Repulse when it was sunk by the Japanese?
Yes he was aboard Repulse when sunk : Picked up by the destroyer Electra , returned to Singapore : Captured Banka Straits; POW of Japanese 15th February 42 : Then Sumatra POW camps 3 & 1/2 years !
Dad crossed the bar in 1995 so didn't see Das Boot but thought the depiction of the conditions aboard the destroyer in the film& particularly the rough seas were right as it was bad enough on Repulse in rough weather , at times the destroyers with Repulse would disappear from wiew only to pop up again: Hard to imagine unless you lived through it !!
To me, it is one of those movies that never dates. The scripting, acting and effects are first class.
Good piece, thanks. I read Forrester's book when I was 10 or 11 and it left quite an impression on me. I love the film but always thought that the Lutjens character was overcooked. So I appreciate your notes on him. Great notes on the actors/characters, thank you. I did not know.
Another great review! Thanks for posting. Having previously seeing your 1st Review of this movie, I was particularly impressed with your additional background info adding to my enjoyment. When I was a young lad, I read a detailed book of the event with historical photos and insider knowledge of the events. Jolly Well Done my Lad.
Thor, thanks a ton. As you can see these videos can take a lot of time so it's great having active supporters like you remind me its worthwhile at times when overall views are slow in coming. Sometime I might to a fuller redo of Cruel Sea, since I've learned a lot since then.
@@Vlad65WFPReviews One thing I learned from the book (which I cannot remember the title because it's more than half a century ago) was that at the most critical time in the search, the British tracked a Birthday Message to the Admiral aboard the Bismark at the time they were supposed to maintain radio silence. That Birthday Wish from the Fuhrer and reply, allowed them to track down where they were and enable the swordfish to torpedo them and damage the rear rudder.
@@thorgodofthunder3204 Ok! So the birthday telegram in the movie has a foundation in fact.
@@Vlad65WFPReviews Jawohl Mein Fuhrer
There was also a message sent, I believe just after the action with _Hood_ and _Prince of Wales_ and the arrival of Admiral Wake-Walker from General Jeschonnek of the Luftwaffe regarding if his son was killed in the engagement or not. The General actually had no son and it was his way of doing a member of his staff's a favour and finding out as he was a Midshipman aboard him. Whilst the message was transmitted and replied to in the naval code, it was also copied and replied to in the air force code which allowed verification and revealed the intention to go to Brest
This movie has do lots of the things you talk about. The fictional characters and the room they work in. It is not covered nor does it need to be stated but is seems pretty clear the actions to track, locate and then to finally sink the Bismarck probably took place over 2 weeks to a month. Moving the ships around looking and then dispatching the carrier . The movie is more about the effort it took then about the actual sinking, even though Bismarck is sunk. The movie is not historic movie but it cover the historic sinking of Bismarck. Remember to tally all lives lost from both sides. As always I think of the lives lost from both sides. Such a waist of life. This is a good movie I enjoy watching 2 times a year still
All good points. The filmmakers clearly wanted to make an "entertaining" movie so took liberties with pacing, events, and especially the characters. It is interesting they chose to make Admiral Lutjens the "villain" as the Captain was actually more of a hawk.
Hi Walt, just binge watched all your videos in the last few days and I've loved every one of them.
5 requests:
1. The Go Between
2. Carve Her Name with Pride
3. Unwin, Wittering and Zigo
4. Juggernaut
5. A Kind of Loving
Keep up the great work
Wow - that was very generous of you. Thanks. I have not uploaded a new video for about 2-3 months (things are insanely busy in the household) but I plan to get back fairly soon. Tentatively my next review would be on Rumpole of the Bailey, as I am a huge fan of the late great Leo McKern.
A minor officer on the Bridge of the Bismarck named Muller went on to play Russian General Gogol in several "Bond" Films! Actor Walter Gotell.
Yes, I first remember him in FRWL
My favourate fact, it that knight was on the prince of wales. Thanks.
Fun fact Christofer Lee in Lord of the rings was asked to stab someone through the back. And the director had the actor scream. (Dramatic) Lee said no that's not right. Because he had done it in his military service, the lung is punctured.
Good review, as always, of a great film. It’s interesting to note that there are no Hollywood big names attached to the film, that financing the film was not dependent on A list actors bringing money to the production. Clearly the British film industry was thriving.
Hi Roy. Of course it's a great film but I think it would be tricky to say the industry was thriving. I think British studios hit their peak post-WW II and into the 1950s certainly but by the 1960s Ealing had ceased its own productions (though filming continued there), historic London films was gone, and there were fewer fully British films being made (with notable lower budget exceptions like Hammer and the Carry On series).
That said, while production money became increasingly international there was no shortage of talent either behind or in front of the camera.
@@Vlad65WFPReviews I have fond memories of black and white British WW2 films being shown on TV “when I were a lad”. I had all the airfix kits and read voraciously about WW2 so I suspect my rose tinted spectacles may be skewing my memories.
As do I. I recall a local TV show called British Sunday Theatre showing movies when I was a kid.
@@royfernley3153 The film was made by 20th Century-Fox, an American company.
Check out D-Day 6th of June with Robert Taylor and Richard Todd, and watch Dana work them both! What a hottie
Thanks for the recommendation.
The chamnel 4 documentary and book by David Mearns who discovered Hood snd rediscovered Bismark are excellent. I think Mearns showed the massive torpedo damage that Bismark had suffered meant she would have sunk regardless of any scuttling attempt
The Prince Of Wales was actually a battleship. Second ship of the KGV class I believe.
Hi Mark, Thanks - yes, I became aware of that after uploading the video. I do aim to be as accurate as possible but this can happen when trying to research and upload quickly (I am taking my time more these days.) And full disclosure, seeing this movie as a kid, I saw all the emphasis was placed on the Hood ("good old, Hood", says an officer) and from that time I felt the PoW was a secondary ship, when, of course, it was far from that. Anyway, thanks for watching and writing.
I remember working with some German guys in the U.K. and they were amazed at the number of war movies on British Tv such as sink the bismarck
Hi - thanks for passing that along! It makes sense, as Germany really wasn't making any of their own war films at the time (Das Boot was the first I know of) so he would notice the difference. I spent a short time in Berlin and noted the only toy figures in military uniform you could buy were bandsmen.
@@Vlad65WFPReviews yes if you look at the huge number of movies that were made in the late forties and fifties about world war 2 events it must have been galling for those guys seeing that week in week out on British television. Such as dambusters, the longest day, a bridge too far, and of course the great escape. I remember when the BBC produced two series of shows about Colditz castle and it was compulsive viewing for my fellow students and I in the halls of residence. Sunday nights in the early seventies was colditz night
Back in the sixties there were plenty of actors who had seen service in WW2, Esmond Knight being a prime example. You're correct about the large gunned ships, any surface ships for that matter....WW1 was the swan song for them...ie:- Jutland... The development of the airplane finished them in WW2.....They were lucky to survive a concentrated aerial attack...
The 'Prince of Wales' was lost to just such an attack in December 1941.
@@kumasenlac5504 Along with HMS Repulse
Another great review! Thanks for posting.
Thanks for watching, glad you enjoyed it!
Congratulations on your closing remarks and footage. You have summed the looming demise of the battleship perfectly and the service in the RN by lead actors adding authenticity to the film is a nice touch.
My final. We could have done with Shepherd's descent to humanity after his son is missing, then his recovery just before KHV opens fire. A tad twee methinks
The demise of the battleship was a bit exaggerated at the time. Carrier aircraft disabled the Bismarck, but it took 2 battleships and 2 heavy cruisers to sink it. Much of the Guadalcanal campaign was fought with battleships, cruisers and destroyers, the Scharnhorst was destroyed by the British battleship Duke of York and her cruiser and destroyer escort. And the battle of the Surigao strait in 1944 was the last serious clash of battleships. The newer battleships like the USS Iowa class were extremely fast and designed to use their formidable anti aircraft firepower to protect the carriers which were very vulnerable on their own. The battleships also came into their own for very accurate shore bombardment, essential for amphibious landings. The Iowa class were finally decommissioned in the 1990s.
@philiphumphrey1548 Prince of Wales Repulse , Yamato etc air power. What point is being made is that those days were closing as Pearl Harbour and Taranto showed. Plus the air attacks on the Malta convoys.
@andrewstackpool4911 What those actions showed was airplanes sink ships. More aircraft carriers were sunk by air attack than battleships. All the battleships that were sunk by air attack alone had no air cover. It took the entire TF38/58 to sink Yamato and Musashi.
_Bismarck_ was sunk by the Royal Navy - the fact she had explosives detonated merely sped up the process... It was the guns and torpedoes of the very brave men of the grey funnel line that did for her
And as for this comment about people seeing flags being waved, well that was one comment years later. The fact remains that _Bismarck_ was under (limited) command, still answered engine commands and her colours were hoisted - that meant she was a target to be engaged and destroyed
I found it interesting that the team that found the wreck were convinced the Bismarck was deliberately scuttled - I had not studied in detail to see what evidence was offered - but I agree, this entire sinking vs scuttling debate makes you wonder about motives. The Graf Spee was scuttled, the Bismarck was taken down by the RN while fighting.
Hi, The scuttling is somewhat controversial, what the 2002 Ballard report actually said in several places was:
"The devastation caused by the shellfire combined with the effects of several torpedo hits to
overwhelm and defeat the Bismarck, causing the ship to begin sinking due to uncontrollable
progressive flooding. The German crew sped the inevitable demise of their ship by initiating
scuttling measures."
and
"The inevitable sinking process was accelerated by the detonation of scuttling charges by
the Germans. (This is our conviction, albeit a mildly controversial one for those who insist that
there was no scuttling of the German battleship. Certainly, Bismarck would have sunk even if not
scuttled by her crew.33)"
It also quoted a previous report thusly:
"The 2001 ITN expedition that explored the Bismarck wreck identified these holes as the
evidence of torpedo damage. This supposed "torpedo damage" was as great on the port side as
the starboard, even though most of the torpedo hits were claimed to have occurred on the
starboard side. Previous forensic analysts concluded that a number of unlikely but possible
claimed hits by the cruiser Norfolk and the battleship Rodney could now be confirmed. These
analysts also concluded, as a consequence, that the scuttling claimed by the German survivors
was unlikely and irrelevant, that the torpedo damage inflicted by the British torpedo hits was
more than enough to have caused the ship to sink when it did""
and this in the conclusions of the Ballard report:
"Late in the final engagement, the Bismark was defeated, sinking as the result of
uncontrollable progressive flooding, and virtually defenseless. The Executive Officer,
CDR Hans Oels, ordered the scuttling of the ship − “Measure V [V = ‘Versunken’]”
− and the charges were detonated shortly after 1020. By 1035, the ship had assumed
a heavy port list, capsizing slowly and sinking by the stern. The bow disappeared
about 1040."
So, although it was scuttled or at least scuttling charges were detonated, it would have sunk later due to battle damage.
The report can be downloaded from the internet, therefore, you can check for yourself.
Thanks for those details. They interesting as historical footnotes in terms of getting the history exactly right, but as stated the ship was doomed to sink either way, given the shell and especially the torpedo hits.
@@Vlad65WFPReviews Oh yes, once the steering was damaged beyond repair without accessing a port, she was doomed. She could possibly have made it to port, but the British were far too determined for that. The report is an interesting read, it was put together by some notable "experts". I will have to look into any later authoritative reports, should they exist.
The report is not comprehensive when it comes to the damage inflicted on the ship by both torpedos and shell fire. A number of areas can not be accessed or assessed as they are either below the level of silt, not possible to visit (B turret) or seriously damaged by hydrodynamic demolition of the hull when the water filled hull slammed into the seabed at speed.
As to the film, I enjoyed it when I was young, but haven't watched it for at least 30 years. Given the Ballard report, I will have to watch it again. It will also be interesting to see how the large scale model action sequences stack up against CGI.
@@robertnicholson7733 That is an interesting comparison - and because water is involved it seems each has its limits. We just watched the convoy epic Greyhound again and I found the CGI ships and especially the u-boats didn't have enough "heft". I think what really helped STB was the use of real RN ships and their guns and facilities mixed into the sequences, which made the models more tolerable.
Great review except you left out the fact that HMS Solent was not sunk by Bismarck but it was a dramatic scene for sure! I’ve only seen this movie ten times!!
There was only one HMS Solent and that was a submarine.
The ship's Cat was was found clinging to flotsam and rescued, to do rat catch duty for the British.
@@alexhayden2303 amazing
Based on the book from C S Forrester
Fascinating!!!
Thanks!
Reading about the careers of the Bismarck and Tirpitz makes you wonder if the expense of building them was worth it, between them they accounted for one ship in direct combat, H.M.S. Hood. Admittedly it was the fear that the Tirpitz had sailed that led to the PQ17 convoy debacle, but even then the Tirpitz never actually engaged another ship in combat.
Absolutely - you wonder how many U-Boats could have been built for the cost of those capital ships.
Thanks for real scenes at sea and your take on the Movie. I think i first saw the movie in 1974. I always looking for different people documentary on wars facts and biases which is always on the US side 😅😂
i saw it years ago - probably the 60s - on TV i think - i was hugely impressed at its documentary approach - with B&W enhancing the effect - to its credit - romance was almost non-existent - altho the beauteous Dana Wynter stimulated romantic notions in a lot of young men in the audience - - the earlier film "The Enemy Below" had a similar procedural vibe - but it was color lacked the documentary feel
@@johneyon5257 agree that colour hurt that movie but audiences prefer it
@@Vlad65WFPReviews - i didn't say the film was hurt by color - but changed it into a different type of film - i think modern audiences would prefer the vibrant color film
but Bismark was a popular film when it came out - the audiences would have been more accustomed to B&W films - but its procedural style would have been unexpected - but i think that many appreciated that as much as i did
i now think i recall seeing it first in a theater in alaska - i seem to recall that the audience was impressed too
@@johneyon5257 In my view, unless you had an amazing budget, sets and fake backdrops from movies of that era look less convincing in full colour than in BW. I still prefer watching parts of the old Journey to the Centre of the Earth in BW for that reason - the caverns location shots are great but some of the sets don't work as well in colour (love that one - largely due to the music)
@@Vlad65WFPReviews - i love the 1959 version - the sets were convincing enuf for me - the only disappointing elements were the lizards used as dinosaurs - i have the DVD for those times i need a mood pickup
It was HMS Centaur that was the stand in that was the stand in aircraft carrier I know I was o board 😮
Another great film that I could watch again and again. The final scene, the two sailors outside the underground naval HQ. The one doing all the talking, Victor Maddam he used to live about a mile away from me. An episode of a police drama called Z cars was once filmed on his land.
That is a great closing line - writers were so much smoother in those days. I've certainly heard about Z Cars over the years but it was never shown here (I live in one of the "Great Dominions") and I image the tapes of the shows were covered over - as they brilliantly did with the early Dr Whos (who knew legacy shows would be worth big money?)
HMS Victorious attacked Bismarck in her own right. as well as Ark Royal.
Quite correct.
What comprised their battle groups? Curiousity! How did Ad hoc arrangement work out later for The Ark?
@@JeffreyWilliams-dr7qe Ark Royal was part of Force H from the Mediterranean comprising of: Renown, Ark Royal and Sheffield. And I think Victorious was detached from a convoy.
@vespelian And was
This sufficient?
Have you done The Cruel Sea? One of the best British war films ever made. The best naval war film ever made.
Funny you should ask. Some years ago, the very first video I attempted as I started the channel, was for the Cruel Sea. As my first vid it is far from my best, but I put my passion for the book and movie into it. I've read the book at least twice and bough a blu-ray of the film - and being a Canadian that meant getting an international player. Some day I should redo that one with better content.
It's the war, the whole bloody war...
Also ‘In Which We Serve ‘ with Noel Cowards. Up there with the Cruel Sea as a classic British War film. Both films seemed like real life in the war time Navy. The star of the film almost seems to be the ship that seemed a symbol of British refusal to overwhelmed by a determined enemy.
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They must make another movie about Bismarck, just more historically accurate, especially in its portrayal of Lindermann and definitely Lutjens!
Portray Lutjens so he’s an antagonist in the story but not turn him into a villain either, I think Lutjens has potential as a sympathetic antagonist!
The Star of this film, Kenneth More, was a Royal Navy veteran. He portrays Captain Shepard as a strict disciplinarian who also conducts himself in a far more gentlemanly manner than General Patton ever did.
I certainly don't think there is any doubt about that. Of course More was a massive English star in the late 50's and early 60's. Growing up I had strong memories of him in The Forsyte Saga.
Great video thanks
Best British war movie ever? It's a contender.
I think the British war movie gold medal goes to The Cruel Sea. I was taught by somebody who went through the Battle of the Atlantic. He said it captured the hardship, boredom and the occasional bouts of action.
Very good doco!
One correction though - The Prinz Eugen was a Battlecruiser and the Bismarck was a Battleship not the other way around!
Another correction. Bismarck was a battleship & Prinz Eugen a heavy cruiser.
Hood wasn't a Battleship. It was a BattleCruiser. Lighter Armour and faster speed ..
The US Navy radio station in Washington DC picked up Bismarck's transmission and got a directional fix. Despite the US being officially neutral, this was passed on to the British.
I am familiar with the US pilot but this is new to me - interesting.
@@Vlad65WFPReviews I don't know if the signal was actually picked up there or somewhere else, but the information went through there.
@@harryhaller4774 If you can find me a link I would enjoy reading it - thanks. We all know there was a lot of secret intelligence data that was never revealed.
During the swordfish attack on Bismarck they show the famous British pom-pom firing.
Tirpitz was the largest warship built in Europe... in Europe... until the carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth.
The notion of Taranto inspiring Pearl Harbor is British self agrandisment. The air minded Yamamoto (who had been captain of Akagi yeeears ago) already had that in his head.
@@navyreviewer yes, he was an innovator but it was a practical example he must have noticed
I don't know if someone has already mentioned it or not, but HMS Hood was a Battlecruiser. You called her a Heavy Cruiser.
The exact classification issue has been commented on, with some starting the class may have been modified over time. Adding to the confusion is that even the period newsreel called Hood a "battleship", which, of course, is incorrect.
There is so many more historical errors in the movie, so I'll just name some of the biggest! Admiral Lutjens would not give the order to open fire on the Hood and POW, Kapitan Lindemann stepped in saying "I will not have my ship shot out from under my ass" and gave the order to open fire! A couple of days before the Battle of the Denmark Straight, the Bismarck fired it's 15 inch guns at the shaddowing cruisers Norfolk and Suffork, the concussion of the shots knocked out Bismarck's radar! So Lutjens's ordered the Prinz Eugen to take the lead! Because the silhouettes of the Bismarck and Prinz Eugen were so simular the British opened fire on the Prinz Eugen first before realizing their mistake! After the battle in the movie Lutjens ordered the Prinz Eugen to make for France while the Bismarck continued on to hunt for convoys! It was the other way around! A hit from Prince of Wales damaged Bismarck's fuel tanks causing it to lose fuel, so the Bismarck made for France while the Prinz Eugen continued to hunt for convoys! The Bismarck did not sink a British destroyer! The birthday message Lutjen's received was sent by Grand Admiral Erich Raeder, not Hitler! But at least you got the biggest error right! Admiral Lutjen's was not a wild eyed fanatical Nazi in denial until the end! In fact, Lutjen's ignored Hitler's 1935 Nuremberg Laws and refused to dismiss his Jewish officers that served under him! It's confusing why the British in the 1956 movie Pursuit of the Graf Spee respected the memory of Kapitan Hans Langsdorff so honorably, but trashed Admiral Gunther Lutjen's memory so badly in Sink the Bismarck?
Thanks, as I said in my video I would not list everything in my review but your knowledge certainly broadens the story - especially about the non-sunk destroyer. I did read that it was actually the Bismarck's captain that was a bit more "pro-war" but the unfortunate decision to make Lutjen as the eye-rolling bad guy had him given the order. You also make an interesting point on the sympathetic portrayal of Langsforff, especially given that film was made some years earlier and nearer to the end of the war. (But I was pleased to see the admiral had a ship class named for him)
Love watching this film,there are lots of characters in the film even Johnny briggs, ( Mike Baldwin ) 👍👍.
So true. I might have mentioned Mike Baldwin but the US viewers wouldn't know him. Still, the biggest thing as I first researched this was learning about Esmond Knight as his service on the Prince of Wales. Ironically his injuries likely saved his life as he was not on the POW when it met its fate in the Pacific.
Excellent review.
Thanks for watching - glad you enjoyed it!
It;s a great film and should be compulsive viewing for all school kids and students. Some inaccuracies, but still entertaining and well worth a watch. And Dana Wynter still looks gorgeous in black and white. Have to say I do love a woman in uniform..
"Those are not cruisers, they are battleships, Captain, open fire on the leading ship!" Not true, Admiral Lutjens primary objective was attacking merchant vessels and avoiding a show down with the Royal Navy, following several salvos from our ships, none back from Bismarck in retaliation. So a frustrated Lindemann had intervened saying "I will not have my ship blown out from under my arse!"
Yes. The major strategic objective of the German Navy in the war was the isolation and "starvation" of Britain - hence the Battle of the Atlantic was all about convoys. Capital warships look impressive but operationally the u-boats were the cost-effective and logical tool for Nazi war aims.
Another error in the film, besides the downed Swordfish, was the sinking of a British Destroyer during a night attack on Bismarck towards the end of the film. While there was an actual nighttime attack by 5 destroyers, one Polish, none were sunk.🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧
you are right - as if the destruction of the Hood weren't bad enough, it seemed they inserted this fictional episode to make Bismarck even more terrifying.
From Wikipedia: "In November 1938, Lütjens was one of only three flag officers, including Dönitz, who protested in writing to Raeder, Commander-in-Chief of the navy, against the anti-Jewish Kristallnacht pogroms." I believe this helps explain why the German Navy chose to name a destroyer after him.
The character in the movie made a great villain, and perhaps the producers thought they needed one, but it was extremely unfair to the legacy of the real Lutjens. I was glad to discover the naming of the ship.
A lovely film, to be sure...
It could be argued that the Bismarck's sea reign was ended by a lucky torpedo hit that struck it's rudder. Then again; how about the slow, cumbersome, antiquated Swordfish, that, because of that, snuck under the depression-point of those mighty guns....enabling the rudder hit.....the fortunes of naval war, e.g the lucky shot on the mighty Hood that killed not only the ship but 1,415 sailors......c'est la guerre.
Napoleon said one of the most important attributes in a general was "luck"
It was wrong to make Lutjens a Nazi. But then this was a British Film so one has to remember that and in 1960 there were still a lot of Brits who remembered the war.
and films tended to do this sort of thing; like in Zulu where they made the character Hook into a troublemaking drunk when he was a fine soldier
artistic license is as old as films and sadly always has been used way too much
Good review!
The footage of Bismarck firing from Prinz Eugen is not of former firing at Hood. The latter had already been sunk and the Germans had turned away due to fear of torpedo attack from Hood before it exploded. B is shooting over its port aft shoulder at PoW, latter's by then way off salvos are seen splashing (note B is ripple firing its main guns). In the movie battle the ships are shown shooting in the wrong (reverse) directions!!!!!!:(:(:(:(:( What is that about? And the simplistic explosion of Hood is nothing like described my witnesses, with the main explosion not including the bow section, and the bow rearing up near vertical from turrets forward before the final death plunge. The Hornblower movies from the same era had much more realistic battle scenes.
This is a movie that could use a redo -- but they would probably overhype the scenes as in Pearl Harbor and Midway:(
I met some of the crew Bismarck in Wilhelmshaven in 1972, their group was twinned with the Petty Officers mess on HMS Fife, they said that their ship was sunk by the RN, they made no mention scuttling.
Clive, thanks for that note. Were you serving on the Fife or were you visiting? I was in Sea Cadets in Vancouver back in those days and have good memories of touring HMS Fife and Glamorgan around 1970. (In those days you could still tour visiting naval vessels from the RN, USN and other nations - these days the port is sadly closed to visitors.) Also, I find some of the passion around the "scuttled or not scuttled" debate a bit misguided - as some seem to want to deprive the RN of the sinking, as if it would have made any difference in the outcome of the engagement.
@@Vlad65WFPReviews I was serving on the Fife from 71 to late 74, sadly I never went to Canada on her.
@@Vlad65WFPReviews The crew were still 'working age' when we met, I was 17.... it was hard to believe we were once enemies.
@@clive3262 Another "cadet memory" I had was being able to tour HMS Britannia after our band played her alongside prior to a Royal Visit (no regal VIPs aboard). I always remember having to take our boots off before being allowed to walk her wooden decks. In those days our cadet uniforms were largely the same as the regular British and Canadian navies - complete with lanyard and "silk". I finally got over to Britain myself in 1981 - great time back then - fabulous concerts, pub food and affordable train touring.
@@clive3262 isn't that the awful truth? All it takes one ruthless and ambitious leader - back then it was Hitler, today it is Putin.
I got a book on the Bismarck written by a man who served on her
@@ilfarmboy one of the few survivors
Von Mullenheim-Rechberg, perhaps?
hood was a battle cruiser not a cruiser and built in 1916 to counter the german class of machen battle cruisers
I had no idea that a newsreel might have multi language commentaries.
@@TheDunc1 it could be possible it was dubbed into German for the film
@@Vlad65WFPReviews Yes indeed.
@@TheDunc1 As you would say, newsreels were often dubbed and sold internationally by companies like Pathe, so it is hard to say. Thanks for watching.
@@Vlad65WFPReviews Excellent feature.
Check out the actual naval chart of the battle of Denmark straight then look at this movie, the ships are shown back to front. Bismarck is shown firing to the right when in reality she was shooting to the left, the opposite is true for Hood.
good catch - I think that is underlined in the real footage filmed by Prinz Eugene, which also appears heavy smoke from the Hood if you watch the entire film
One minor point, as well as a Navy and propaganda operation, it was also an RAF one.
I find it vindictive of the British not to accept the surrender of the crew. I am quite sure it was related to the loss of the Hood’s crew.
Honestly, mainly as a movie guy (with some background in military history), I don't know anything about possible protocol for the surrender of a capital ship in these circumstances, especially once engaged. Of course such engagements of warship vs warship were relatively rare in modern times, so hard to say. Of course the Graf Spee settled her own fate by being scuttled. And yes, there must have been RN satisfaction for avenging the Hood.
@@Vlad65WFPReviews It may have been related to the fact that Bismarck was a giant war-changing threat, and the British wanted to put it 3 miles under. Or that communications between ships fighting each other was pretty clunky. And that the final battle was in range of German land-based craft, and German subs were likely around. I expect that big decisions were made by grim, experienced men in cold blood, not by their passions but by strategic objectives. But I don't actually have a clue.
@@TrumpFacts-wl2ik of course, perhaps a bit of a combination of both
Like others I love this film except the very last scene when Moore and Wynters decide to go to dinner and emerge into the daylight realizing it’s seven am instead of pm. The fact that they weren’t on military time in a war room is a bit far fetched.
extremely and utterly far fetched but it creates a nice upbeat ending to the movie.
So true, artistic license. It’s still the best naval movie ever.
@@jayoneill1533 some feel the best and more accurate naval movie is The Cruel Sea
Belle machine
At 5;32, "Between the Bismarck and the 'hooser" Hood"? How did that gibberish get into the narration?
There was a needed trim made at that point - sorry you found no value in the video.
The way Lutjens was depicted was a disgrace.
Have you read the destruction of the Bismarck by Holger hair wig?
there is actually a book with that title but the version but the version I see has a different author. Is there a key factor he writes about?
Its a pity that the film didnt show the actual battle more closely and show the actual movements of the ships, especially HOOD. That would be preferable to the scene on HOOD's bridge just before the fatal hit.
And got the scene on Bismarck's bridge right at thecstart of the engagement. Lutjen's specific fleet orders were, wherever possible, avoid contact with enemy capital units. In fact, he did NOT say, "those are not cruisers, they are battle ships. Open fire Lindemann'.
He actually held to his own orders after Hood and POW opened fire on Eugen, misidentifying her (POW was to engage Eugen , Hood Bismarck).
It wasnt't until Lindemann said "I wont have my ship shot out from under my arse" that he gave the order.
from my understanding, Lindemann should have been the officer depicted as a "hawk" instead of Lutjens - not sure why the writer and producer made this choice, except that it "makes more sense" to have the senior officer giving orders as the one who is more war-like - thanks for the comment
@Vlad65WFPReviews They were both senior and experienced war-fighting officers.
Theoretically, the Admiral (here described case the Fleet Commander), along with his staff, would be focusing on the operation, deployment, and strategy. That includes deploying vessels under immediate command for specific assignments.
Look at Jellicoe and Beatty at Jutland and the TF Commanders in the Mediterranean and Pacific.
They fought the overarching action, leaving the command of each individual ship to the captain.
So, the scenes where the admirals are giving ship management orders are incorrect.
Here, it is interesting that the Admiral aboard Hood (forget his name) ordered POW to engage Eugen, Hood to engage Bismarck. Correct, but he gave no orders to Norfolk and Suffolk, who stayed clear. Noting Vian's destroyers a few nights later, they could have also engaged, splitting the German fire.
The other error was that he thought that Eugen was Bismarck as she was the leading ship. Thus, Eugen initially took fire from both, leaving Bismarck free to fire at Hood.
So, Lindemann may present as the more warlike as he was fighting his ship while Lutjens was controlling the battle.
@@andrewstackpool4911 good discussion. I am mainly a movie commentator, though with some knowledge of military history, but not at your level of naval knowledge. It has been interesting to do some quick research and find that Lindemann had not commanded a ship like Bismarck at sea before, but was exalted as Germany's most naval gunnery officer - especially for vessels mounting larger guns.
@Vlad65WFPReviews Thank you. As I said, you have a very high standard and grasp of history that is a credit to you.
And yes, it was an interesting move for Lindemann and no doubt put more than a few noses out of joint.
However, he was definitely the right man for the job as Bismarck's deployment against the convoys and any surface actions was going to require very high standards of gunnery.
Going back to the movie, another error that I felt detracted from the film was the night attack by the destroyers in which a destroyer called Solent (I doubt a destroyer name) is blown to pieces.
In fact, had they used Vian's torpedo and gun attacks during the night, aimed at tiring the gunners and including Pirouin's signal message, it would have been far more dramatic. But, we can't criticise too much, although as a 14yo at the cinema, I had great fun picking holes in errors.
@Vlad65WFPReviews I should note that I am a retired RAN officer of almost 50 years, and historian, a major part of which is our Navy, but also have had major interest in significant events particularly wartime.
THERE IS A CRIME OF SLANDER associated with the movie. Not only was Luchens NOT A NAZI. I WAS MISTAKEN ABOUT Lindemann being a Nazi so I withdraw the comment. Thanks to commentator DovetonSturdee for correcting me!
Are you sure about Lindemann? I know little about him, but I did read that he had ties to Pastor Martin Niemöller, famous for his anti-Nazi activities, and the poem "When the Nazis attacked them."
It was Niemöller who officiated at the church when Lindemann married, for the second time, apparently..
@@dovetonsturdee7033 see corrected original comment with my thanks to you for the correction!
1. The movie is historical fiction, rather than a documentary. 2. In general, slander is not a crime. 3. Slander means a verbal statement. A movie is not a verbal statement. Perhaps you mean "libel" or more generally, "defamation".
@@TrumpFacts-wl2ik Of course. It is called dramatic effect. But thank you for your definition. And yes, we ALL know it is a movie. What we fans are doing is HAVING FUN.
The battle of the Denmark Strait depicted in the film is the wrong way round, the British ships should have been firing to starboard, not to port. The film is riddled with historical inaccuracy, but it's still a great film, highly recommended.
Strange - every film re-creating a historical event receives criticism for its factual accuracy.