Morning Departure (1950)

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

That was an excellent one.

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

Life for these submariners isn't easy above or below the ocean waves. Above the ocean waves it begins by showing some of the crew on leave with their family and the problems and decisions that they face in their personal life such as whether to stay in the navy or not. Below the waves what begins as a routine training mission quickly gets out of hand due to a disturbed mine going off.It turns into a race against time to free the crew before their air runs out. It is complicated by faulty escape equipment where only some of the crew can quickly escape through the hatch when they are initially discovered by rescuers. The turn of a card can literally determine the fate of the men. A low card leaves an unlucky few to wait in the submarine to see if they can be raised to safety. The weather now combines with time to become their enemy and the race is on.The action takes place in a confined space and the way people come together in a crisis is deftly handled. A solid although not a totally original performance from John Mills who as the commander tries to get his crew to safety and maintain discipline under difficult circumstances. A much underrated Nigel Patrick does well as his second-in-command; he acts alongside Richard Attenborough with whom he is reunited in the excellent League of Gentleman many years later. Overall it is an enjoyable and watchable film.

Many a second world war film perpetuated the portrait of Britain as a society where the upper classes held the upper hand,but few were as explicit in their depiction of the "officers and men" ethos as those depicting the Senior Service. From Noel Coward's patronising the lower deck in "In which we serve" onwards,servile cockneys,mancs and scousers(and Bernard Miles doing his country boy schtick)lurked in the passageways waiting for some nob from Dartmouth to put a bit of spine in 'em and tell 'em what to do. Not until "Up the creek",many years after the war,was the balance redressed,with Peter Sellers' C.P.O, showing who really ran the ship. With "Morning Departure",we get very much the mixture as before,albeit purveyed rather more insidiously than many. Mr John Mills is the archetypal movie naval hero;articulate but not a wordsmith,brave but not reckless,a loving husband but not soppy. When his submarine sinks after an accident it soon becomes clear that there is not enough rescue equipment to go round,and after a lottery,four men have to stay behind.Two officers and two O.R.s. That nice Mr Nigel Patrick(claustrophobic) is the First Lieutenant who bravely volunteers,Mr Richard Attenborough,bravely overcomes his former cowardice and Mr James Hayter is Able Seaman Higgins,the ageing cockney sparrer,with his Old Kent Road philosophising that keeps the others going until they are claimed by the Grim Reaper. That's not to say there isn't much to enjoy (if that's the right word) in "Morning departure".There is a fine performance from Mr Bernard Lee as the O.C. Rescue Operations,and you don't get the feeling that actually not much is happening,because the plight of the crew is very involving despite the over - familiarity of the performances. I first saw the film when I was 10 years old,and my grandmother sniffled into her handkerchief throughout. 60 years on and a grandfather myself,I may be made of sterner stuff,less impressed with the trappings of social status(my grandmother called her doctor "sir") and less enamoured with chirpy cockneys,but it's stark black and white images are still affecting,and Mr Mills is still just the man I'd like to be on a doomed submarine with.

I first saw this movie at the time of its original release, & it has remained in my memory quite indelibly. Particularly as one of your submissions referred to the sinking of an actual British submarine at the time of the release of "morning departure". HMS "Truculent" was the name of that submarine & the nation was very somber, but I believe the the movie realistically brought home to the public what these submariners went through. My father had served in the Royal Navy during WWII on Destoyers & had his ship sunk under him while in the Mediterranean. So I appreciated the fine acting & portrayal of the courage of the men in the Royal Navy. John Mills always epitomized the character of the rolls he took & this was one of his best for me, except for maybe Scott of the Antartic, but that's another story.

Morning Departure had a somewhat slow beginning but it quickly immerses you in the characters and their relationships with one another and with their duty. Whereas a lot of movies these days really try and make you care about the characters by the end of this movie your wondering if there is anything you could do at home to help them out! I actually saw this movie for the first time about 3 years ago but seriously rate this as my favorite movie to date when not influenced by current blockbusters.