Three favorite seafaring movies

Rob444 said:
Not a movie, but an outstanding TV series was "Victory at Sea" (1952-1953) It is worth it to hear the music alone which was written by Richard Rogers (available on you tube)

Rob
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As a kid growing up within walking distance of Pearl Harbor, I used to watch this with my Dad. I can still hear the music…
 
There was one about a destroyer v uboat duel. Robert Mitchum was the destroyer captain. Might have been TheEnemy Below? I liked that one.

I’m surprised there are so many maritime movies.

Captain Phillips just came back to me.

And 20000 Leagues Beneath the sea!

And Peter Pan had pirates!!

And the one where Nimitz goes back in time and we see F-14 versus Zero combat. What WAS that called? The carrier was the star of that film.
 
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This turned out to be a wealth of information and I sincerely thank everyone for posting. My recliner, TV, and I will be spending more time together thanks to all of you. Anchor Anchor Anchor Anchor
Allan
 
AllanKP69 said:
Having just watched Spencer Tracy and Freddie Bartholomew in Captains Courageous for about the 10th time I was wondering if members had their own favorite seafaring movies. My own list includes a dozen or more but to keep things a bit on the shorter side, it would be interesting, for me at least, to know other members' favorite FOUR seafaring films. It took a bit of thinking for me to keep it to a top four.

My top four in no particular order (at least at this moment in time)
Captains Courageous
Master and Commander
Das Boot
Mutiny on the Bounty - 1935 version with Charles Laughton as William Bligh

Allan
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Moby Dick 1956, Horatio hornblower series, Master and Commander
 
Anthony Hopkins as W. Bligh in 'The Bounty' is mesmerising as is the scene when the round The Horn. The greatest, though, is Master and the Commander (although Das Boot is awesome too... and ther Cruel Sea... oh, and Titanic is amazing for some cool boat porn).
 
Hello,
And for those who understand french, the magnificent movie "Le crabe tambour". A pure "chef-d'œuvre".
 
#1 Captain Horatio Hornblower ( i loved reading the Hornblower books when I was young)
#2 The Cruel Sea
#3 The Battle of the River Plate
#4 Master and Commander
 
Master and Commander
The North Water (not a film but a fairly recent TV miniseries based on a book about a whaling expedition in 1860s.)
The Finest Hours - about US coastguards saving the crew of a sinking oil tanker in 1952. Not really on my "top three" list, but wanted to mention it in case people haven't heard of it.
 
AllanKP69 said:
Having just watched Spencer Tracy and Freddie Bartholomew in Captains Courageous for about the 10th time I was wondering if members had their own favorite seafaring movies. My own list includes a dozen or more but to keep things a bit on the shorter side, it would be interesting, for me at least, to know other members' favorite FOUR seafaring films. It took a bit of thinking for me to keep it to a top four.

My top four in no particular order (at least at this moment in time)
Captains Courageous
Master and Commander
Das Boot
Mutiny on the Bounty - 1935 version with Charles Laughton as William Bligh

Allan
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Also good ones:

Damn the Defiant
Pursuit of the Graf Spee
Down to the Sea in Ships
 
Allan,

If you liked the Sand Pebbles movie, read the book! The author, Richard McKenna, was an ex US Navy machinist mate who intended the book as more than just a good yarn. The movie does an excellent job of bringing out the issues raised by McKenna; individualism within a structured society and the role of the engineer in the US Navy. This later issue was brought to a head by Admiral Rickover, my commanding officer, about the time that the book was published. The existence of the “shadow” Chinese crew aboard the gunboat who do all of the actual work allowing the Navy crew to practice being Warriors allows the author to examine this issue that been lurking within the world's Navies since the development of the marine steam engine.

There are several great scenes in the movie:

Jake Homan (Steve McQueen) traveling upstream onboard a commercial steamer with a parade of junks in the background.

Upon reporting aboard the gunboat, McQueen immediately begins tracing piping in the engine room. Something that anyone who has worked in the machinery spaces of a naval vessel will have done.

McQueen explaining the workings of a steam plant to Pohan, the young Chinese sailor.

While this is much more than an Action Adventure movie, there is no shortage of fighting which occurs later in the movie.

Roger
 
In Harms Way - John Wayne, Kirk Douglas (love to see this movie around Pearl Harbor day...)
Men of Honor - Gooding Jr., DeNiro (director's cut)
Tora Tora Tora
Sink the Bismark
Sand Pebbles (McQueen at his best!) also Hell is for Heroes - not a naval movie though...
 
Rob444 said:
Not a movie, but an outstanding TV series was "Victory at Sea" (1952-1953) It is worth it to hear the music alone which was written by Richard Rogers (available on you tube)

Rob
Click to expand...
An excellent series with excellent music! As a kid, I watched it on the TV and listened to the music on a 33-1/3 LP album. When playing football for Union College, I played against the US Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point. The Academy band played the main theme from Victory at Sea and it was impressive!
 
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