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Single-Handed (1953) More at IMDbPro »

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19 out of 19 people found the following comment useful :-
One of the truly great WWII movies, 21 May 2005
10/10
Author: Taggesell from Salt Lake City

I remember this film as being one of my Dad's favorite films as my brother's and I were growing up in the 1950s. I had described this movie to many people since then and no one else seemed to know what I was talking about. Then, in about 1990, the cable network, American Movie Classics (AMC) ran the film a couple of times and the film disappeared once more.

Everything about this film is just right. The storyline, music, acting and suspense are what makes a film a memorable experience. When I think of all the junk films that get picked up by AMC, Fox Movie Classics (FMC) and Turner Classic Movies (TCM), I have to wonder who is selecting the films these channels broadcast. They must have someone there who doesn't like Black & White Films. There were a handful of films made in the 10 years that followed WWII that are simply "Must Have" movies that people would like to add to their collections that the studios are either clueless about or they know nothing about the "Gold in their Vaults".

Consider how long it took to get Battleground released on DVD. Then think about Sailor of The King (Jeffrey Hunter), The Gallant Hours (James Cagney), Decision Before Dawn (Oskar Werner), 36 Hours (James Garner), and ask yourself if Hollywood is capable of making anything like these films again. You won't like the answer.

Come on Fox, get these films out.

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18 out of 18 people found the following comment useful :-
Two endings, 20 January 2006
8/10
Author: laholly from United States

I first saw this excellent film on the old Saturday night at the movies more years ago than i care to admit. I will admit that i did NOT see the beginning of it,which is why when i watched it again years later that the scene between Michael Rennie and Wendy Hiller made no sense(I thought I was watching a different movie.) Be that as it may, Sailor of the king remains one of my all time favorites. It is well crafted,and the tension builds to a peak as the Essen pulls out of the grotto where it has gone for repairs, leaving Seaman Brown behind. In his first major film roll, Jeffrey Hunter is excellent. One can see the frustration on his face as the the Essen leaves.(only to be blasted out of the water by the British Navy.). I didn't realize that there were actually two endings filmed for this,one with a far happy ending, but true to the book, Brown on Resolution, on which it is based.According to film trivia both endings were shown to a preview audience and they opted for Brown being rescued. Michael Rennie and Wendy Hiller are pivotal to the story and excellent as always, but the film is all Jeffrey Hunter. I particularly enjoyed the scene at the end when Hunter is talking to Michael Rennie and Rennie tells them they will be putting into port in Brown's home town in Canada. Hunter says that he wants Rennie to meet his mother to which Rennie replies that he would be quite pleased(.....!) Then of course the King comes in and both snap to attention to the tune of God save the King...... goosebump time. I suspect that I should try to track down the alternative ending sometime.. Am not sure how the final scene would play out in it.

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19 out of 21 people found the following comment useful :-
Courage in the face of Overwhelming Odds., 7 October 1999
Author: James S. Prine (jprine@prinebooks.com) from New Orleans, Louisiana

Jeffrey Hunter is very good in this splendid account of a British seaman who pits himself single-handedly in a desperate battle against a huge German warship.

Slow-moving at first, the action builds inexorably into a grand and (at least for me) very satisfactory climax. Who cares about realism when you can have this much fun?

Michael Rennie (one of my favorite actors) is well-cast in his role, and Bernard Lee (you might know him as James Bond's chief) is also very good.

If you see this movie and enjoy it, you might also be interested in Peter O'Toole's "Murphy's War", which is quite similar in many respects.

I rate this good old movie 7.5 out of 10.

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17 out of 19 people found the following comment useful :-
They Don't Make Adventure Stories Like This Anymore, 19 June 2003
8/10
Author: (Piafredux@yahoo.com) from St. Louis, Missouri

Whichever of its titles you choose to like (I first saw this film as 'Sailor Of The King'), this is a fine adventure story.

The theme is inborn filial devotion to king, country (or Commonwealth), democracy, duty, and decency: inborn since the main character (played stirringly by Jeffrey Hunter as the ordinary bloke, Brown, who rises to the challenge of extraordinary circumstances) doesn't know who his father is, and the plot development tantalizes us with the nearness of the dispelling of Brown's ignorance.

I have heard that C.S. Forester wrote the novel as an adventure story for boys. No matter, the film builds slowly to a taut, exciting climax that viewers of all ages can thrill to.

Jeffrey Hunter was wonderfully handsome, and he could act; it would be lovely if such talent could also be found in today's (2003's) non-nutritional, unsatisfying crop of young male leads. Wendy Hiller's acting is always superb, and though she has a small part in 'Sailor of the King' she plays it with all her crackling, yet understated verve; Hiller's expressive, soulful eyes should have inspired the composition of a long, gorgeous symphony. Michael Rennie, another handsome and talented - and underappreciated - actor, gives a good effort too.

Though the plot is fictional, it doesn't matter a whit. 'Sailor Of The King' is a splendid adventure film, the likes of which "they just don't make anymore." This is the sort of film you can watch every six months, just for the pure joy of its congealing plot and the anxiety in its inspiring denouement. Pity 'Sailor Of The King' has not made it onto DVD.

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14 out of 15 people found the following comment useful :-
Superlative movie making in all aspects, 1 July 2004
Author: claymoremine from Southeast USA

I had never seen the title of the movie as "Single-Handed." Nonetheless, this movie is near perfection. Without question, however, the ending is the crown jewel of the picture. Some have commented that the movie is "unrealistic." Perhaps if more movies fit that criteria movie going would be a much more enjoyable experience. Patrons don't need to be preached to about a particular high-profile director's, star's, or producer's politics or social commentary. A simple ride with an imaginative story and great, optimistic ending are all that's needed to get me to part with my money. Yes, this movie should be on DVD ASAP!!

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13 out of 14 people found the following comment useful :-
Naval War Drama with interesting ending, 15 April 2001
10/10
Author: John Reddington from Midwest United States

Excellent British naval war movie with Jeffrey Hunter. There are few movies of this type --as this is centered on sea action. I think of the movie "Pursuit of the Graf Spree" when watching this movie. This movie takes awhile to get going but is worth the wait.

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14 out of 16 people found the following comment useful :-
Superb vehicle for Jeffrey Hunter, 22 February 2003
8/10
Author: roger-164 (roger@clark910.freeserve.co.uk) from London, England

Jeffrey Hunter sparkles in this film. I only wish it were on DVD! From the moment he appears on the screen he has the audience in his pocket. Strangely, the film has two endings - one happy, the other sad. Audiences were asked to vote for which one they liked best. I am astonished that this fine actor has fallen out of public favour and so little of his work is available on video. He had real charisma and charm. And he could act. It's about time someone presented a Jeffrey Hunter season on TV.

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12 out of 13 people found the following comment useful :-
Why IMDb is so much fun, 26 February 2002
Author: martinsj013 from Tunbridge Wells, England

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

I saw this film recently on Channel 4 (UK) - by the way I think it was under the alternative title of "Sailor of the King" - and like the earlier reviewers I very much enjoyed it. It reminded me in a way of Battle of the River Plate - at least the scenes on board ship.

I thought it was worth adding two points to the earlier reviews (the second one is a possible *SPOILER*).

First, that Jeffrey Hunter's character is actually supposed to be Canadian - or at any rate, brought up in Canada - I suppose that neatly explains how a man with the "transatlantic" accent was found on board a Royal Navy ship.

Second, towards the very end of the film, the audience is addressed directly and invited, "for the first time in cinema history" or somesuch, to see two different conclusions, and to vote for their preferred one on leaving the showing. I'd be interested to know if this was actually the first time this was done, and what the results were!

Oh, the fun of IMDb? Well, it dawned on me gradually during the film that I had seen Jeffrey Hunter before, and eventually that it was in the Start Trek pilot episode, as Captain Pike. A few minutes on IMDb not only confirmed this but also told me that he played Jesus in King of Kings, which was new to me.

IMDb also confirmed something I had already worked out - that Bernard Lee progressed from Petty Officer (here) to Captain (Battle of the River Plate) to head of MI6 (surely no need to say where!).

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12 out of 14 people found the following comment useful :-
Great role for Jeffrey Hunter and a touching love-affair..., 2 May 2002
8/10
Author: Gregor Hauser (gregorhauser) from Salzburg, Austria

...between Hiller and Rennie.

"Sailor of the king" seems to be a lot of fiction. But it is a gripping story of two lovers in WW1 and the adventures of their son in WW2.

I love the beginning of the movie with shy Michael Rennie and the charming Wendy Hiller. Then Jeff comes and takes the command. It is very thrilling to watch him shooting Peter van Eyck who is a famous german actor and plays very well too.

I do not like the ending. It is too unrealistic. >

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1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
Holding up a ship., 6 November 2008
7/10
Author: Robert J. Maxwell (rmax304823@yahoo.com) from Deming, New Mexico

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

There's a startling moment in Howard Hawks' acclaimed "Rio Bravo." After a shoot out in which several bad guys are killed, the surviving villains manage to knock down John Wayne and tie him up. They haul him to his feet and tell him that he'd better do what he's told. Then one of the heavies makes an surprising statement. "If it was up to me you'd have never got off the floor. Some of those you killed were friends of mine." Hawks' heavies are rarely complicated (neither are his heroes) but in this instance the audience feels a strange and almost unwelcome flash of recognition. This heavy is a human being. He had friends.

I had some of the same discomfort while watching "Sailor of the King." Jeffrey Hunter, young, tan, and fit, is the sailor whose cruiser has just been sunk in the Pacific by the German cruiser Essen. He and a shipmate (Bernard Miles) are rescued by Captain Peter Van Eyck of the Eseen. Wounded and shaken, Hunter and Miles are taken to sick bay where a German doctor must amputate Miles' leg. The German sailors treat the two captive fairly. At times they're even friendly.

Hunter is soon up and about and discovers that the Essen has been damaged during the battle and has put into a remote and tiny cove in the Galapagos Islands to make some much needed repairs. Hunter knows, and Van Eyck guesses correctly, that another force of British ships is on their way to search for the Essen and sink her, so the repairs must be made as quickly as possible so she can get under way again and out of danger.

Hunter knocks out the sick bay guard, commandeers a rifle and ammunition and a canteen of water, and escapes to the bare rocky bluffs overlooking the cove where the Essen has anchored. Hunter is determined to delay the repairs long enough for the British force to arrive -- and that he does. He picks off German sailors one by one as they work on the hole in the ship's hull. The Captain, knowing what's happened, scours the cliffs first with 40 mm. cannon, then with his main battery, but Hunter is unhurt, though out of water and exhausted. That night the Germans put ashore a landing party and they manage to wound Hunter just above the ankle before the ship's whistle hoots, recalling the Germans. The Essen slowly backs out of the cove while Hunter lies exhausted on the bare rocks, but it's too late for the Essen and she is sunk.

To tell the truth, I kind of got to like the Germans sailors, and even Van Eyck's Captain. Of course, it's war. I know that. And it's every prisoner's duty to escape and fight the enemy and all that. But these bad guys have saved the lives of Hunter and Miles. (Miles goes down with the Essen but it isn't shown.) I'm not suggesting that Hunter's allegiance should have shifted to the Germans. It's just that shooting down individuals with a rifle is rather a personal business and Hunter seems to give it nary a thought. It all looks cold blooded.

That's the A story. The B story, which consists of a long introduction involving an illicit affair during WWI between Michael Rennie, who commands the British fleet at the Galapagos, and Wendy Hiller. Hiller refuses to marry Rennie in 1918 and, finding she's pregnant, moves to Montreal, which explains Jeffrey Hunter's American accent. Yes, it's true. Hunter is Rennie's son! Neither of them knows it, nor do they ever find out, and it has nothing to do with the A story, but there it is. A romantic turn for Wendy Hiller and an ironic meeting at the end between Hunter and his own father.

There's an alternate ending on the DVD in which Hunter doesn't simply lie exhausted on the Galapagos cliffs but is found dead by the British rescue party. Hiller shows up in London to receive her son's Victoria Cross, while Rennie is there for his investiture. They both recognize one another, of course, but Hiller tells Rennie nothing about Hunter being their illegitimate son.

The alternate ending has a neater structure, beginning and ending with Rennie and Hiller together so that it becomes a framing story, but that leaves the problem of Jeffrey Hunter's death hanging. How do you die from a bullet through the ankle? Even when the wound is combined with 12 hours of thirst? The existing ending is clumsy and askew. It makes the long introductory story of Rennie and Hiller almost irrelevant, but it does preserve the irony of two brave men about to be decorated by the King, not knowing that they share more than the honors with which they are about to be presented.

There's room for improvement but it's an exciting story and the scenes of battle at sea are realistic enough to be gripping. And, though I'm sure we're supposed to feel nothing but admiration for Hunter's heroism (and that's what it was), it's a rather sad story as well.

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