Above Us the Waves (1955)

Director:

Ralph Thomas

Writers:

Charles Esme Thornton Warren (book) and
James D. Benson (book) ...
(more)

Release Date:

26 October 1956 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | History | War

Tagline:

Action on the High Seas!

Plot:

The attack by British midget submarines on the German battleship "Tirpitz" in a Norwegian fjord during the Second World War.

Plot Keywords:

Battleship | Submarine | Royal Navy | Torpedo | Mission

Cast

John Mills	...	Cmdr. Fraser
John Gregson	...	Lt Alec Duffy
Donald Sinden	...	Lt Tom Corbett
James Robertson Justice	...	Adm. Ryder
Michael Medwin	...	Smart
James Kenney	...	Abercrombie
O.E. Hasse	...	Captain of the Tirpitz (as O. E. Hasse)
Lee Patterson	...	Cox
William Russell	...	Ramsey
Theodore Bikel	...	German Officer
Harry Towb	...	McCleery
Cyril Chamberlain	...	CPO Chubb
Tony Wager	...	George (as Anthony Wager)
Leslie Weston	...	Winley
Lyndon Brook	...	Diver Navigator, X2
Thomas Heathcote	...	Hutchins
Anthony Newley	...	Engineer, X2
John Horsley	...	Lt. Anderson
William Franklyn	...	No. 1, X2
Guido Lorraine	...	Officer Interpreter
Raymond Francis	...	Officer on Towing Sub. (I)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Basil Appleby	...	Officer on Towing Sub. (2) (uncredited)
Peter Cavanagh	...	Winston Churchill (voice) (uncredited)
Walter Gotell	...	German Officer on Tirpitz. (uncredited)
Barry Keegan	...	Sailor On Towing Sub. (uncredited)

Directed by
Ralph Thomas

Writing credits
Charles Esme Thornton Warren		(book) (as Charles E.T. Warren M.B.E.) and
James D. Benson		(book) (as James Benson)
Robin Estridge		(screenplay)

Produced by
William MacQuitty	....	producer (as William Macquitty)
Earl St. John	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Arthur Benjamin

Cinematography by
Ernest Steward		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Gerald Thomas

Art Direction by
George Provis

Makeup Department
George Blackler	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Denis Holt	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
David W. Orton	....	assistant director (as David Orton)

Sound Department
Archie Ludski	....	sound editor
Gordon K. McCallum	....	sound recordist
John W. Mitchell	....	sound recordist

Special Effects by
Philippo Guidobaldi	....	optical special effects (as F. Guidobaldi)
Bert Marshall	....	special effects
Bill Warrington	....	special effects
Charles Staffell	....	special effects (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
H.A.R. Thomson	....	camera operator

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Joan Ellacott	....	dress designer

Music Department
Muir Mathieson	....	conductor
Charles Williams	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)

Other crew
Arthur Alcott	....	production controller: Pinewood Studios, London, England
Yvonne Axeworthy	....	continuity (as Yvonne Axworthy)
Donald Cameron	....	naval adviser (as Commander Donald Cameron V.C. R.N.)
Arthur David Lund	....	technical advisor (uncredited)

Production Companies

• London Independent Producers

Distributors

• General Film Distributors (GFD) (1955) (UK) (theatrical) (as General Film Distributors Limited.)
• Republic Pictures (I) (1956) (USA) (theatrical)
• General Film Distributors (GFD) (1959) (UK) (theatrical) (re-release) (re-edited)
• Carlton Video (????) (UK) (DVD)
• Elephant Films (2004) (France) (all media)
• Pickwick Video (1990) (UK) (VHS)
• Rank Video Library (1987) (UK) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Admiralty, The  the producers acknowledge with gratitude the assistance provided to them by, during the making of this film (as The Admiralty)
• B&D Film  logo (as B&D Film Corporation)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

99 min | USA:92 min | UK:74 min (re-release)

Country:

UK

Language:

English | German | Swedish

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:U (passed with cuts)

Filming Locations:

Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company:

London Independent Producers

Trivia:

The central event of Above us the Waves is the x-craft attack on the battleship Tirpitz. The Captain of x-craft 5, was in reality Henty Henty-Creer. Before the second world war Henty Creer was a film camera man and worked on 49th Parallel, The Thief of Bagdad and The Four Feathers.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: The 100' Submarine Escape Training Tank in the early scenes wasn't built until 1954. Prior to this, it was a 15' tank.

Movie Connections:

Featured in War Stories (2006) (TV)

Soundtrack:

The Sky Boat Song

A very Boy's Own Story

OK so the script is mundane and the atmosphere is rather too pukha to be true, but I have no hesitation in recommending Above Us The Waves to all serious buffs out there. It's rather like a fanciful trip down memory lane into a bygone era that was very real to the actors but only a dream to us. The world in which public school educated Commanders strode up and down wharfs wearing immaculate stiff collars and Gieves and Hawkes tailored uniforms. The world in which a beaten enemy saluted their conquerors with trays of brandy and warm dry blankets. That's the real value of the film; it acts as a glimpse into that half forgotten world of sheer courage and decency that has long been lost in the senseless chase for mammon. When men gave their lives for honour and principal rather than offering their time for glamour and ego.

And the film has its moments of well staged tension to keep us alert. John Gregson and James Kenney give memorable performances when a mine drifts dangerously close to their surfaced sub and they must fend it off with outstretched feet. Don't listen to the detractors on this one - grab a good cup of strong cocoa and allow your dreams to drift back in time.