Sink the Bismarck! (1960)

Director:

Lewis Gilbert

Writers:

Edmund H. North (screen story and screenplay)
C.S. Forester (book)

Release Date:

11 February 1960 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | History | War

Tagline:

Personal! Powerful! Human! Heroic!

Plot:

The World War II story of the British Navy's effort to defeat Nazi Germany's most powerful warship.

Plot Keywords:

Navy | Naval | German Navy | World War Two | Battleship

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Kenneth More	...	Captain Shepard
Dana Wynter	...	Anne Davis
Carl Möhner	...	Captain Lindemann (as Carl Mohner)
Laurence Naismith	...	First Sea Lord
Geoffrey Keen	...	A.C.N.S.
Karel Stepanek	...	Admiral Lutjens
Michael Hordern	...	Commander in Chief (King George V)
Maurice Denham	...	Commander Richards
Michael Goodliffe	...	Captain Banister
Esmond Knight	...	Captain (Prince of Wales)
Jack Watling	...	Signals Officer
Jack Gwillim	...	Captain (King George V) (as Jack Gwillam)
Mark Dignam	...	Captain (Ark Royal)
Ernest Clark	...	Captain (Suffolk)
John Horsley	...	Captain (Sheffield)
Peter Burton	...	Captain (First Destroyer)
Sydney Tafler	...	First Workman
John Stuart	...	Captain (Hood)
Walter Hudd	...	Admiral - 'Hood'
Sean Barrett	...	Able Seaman Brown
Edward R. Murrow	...	Himself
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Michael Balfour	...	Able Seaman - Lookout on 'Suffolk' (uncredited)
John Barron	...	Officer P.R.O. (uncredited)
Richard Beale	...	Petty Officer in Phone Montage (uncredited)
Victor Beaumont	...	Officer on the 'Bismarck' (uncredited)
Brandon Brady	...	Signal Officer on the 'Ark Royal' (uncredited)
Johnny Briggs	...	Young Seaman on Prince of Wales (uncredited)
Robert Brown	...	Gunnery Officer on George V (uncredited)
Mark Burns	...	Naval Rating in Phone Montage (uncredited)
Roy Castle	...	Seaman on 'Prince of Wales' (uncredited)
Peter Cellier	...	First Lieutenant on Destroyers (uncredited)
Donald Churchill	...	Seaman on Ark Royal (uncredited)
Robert Desmond	...	Dexter (uncredited)
Harold Goodwin	...	Airman in Phone Montage (uncredited)
Walter Gotell	...	Signals Officer Miller on the Bismarck (uncredited)
Cameron Hall	...	Civilian Worker on Prince of Wales (uncredited)
John G. Heller	...	Lt. Becker on the Bismarck (uncredited)
David Hemmings	...	Seaman on Ark Royal (uncredited)
Ian Hendry	...	Officer on 'King George V' (uncredited)
Ronald Hines	...	Officer on Bridge of 'Prince of Wales' (uncredited)
Adolf Hitler	...	Himself - at Launch of 'Bismarck' (archive footage) (uncredited)
Glyn Houston	...	Seaman on 'Prince of Wales' (uncredited)
Patrick Jordan	...	Agent in Norway (uncredited)
Edward Judd	...	Navigating Officer on 'Prince of Wales' (uncredited)
Sam Kydd	...	Civilian Worker on 'Prince of Wales' (uncredited)
Ronald Leigh-Hunt	...	Somers, Officer on 'King George V' (uncredited)
Harry Locke	...	(uncredited)
Sean Lynch	...	Mail Clerk on Ark Royal (uncredited)
Victor Maddern	...	Able Seaman, Final Scene (uncredited)
Russell Napier	...	Air Vice Marshal (uncredited)
Anthony Oliver	...	Operations Officer on Ark Royal (uncredited)
Olaf Pooley	...	Officer of the Watch on Sheffield (uncredited)
George Pravda	...	Damage Control Officer on the Bismarck (uncredited)
Robert Rietty	...	Captain Lindemann (voice) (uncredited)
Michael Ripper	...	Able Seaman, Lookout 'Suffolk' (uncredited)
Michael Sarne	...	Extra (uncredited)
Frederick Schiller	...	Damage Control Officer (uncredited)
Graham Stark	...	Petty Officer Williams (uncredited)
Gordon Sterne	...	German Officer (uncredited)
John Stride	...	Tom Shepard - 'Ark Royal' Air Gunner (uncredited)
Donald Tandy	...	Air Commodore in Phone Montage (uncredited)
Jack Taylor	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Ian Whittaker	...	Able Seaman, Final Scene (uncredited)
Brian Worth	...	Torpedo Control Officer on First Destroyer (uncredited)

Directed by
Lewis Gilbert

Writing credits
Edmund H. North		(screen story and screenplay)
C.S. Forester		(book)

Produced by
John Brabourne	....	producer

Original Music by
Clifton Parker

Cinematography by
Christopher Challis		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Peter R. Hunt		(as Peter Hunt)

Casting by
Nora Roberts

Art Direction by
Arthur Lawson

Makeup Department
Ivy Emmerton	....	hairdresser
W.T. Partleton	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Edward Joseph	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jack Causey	....	assistant director
Claude Watson	....	second assistant director (uncredited)
Anthony Waye	....	third assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Arthur Taksen	....	set dresser
Bill Dennison	....	draughtsman (uncredited)
Maurice Pelling	....	draughtsman (uncredited)
Don Picton	....	assistant art director (uncredited)
Tony Rimmington	....	draughtsman (uncredited)

Sound Department
Red Law	....	sound mixer
Dudley Messenger	....	sound mixer
Winston Ryder	....	dubbing editor (as Win Ryder)
Danny Daniel	....	boom operator (uncredited)
Archie Ludski	....	assistant dubbing editor (uncredited)
Vivian Temple-Smith	....	assistant boom operator (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Richard B. Goodwin	....	unit manager: Special Effects Unit (as Richard Goodwin)
Howard Lydecker	....	supervisor: Special Effects Unit
Bill Warrington	....	supervisor: Special Effects Unit
Freddie Cooper	....	special effects assistant (uncredited)
Cliff Culley	....	special effects assistant (uncredited)
Martin Shortall	....	special effects assistant (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Skeets Kelly	....	cameraman: Special Effects Unit
Jack Welch	....	camera operator: Special Effects Unit
John Stears	....	model ships (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Austin Dempster	....	camera operator
Steve Claydon	....	focus puller (uncredited)
Mike Fox	....	clapper loader (uncredited)
John Harris	....	second camera operator (uncredited)
Ian Jeayes	....	still photographer (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Norman Wanstall	....	assistant editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Muir Mathieson	....	conductor

Other crew
Shirley Barnes	....	continuity
Peter Peake	....	technical advisor (as Lt. Cdr. Peter Peake R.N. {Rtd})

Production Companies

• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation (presents) (as Twentieth Century-Fox)

Distributors

• Twentieth Century Fox Film Company (1960) (UK) (theatrical)
• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation (1960) (USA) (theatrical) (released through) (as Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1966) (USA) (TV) (original airing) (pan/scan)
• Deutsche Fox (1960) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2004) (Brazil) (DVD)
• CBS/Fox Home Video (199?) (USA) (VHS) (pan/scan)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2003) (USA) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Admiralty, The  grateful acknowledgment is made to, for their most generous help, advice and co-operation (as the Admiralty)
• Bausch & Lomb  CinemaScope lens by
• NovaStar Digital  post-production sound services (uncredited)
• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation  CinemaScope is the registered trade mark of

Also Known As:

"Sink the Bismarck" - Australia (DVD box title), International (English title) (alternative spelling)

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English | German

Color:

Black and White (archive footage) | Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System) | 4-Track Stereo

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 | Sweden:15 | UK:U | Australia:G | USA:Approved (certificate #19353) | Canada:PG (video rating) | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

HMS Belfast

Company:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

According to special effects cinematographer L.B. Abbott, the miniatures were photographed with spherical (non-anamorphic) lenses. This made it easier to force the perspective of the image to make the miniatures appear bigger, and further apart. The conversion of the spherical footage to CinemaScope required the use of an optical printer with an anamorphic lens. This method of shooting with spherical lenses, yet converting the footage to anamorphic is now commonly used for complete films, and is called Super 35.

Goofs:

Incorrectly regarded as goofs: In the battle, Lutjens and Lindemann are looking through binoculars completely covered with mist. This is a common naval movie method for preventing undesirable reflections from the binocular lenses.

Quotes:

[to his assistant Anne Davis, after the battle]
Captain Jonathan Shepard:Take a message: "Request pleasure of the company of Second Officer Anne Davis at dinner."

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Special Collector's Edition: La última noche del Titanic (#4.4)" (2012)

Gripping wartime British naval drama

This movie is a well crafted and gripping depiction of British attempts to locate and destroy the German battleship Bismarck during World War II. It is told from the viewpoint of sailors aboard vessels from both sides and also the British naval command headquarters. I have little knowledge of naval history so am in no position to comment regarding historical accuracy.

Personally, I found most compelling the strategy and tension within the Admiralty War Headquarters in London, especially the personal depiction of the coordinator of this operation. Kenneth More convincingly plays Captain Jonathan Shepard, who lost his own wife earlier in an air raid and has a son who is himself a naval pilot involved in the battle to sink the Bismarck. Shepard's relationship with the lovely but very professional female naval officer Davis is well captured. There is also a moving portrait of Shepard's restrained response to unfolding news regarding his son. Though there is engaging battle drama at sea, it's the character portrayal of this stiff upper lip British officer that made the movie for me.