Sea Wife (1957)

In 1942, a cargo ship jammed with British evacuees from Singapore is sunk by a Japanese sub. A small lifeboat carries a beautiful woman, an army officer, a bigoted administrator, and a ... See full summary »

Director:

Bob McNaught

Writers:

George K. Burke (screenplay), J.M. Scott (novel)

Stars:

Joan Collins, Richard Burton, Basil Sydney

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Joan Collins	...	Sea Wife
Richard Burton	...	Biscuit
Basil Sydney	...	Bulldog
Cy Grant	...	Number Four
Ronald Squire	...	Clubman
Harold Goodwin	...	Daily Telegraph Clerk
Roddy Hughes	...	Club Barman
Gibb McLaughlin	...	Club Porter
Lloyd Lamble	...	Captain 'San Felix'
Ronald Adam	...	Army Padre
Nicholas Hannen	...	Elderly Passenger
Otokichi Ikeda	...	Submarine Commander
Tenji Takagi	...	Submarine Interpreter
Beatrice Varley	...	Elderly Nun

Storyline

In 1942, a cargo ship jammed with British evacuees from Singapore is sunk by a Japanese sub. A small lifeboat carries a beautiful woman, an army officer, a bigoted administrator, and a black seaman. Only the seaman knows the woman is a nun. The men reveal their true selves under the hardships of survival. Told in a too-long flashback frame.

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Plot Keywords:

ship | flashback | british | nun | oar | 

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Taglines:

What happened out there...in the surging vastness of the India Ocean?

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller | War

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English Japanese

Release Date:

16 October 1957 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Intocável

Company Credits

Production Co:

Alma Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

81 min

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (Western Electric Recording) Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director Bob McNaught, working as the Associate Producer, replaced Roberto Rossellini as the director. A press release stated..."but Rossellini decided at almost the last minute that "Sea Wife" was not his cup of minestrone." Not the first nor last time a director quit a film, but one of the few instances where the production company used it as a publicity story.

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Goofs

The opening sequences in London are set in 1947, but several 1950s vehicles (including the newspaper delivery vans) are visible in various street scenes.

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Quotes

Elderly Nun: What's wrong, Sister Therese?
Sister Therese: [having recognized Biscuit, who brushed past her without noticing her] Just someone I once knew.
Elderly Nun: He didn't seem to recognize you.
Sister Therese: No one ever looks at the face of a nun.

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Connections

Referenced in Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?: The Go-Between (1974)

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Soundtracks

The Sea Wife Theme (I'll Find You)
Sung by David Whitfield
Composed by Tolchard Evans
Lyrics by Richard Mullan

User Reviews

Romantic adventure with plenty of eye candy!

To me, the second best part of this movie was the lack of imagination used in the story. It provided me with so much inspiration—for days afterwards, I kept coming up with ways the story could have been better, and that was quite fun! The best part, of course, was watching Richard Burton, scruffy, sweaty, and shipwrecked.

Sea Wife starts out as a mystery. Richard Burton, cleaned up and in a suit, takes out a newspaper advertisement, looking for "Sea Wife" and signing it "Biscuit". The audience has no idea what he's talking about, but he continues to place personal ads, with no response. The movie goes back in time and becomes a shipwreck adventure! Four people are stranded in a lifeboat, each earning a nickname instead of sharing personal details. Richard Burton becomes "Biscuit" because he finds the food in the life raft, and Joan Collins become "Sea Wife" because she looks like a mermaid when she swims in the ocean.

Before the shipwreck, we see all four characters on the boat. Joan Collins is a nun, but her garments are torn off during the disaster, so Richard Burton is unaware of her religious calling when he meets her. Wouldn't it have been an infinitely better story if we didn't see her as a nun in the opening scene? Then, as the romance progresses, we wouldn't understand why she's exercising such willpower. There would be so much more tension if we didn't know her secret. Maybe the only way we'd believe she'd resist Richard Burton in a torn shirt is if we knew she was a nun.

Unless you really don't like shipwreck movies, I'd recommend watching this romantic adventure. There's plenty of eye candy, and parts of the story are really thrilling. Plus, it'll keep you talking afterwards about how you could have written a better story!