Sink the Bismarck!

Kenneth More plays the severe cold and uncompromising Captain Jonathan Shepard who has lost his wife in an air raid, and whose son is a naval pilot in the warfare against the Bismarck...

'Bismarck' is a super German battleship of World War II that had a short, but spectacular career...

Captain Shepard guides the distinguished campaign from the Admiralty War headquarters in London: The search, the course, the deploy and the destruction of the Bismarck under an archetype that said: 'Getting emotional about things is a peacetime luxury.'

The Bismarck's admiral (Karel Stepanek) is a Nazi officer characterized by emotional instability, presumptuous and overenthusiastic...

Sighted and bombarded by British battleships, the Bismarck is incapacitated and sunk by torpedoes on the morning of May 27, 1941.

Dana Wynter is the likable attractive lady naval officer, fitting in mood and attitude...

In the climax of the film and after the naval epic, Michael Hordern, the Commander-in-Chief of the Home Fleet, turns to his men and says: 'Let's go home, gentlemen!'

This exciting sea battle would have been better on a standard screen than in CinemaScope, as its ships were clearly 'models' using newsreels footage... Nevertheless, the film is an entertaining hunt, with good acting.

Beside the search and eventual sinking of the Bismarck, I would like to mention, that the personal drama of the British sailors increase the intensity of the picture's realism...

A distinguished wide-screen film that honors those who served in a great British naval episode while showing generally how naval warfare was carried out in the early days of WWII.

Effectively portraying the sheer power of one of the most monstrous weapons ever devised by the dark side of the human mind- the battleship Bismarck. Battleships had a hideous, graceful sort of massive beauty during their brief heyday at the peak of war technology but went the way of the dinosaur after WWII. Their vulnerabilities are demonstrated in this film, as are certain unfortunate (but not necessarily erroneous) tactical moves by the German Admiral and the Captain of the Bismarck.

In case you don't know the story I won't spoil it but an event occurs around the middle of this film that has a sudden awesome shock value that can still cause your jaw to drop. It is perfectly set forth despite the low-tech film techniques available in 1960- the producers do a great job.

A deadly serious film about deadly serious heavy subject matter, "Sink the Bismarck" has qualities that hold up and it is worth your viewing time.

For starters, this picture was thankfully filmed in black and white. This is only appropriate for gray colored ships shooting it out in the North Atlantic. The performers were, for the most part, convincing. The movie got a little risky by using a fictional character (played by Kenneth More) for the lead role, and delving a bit into his personal life. But it didn't get out of hand. The movie takes just the right amount of time in developing and depicting the important events in the eight day life of the Bismarck. I got the feeling that I was actually there and watching these events take place. The movie is essentially accurate, based on accounts I have read in books; including one by the highest ranking German survivor. The depiction of the destruction of the British battle cruiser Hood was not exactly accurate, but I would rank that a minor point. Getting the ship used in the movie to blow up the same way the Hood would probably have been more trouble than it was worth. The bottom line is the ship was destroyed and only three crew members survived.

This movie is an excellent, no-nonsense portrayal of the short and dramatic life of the legendary German battleship Bismarck.

This is a little known war time epic movie that should rank with the likes of "Patton". The story is about the grudge match that's spawned from sinking of battleship Hood by the German battleship Bismark. A full blown search for the German battleship by the British navy takes place to hunt down and sink the Bismark. Acting is first class, and although the special effects have something to be desired by today's standard, movie none the less conveys the tension and excitement of what probably was the greatest and the final naval conflict between battleships. In recent years Bob Ballard and the Oceanographic Institute rediscovered the sunken remains of the battleship Bismark which confirmed the ferocity of the fire power that was exchanged in this naval warfare. This movie gets mentioned by movie producers of today when they sight their seminal influence it had on some of their plot lines, which attests to its production value. The sub plot which unfolds between Kenneth Moore and Dana Wynter is also written superbly. A good war time semi documentary that's worth seeing.

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.