The Cruel Sea

A not very accomplished adaptation of one of the best book set at sea during WWII. The strength of the novel lies in the presentation of the Battle of the Atlantic through meticulous procedural "docu-fiction", which almost journalistically describes the routine of the escort groups protecting the much-needed convoys with provisions and especially oil. A war masterpiece that does without action and plot (it is rather a sequence of moments across the entire war). It makes do with character detail and the author's first-hand description of the routine, the development of the war, the fascinating details, the description of life at sea and on land. The adaptation kept none of that. The routine, details and proceduralism are there, but there was no budget for the war passages (and when they do they look unintentionally ridiculous in studio sets). And so the result is an excellently acted and cast almost theatrical production about the fates of lower ranks, technical staff, officers, nameless heroes, families and civilians. In that regard, it is faithful to the source material, but that is only one of the many building blocks, and there’s nothing besides that. The biggest weakness by far, however, is the reprehensible neglect of the Compass Rose herself, who should be weaving all the timelessness, paranoia about the doomed German U-boats, and the impossibility of any meaningful action together, instead of just sailing past the camera a few times "and that's it". It's not a problem that it found its way to adapt the novel, it's a problem that it took away what makes the novel a masterpiece and a classic and devalued it to "merely" a successful conversation "from the bridge and below" without any tension or narrative edge. (03/01/2022)