Sons of the Sea (1939) User Reviews

Fascinating to see 1930s England in colour

[tgabber · 7/10 · 2 June 2005]

I stumbled across this film while flicking through the TV channels this morning, the BBC were giving it an airing on BBC2. I'll be honest I was about to move on as the acting struck me as pretty dreadful when the scene changed to an outdoor shot of Portsmouth like I'd never seen it before. Period cars in new condition and vibrant colour!

I'd thought from the indoor scene that first on that this was some 1950s film and was shocked to discover that it was a colour film made in 1939! Looked up the details on the IMDb here and was fascinated to learn about the film's unique history.

It's a shame that the story and the acting is not better, but for curiosity value alone this film is worth digging out. The colour has lasted very well and it provides an invaluable record of an England that no longer exists.

Genuine scenes of 1939 Dartmouth

[imdb-16204 · 6/10 · 6 February 2008]

I saw this film when it first came out just after the war started and enjoyed it for what it was - a schoolboy adventure story (I was then thirteen). I next found it in Singapore showing at the Cathey cinema in 1945; it was reputed to have been found on the premises after the Japanese surrendered, having survived the occupation in the manager's custody.

Since I sensibly recorded it one afternoon I have found it a "once a year" nostalgic one-off. The scenes of the RNC Dartmouth are absolutely genuine and the local settings a good historical record. The Dartmouth Railway station is still there today: it never had a railway line, passengers had to cross to Kingswear on the ferry to catch a train. Finally - the police sergeant's role was played by my actor uncle, but IMDb was no record!

I say, it's all, terribly, terribly exciting

[ubercommando · 5/10 · 2 June 2005]

An early British colour movie from the 1930's (the only others that spring to mind are The Divorce of Lady X and The Four Feathers) but sadly not as enjoyable as the other two. As has been mentioned, this showcases the Dufaycolour film process and it does good give results; making the 1930's colourful without overpowering the viewer with garish colours (compare with other early Technicolour movies). The shots of lovely Devon countryside are a bonus as well: As a recent visitor to Devon, I was amazed to recognise Dartmouth, Slapton and Brixham in this movie, all of which seems little changed to this day.

The plot is plodding and so so. The direction stilted and stiff and the acting is, at times, woeful but this is all balanced by a intriguing look, in colour, of an era long gone.

A fascinating, experimental colour film from the 1930s.

[andy-223 · 16 March 2002]

The real star of this film (as it was in 1939), isn't an actor, but the then new Dufaycolor - full colour process. It is also possibly the first feature film to be shot using a single color negative (in contrast to the three b/w negatives needed for the three-strip Technicolor camera). In the case of Dufaycolor, the negative film was ruled with a mosaic of very fine red/green/blue lines. This is important to know when this film is viewed today as the colour is completely different from Technicolor. Because the film was shot with a conventional b/w camera, the restrictions of the bulky three-strip camera freed. This makes for some smooth, nimble camerawork. As a bonus, there are a good deal of clear, bright outdoor shots, the result of much filming around the cool blue seas and hamlets that stretch and cover the South coast of England. A landscape about to be changed by the approaching War. Even this film is intended to be a 'flagwaver' and a nod to Admiral Nelson is given in the final sequence. This is because, in this case, the Navy is honoured, including the Naval training college. The storyline is sadly, a conventional spy story. This is given depth by the always excellent Leslie Banks and the welcome appearance of Cecil Parker. The colour consultant on the film was the British colour film expert Adrian Clyne. He had good concepts for the way progressive colour films should look (which sharply differed with that of Technicolor's Natalie Kalmus). Even after 60 years, Clyne's composition is modern and vibrant. If Kalmus wanted pastels in 30s Technicolor, Clyne wanted effective colour compositions and wasn't afraid to use colour dramatically, but without the need to detract from the drama. In all, the film is an interesting experiment. No other Dufaycolor films were made. War shortages sealed the fate of this process. Viewed today, the drama is only average and anyone expecting a good spy story may be disappointed, however if looked at from the point of view as one of the few 1930s British films in colour (which has survived well) it is stunning.

Dated spy thriller

[Leofwine_draca · 4/10 · 30 May 2016]

SONS OF THE SEA is a rather dated spy thriller set in and around the naval training college in Dartmouth. The film opens with the murder of an official and sees his replacement investigating the crime, suspecting that he himself may have been the intended target. Meanwhile a visiting secret service agent looks into the murder while the antics of a local astronomer also raise suspicion.

This film is chiefly of note for both the way in which it was made and the way it was filmed. It came out in 1939 just at the outset of WW2 and the enemies are obviously Nazis although they are never mentioned as such by name. The most interesting thing about this though is that it was actually made in colour thanks to a process called Dufaycolor. It was only used for this one film but is pretty decent and a good rival to the more popular Technicolor process.

Otherwise this is pretty heavy going, lacking the lightness of touch of many other thrillers from the era. There's no humour to speak of, just a lot of heavy emoting and back-and-forth conversations. I found the acting of the protagonists to be more than a little stuffy as well which also sapped my enjoyment. And the ending just sort of dawdles along instead of being exciting like it should be.

A tale for boys of all ages

[Igenlode Wordsmith · 7/10 · 3 June 2005]

I actually enjoyed this film a good deal more than anything I'd read had given me to expect. I suppose in retrospect it's (very literally!) a schoolboy story of a pre-war Britain where murder is the preserve of dastardly foreign agents, a naval career is the highest pinnacle to which any right-thinking boy can aspire, and even the enemy is honourable -- but then I always enjoyed those tales on their own terms, and the murder-mystery here, while not deep, is skilfully told. The culprit is fairly obvious from an early stage, despite a trailed red herring of truly clumsy proportions, but the focus shifts imperceptibly from 'who' to 'who next?', and there's a real tension in the sunlit afternoon that leads up to the events of the final part of the plot.

Given what is evidently a low budget or a high sensitivity threshold for gore and explosions -- the body count is all off-screen -- this story of murder and espionage adopts a detached and narrowly-focused viewpoint that perhaps inadvertently echoes the observer/telescope motif running through it: scenes are shown at face value, without a guiding detective figure to steer viewers' deductions, the villain declines the obligatory revelation of his true identity, motives and plans, and we learn of the boy Philip's fateful interview only at second-hand and piecemeal after the event, with no more certain knowledge of whose version to trust than the characters themselves. The result -- for me at any rate -- was a surprisingly understated and effective treatment of what is basically an Agatha Christie or W.E.Johns-type story, relying on the classic plot-lever of vital knowledge locked up in the head of one man. The slow-moving and potentially sentimental amnesia-scenes culminate in a genuinely chilling moment of breakthrough; and the 'flag-waver' finale caught this viewer, at least, into an unfeigned lump in the throat. For those with the requisite knowledge, there is also a wide range of naval melodies to be picked out of the sound-track!

I felt the only false note was Philip's sudden change of career plans by the end; not perhaps implausible as a reaction to events, but presented abruptly as a 'fait accompli' rather than as a revelation of self-discovery. This could have been more convincingly handled to achieve the desired outcome.

Otherwise, the film came across as an enjoyable little piece, and an unintended snapshot of its era with its boyish emphasis on honour, duty and service and its carefully non-specific foreign threat -- attractively photographed, with good use of its location, and well-judged touches of comedy and drama bringing to life the secret-agent-by-numbers plot. This is a Boys' Own adventure in the best sense of the term; not up there with "The Four Feathers" or "Beau Geste", but good lively matinée fodder.

Great colour, creaky plot, mediocre acting

[Marlburian · 5/10 · 13 June 2005]

I'm writing this (my first contribution to IMDb) after as long weekend in the locale where the film was shot. Can't say that I recognised Plymouth in the film, nor Brixham (as one or two others claim to have done)but several other settings were familiar, not least the little tower (now sadly dilapidated) where the commander embarks in the boat. The modern telephone directory lists two "Tradesmen's Arms" pubs locally (an inn of than name featured as a backdrop) but I didn't have a chance to check these out.I thought the plot creaked terribly and some of the acting was poor. It wasn't too clear whether the film was set in the war or in peacetime, but I've found out that production was announced in July 1939, with the premiere held the following March, so I guess that the plot was tweaked a bit as production continued, with the patriotic closing shots contributing to some flag-waving. When the enemy spy is finally unveiled he seemed very cheerful considering he would be facing the death penalty

The Calm Before the Storm

[richardchatten · 6/10 · 20 June 2020]

Proudly declaring itself under the sole direction of Maurice Elvey, the biggest mystery about this drama set at the Royal Naval College at Dartmouth during what seems to have been a glorious final summer before the war is how the murder was committed, since we're never told.

Meanwhile a dapper foreign agent (whose real name is revealed at the last minute to have been 'Muller') uses forged or stolen secret service credentials to enjoy the run of the place unchallenged; the 'MacGuffin' being "secret enemy minefields".

It's wonderful to have finally found a long lost film at the end of a path in Memory Lane!

[ekgee · 8/10 · 4 January 2005]

I first saw "Sons Of The Sea" during the war (circa "40/41) in Victoria and was struck by the vibrant color of the film. The story line was not memorable and I completely forgot what the story was about. The only actor who's name I remember was Leslie Banks. (That may have been partly because I associated him with the FIRST color film made in the UK, "Wings Of The Morning". (I was about 15 at the time.) In later years, as I became more involved in film (working in television and later in the National Film Board of Canada, in distribution), I kept looking for some mention of this title, but to no avail. I happened to mention to my son, just the other day, about this title, since we had been discussing "Wings..", its' color and its' female lead, Annabella. Today, he called me in to my computer, where he had located IMDb on the Internet, and there was my long lost film! I'm so happy to have found it again and learn more about ITS' history, from then to now. Has a DVD been released of this film? ..or a VHS tape (NTSC!) I'll be back to check soon. Thanks again for finding me!

Strange goings on at Naval College

[chris_gaskin123 · 8/10 · 16 June 2005]

Sons of the Sea was screened recently on BBC2 and I was pleased I taped it. This is a rare early British colour movie from 1939.

The Captain of the Royal Naval College at Dartmouth is murdered and and his replacement fears he was the intended target. With the help of his son who is at the college, he tries to find out what exactly happened. Also, there is an agent from the Secret Service staying at the college and the professor at the local observatory isn't acting normal either. Strange goings on...

This movie was filmed on location at the Royal Naval College at Dartmouth and as a regular holidaymaker in this area at Paignton, I have visited several of the locations filmed in this, including Dartmouth and Kingswear. The railway scenes were shot on what is now the preserved Paignton and Dartmouth Railway. Not a lot has changed since 1939.

The cast includes Leslie Banks, Kay Walsh, Cecil Parker and Nigel Stock. Good parts from all.

Sons of the Sea is worth a look at if you get the chance. Very enjoyable.

Rating: 3 stars out of 5.

Intristing film

[cynthiahost · 9/10 · 10 April 2009]

I just recently received the VHS version of this picture form nostalgia family video.Although the transfer is analog and not very sharp, it is a Good broad cast print.It looks like early Eastman color.Its a medium budget film and an early anti Nazi intrigue film. The word Nazi is never used cause at that time they didn't want to start a war yet. The plot is that the captain of Darmouth naval college has been murdered. The murder was intended for the head of the college, by played Leslie Banks, because he knew of the torpedo, in the bay. He gets aid from his son who wants to quit the military and go into business with with a friend an alleged astronomer visits this college then claims he's a an agent. This was the first and only feature in a early single strip color process called ,Dufeycoulor, which used tiny micro color lenses , rather than dye emolution,. Now this was a probably restored print using Eastman color process. Its hard no notice any grainy look since its printed un sharply on tape. but i bet you if projected on screen the grain would be more noticeable.It was used only for one feature because of the war needs to salvage film stock. Joan bridge,who was a Technicolor associate adviser, was an associate adviser for Dufycolour. My guess ,also, Technicolor, of england, might have bought them out too too

Good "Signing On" Material - Should Be Shown To Every Batch Of Naval Recruits

[andyrobert · 10/10 · 31 December 2020]

This is a delightful little wartime-spy drama from 1939, set at the Royal Naval Training College at Dartmouth.

The story line is a little less than credulous, but it is a harmless little film and quite easy to watch. Although it is obvious who the spy is, he is so smooth that you cannot help admiring him. His last line at the end of the film being: "Duty means the same thing in any language", sounds very courageous and honourable - even though we generally despise terrorists and spies in a real threatening situation.

Leslie Banks gives a very stirring performance of which he was always famous for; Kay Walsh looked as lovely as she did in all of her films; and Mackenzie Ward, a leading British actor from the 1930s and 1940s, gives a very smooth performance.

As for Cecil Parker, what can I say? His inimitable style of acting allows him to steal every single scene that he is in - a marvellous actor and always great to watch.

Of course, the real stars of the film are the Parades - sorry - Divisions, as they are called in the Royal Navy - and the Dartmouth Training College itself, not forgetting all the beautiful scenes of Devon, in England, along with the River Dart - a very lovely part of the country.

Although a very dated film, it was enough to make me want to join up again.

10 out of 10.

Incidentally, I am intrigued by the poster that has been placed below the title referring to film that this IMDB page is about. Other than having the same film title, the poster bears no relevance to this film.

After some research, I have come to the conclusion that the poster refers to the film, "Atlantic Ferry", which was, in fact, released in the United States as "Sons Of The Sea". It starred Michael Redgrave and Valerie Hobson, and was released in 1941 as a Warner Brothers First National Picture.

It is possible that the taller man on the left of the poster could be Michael Redgrave, and the woman he is holding may be Valerie Hobson. However, she bears a striking resemblance to Margaret Lockwood, who starred with Douglas Fairbanks Jnr in the 1939 film, "Rulers Of The Sea", made by Paramount Pictures, which, according to other reviewers, has a similar storyline.

As for the older, smaller man, standing on his own, on the right of the poster, I can only make an uneducated assumption as to who the actor is. It could be any of the top male supporting actors in the film. I have never seen "Atlantic Ferry", so it would be hard to even guess the name of the actor, as most of them would have been of similar age when the film was made. Maybe one of the other reviewers can help with this.

Lest we Forget

[Picgoer · 8/10 · 31 March 2022]

I am re-watching this film as I write! Whilst this is not a great film and the acting is, with a few exceptions (Kay Walsh, Cecil Parker, Nigel Stock (age 19/20) pretty dire, it is worth watching for the outdoor shots of The Britannia Naval Collage (commonly known as Dartmouth Collage) Devon and of Dartmouth and its surrounds. The steam train still exists as a heritage line (Dartmouth Steam Railway) and in many ways Dartmouth has not changed.

The film was made in expectation of forth coming hostilities, just months before the outbreak of the Second World War. The young 'leading' actors, Simon Lack, Nigel Stock and Peter Shaw (later husband of Angela Lansbury) all joined up, returning to acting (with various degrees of success) after the war. Cecil Parker and Leslie Banks had both served in the First World War, both injured, Leslie Banks suffering the facial injuries which were obvious in all his films.

What I find really very sobering is that the external shots of the cadets at Dartmouth feature the cadets of the day, many of whom would have been commissioned straight into their ships shortly after filming. We see the faces of many young men who would not have survived the war.

Lest We Forget.