The Silent Enemy

source: The Silent Enemy

Me, I'm fond of movies that open a window in my mind and introduce me to a place and a topic I was unfamiliar with. Here, "The Silent Enemy" certainly delivered, by introducing me to an esoteric (and extremely dangerous) form of warfare. "The Silent Enemy" is based on the Gibraltar war feats of Commander Lionel Crabb, who earned eternal fame defending British ships against stealth attacks by frogmen and human torpedoes. It's a vivid, gritty movie that evokes both the peril and the excitement of these times. Imagine trying to perform an exquisitely dangerous job while relying on exquisitely dangerous equipment... Touches of wit and humor keep the story from becoming relentlessly grim. Laurence Harvey gives a fine, convincing lead performance, although contemporary photographs seem to indicate that he bears little physical ressemblance to the actual Commander Crabb. Quite a lot of the scenes were filmed under water, with a great deal of success ; for instance, there's a marvelously choreographed battle between two enemy crews of frogmen fighting over the same submerged suitcase filled with secret documents. It is impossible to watch the movie without wondering about the kind of psychological trauma involved. One does not spend several years suffering, witnessing or performing extremely violent acts - attaching limpet mines to ships, throwing bombs upon swimming divers, cutting the throats of sentries and so on - without getting scarred for life...

Lt. Lionel Crabb, RNVR, is sent to the Royal Navy base at Gibraltar as Bomb and Mine Disposal Officer. Rather than simply dispose of unexploded mines and explosives he wants to locate enemy devices and protect the ships anchored in the harbour. He assembles a team of divers. Their greatest enemy is Italian frogmen riding "chariots" - human torpedoes. Recently two British battleships were severely damaged in Alexandria harbour and now they've shifted their attention to Gibraltar. A rather novel WW2 film in that it concentrates on divers and underwater missions. Can't think of too many other films on the subject. Based on a true story, though a large degree of poetic licence has been taken, the film is quite entertaining. While not entirely true to the Lionel Crabb story it's reasonably realistic-feeling. The action scenes are great and you get a good sense for the important work the divers did, often with limited resources.

An intriguing film about the war record of British Lieutenant Commander Lionel "Buster" Crabb (no relation to the Hollywood star and athlete), this is entertaining as well as educational, and that makes it a war movie worth seeing. It's a good role for Laurence Harvey, showing his dedication as well as his eccentricities, the toughness and the loyalty, absolutely no nonsense yet showing the reason why. He needs complete silence while dismantling the minds placed in the Mediterranean sea, and because of that, many British lives were saved. You get to see the working of the submarine corps, with smaller subs that look like natural marine life, and thus difficult to identify through underwater apparatuses viewing them without metal detectors. Dawn Addams, Michael Craig, John Clements, Sid James and a litter of new born puppies are great support, and good scenery, photography and music are beneficial, especially since a good percentage of the film takes place below water. Even though there's a lot of technical dialogue, it's done in a way that is very interesting and self explanatory, never confusing. Good montage scenes aides the film in moving at a fast pace.

The Brits produced some fine war films in the late 40s and 50s, and this one is watchable. Lawrence Harvey leads a team of underwater demolition men against the Italian frogmen who are attaching mines to ships in the harbor at Gibralter and blowing them up. The climax comes when a large convoy arrives and pauses for a few days before bringing supplies and reenforcements to the Eighth Army in North Africa. The Italian unit, just across the border in Algeciras, Spain, a neutral country, is bound to attack it. Can they be stopped? Harvey and his mates are going to give it a try. This doesn't meet the criteria for polish and effect met by some other films of the period -- say, "The Dam Busters" or "Dunkirk", but if it's long and tiring, it has some things going for it. Lawrence Harvey is surprisingly good at the real-life Lieutenant Crabbe. Sid James is first rate as the Chief Petty Officer who brusquely but kindly teaches the team how to carry on. Dawn Addams, as a Wren officer, is delicious but has little to do. The tension of the training and the missions is leavened with some humor. Addams is leading the team to their quarters in a crumbling old fort. "That's a proper bastion," observes one of the men. James: "Watch your language -- ladies present!" In its early years, the war between the Brits and the Italians was often a gentlemanly affair and that's reflected in this film. We get to know the members of the Italian unit. And when one of their casualties is found by Harvey, the corpse is buried at sea with ritual respect. In North Africa, the Italians surrendered in droves, as many did in Sicily. Not because of cowardice but because Mussolini had gotten the nation into an increasingly unpopular war and because many Italians of the time owed their allegiance less to the state than to primary institutions like the family. In "The Godfather," Sonny Corleone makes the same point when he twits Michael for joining the Marine Corps. There were of course some excellent men fighting for Italy, especially a number of daredevils in the air force. The fronts in North Africa shifted back and forth and captured men from both sides went "in the bag." One was an Italian nobleman. The Italian government offered a ransom for his return -- I forget the amount -- but it was so small that the exalted POW was insulted at the amount and refused to return to Italy. Better to lose freedom than dignity. So, though it's no masterpiece, not "The Cruel Sea," neither is it as bad as some others of the time, like "The Gift Horse." And it has its exciting moments.

As a true story, this is of terrific interest, recounting the heroic feats of Lieutenant Crabbe (Laurence Harvey excellent as usual), but the most interesting part of the film is a rather small parenthesis which is easily jumped over. A plane crashes in the water outside the harbour in Gibraltar, we see the crash actually occurring, but afterwards it appears that one of the casualties was the most important man in the Polish liberation army, the general Sikorski. His body is found but not his briefcase, and perhaps the most exciting and well made scene in the film concerns the quest for this briefcase, showing underwater fights for life and death. That's all. The Sikorski case isn't mentioned any more after that, as the main action of the film concerns saving the fleet, but this incident was actually of major historical significance, as Sikorski was an ardent opponent of the Stalin regime, and his death actually was triggered by the KGB - Stalin wanted him out of the way for his own purposes in the war, his leaguie with Churchill being vital for his interests. That KGB actally was behind the assassination wasn't proved until in the 90s long after the fall of the iron curtain, although some naturally suspected it from the beginning but could not enforce a proper investigation. The film sticks carefully to reality all the way, the scenery is Gibraltar, and the almost architectural build-up of the extraordinary under-water war is consistently sustained and augmented in tension all the way. For some, this was their favourite film with Laurence Harvery, which is understandable enough.

Laurence Harvey in, I think his best role, playing Lionel Kenneth "Buster" Crabb OBE GM. I love this film, based on a true story and a real life hero. Crabb was awarded the George Medal for his work in Gibraltar to disarm mines from British warships based there. There is a great mix of fact and some humour thrown in with the appearance of Sid James as a Chief Petty Officer charged with getting the new frogmen fit for the long and dangerous work they had to undertake. A classic British Black and white war film in every sense. Its also a film close to my heart as my late father actually dived with Lt Cdr. Crabb on HMS Reclaim just before he went missing undertaking secret dives underneath the soviet cruiser Ordzhonikidze in Portsmouth Harbour. Overall a great must watch film for B&W war film fans.

"The Silent Enemy" is a most unusual film because I have never seen another movie like it. The plot, needless to say, is very unusual. It's about the exploits of Lieutenant Crabb (Laurence Harvey), the leader of a group of underwater divers who were responsible for protecting British ships in Gibraltar. To do so, they helped to create the first generation scuba gear--dangerous stuff considering mistakes cost you your life. The style of the film, as other reviewers have said, is a bit like a documentary and I appreciate that the film lacked the extreme fanfare and 'bigness' of many war films. Instead, it's personal and interesting...a film about some really amazing people.

THE SILENT ENEMY is a fine WW2 movie of the kind the British used to make so well. This one boasts an interesting, fact-based story about a little known theatre of war and an exceptional ensemble cast who really bring life to the various roles. Laurence Harvey plays an enthusiastic young officer who is shipped off to Gibraltar to help combat the threat of Italian frogmen who have been mining and destroying Allied shipping trying to access the Med. Harvey, who sports stubble and blond hair in this film, is playing the real-life wartime diver 'Buster' Crabb, the man who died in mysterious circumstances shortly before this film was made. Harvey usually plays insufferable characters but he's very good here, strong-willed and perfectly heroic. I'm not usually a fan of underwater-themed movies as I found they're usually let down by lacklustre underwater photography, but this film's different; the action scenes are highly suspenseful and complimented by strong special effects work. I liked the way that THE SILENT ENEMY is a film that focuses on technology and the apparatus of war while being readily accessible to the layman viewer at the same time. The supporting cast includes a great role for Sid James who brings some of his dry humour to a serious production and the likes of Michael Craig, Dawn Addams, Nigel Stock, and David Lodge. I was also pleased to see a bunch of youthful and famous Italian actors playing their countrymen: Gianna Maria Canale, Massimo Serato, and Giacomo Rossi-Stuart are all present here before they became big faces in Italian genre cinema of the 1960s.

They don't make them like this anymore. Rousing drama action based on the real life exploits of British Navy Lieutenant Lionel Crabbe and his contributions to underwater demolition work during World War II and later on in salvaging operations. World War II history buffs will appreciate the military technology depicted in this film and the impact it caused to Allied as well as Axis shipping. Exciting underwater action combined with a decent cast and good dialogue contribute to the suspense.