''Single-Handed'' is a 1953 British

war film War film is a film genre concerned with warfare, typically about navy, naval, air force, air, or army, land battles, with combat scenes central to the drama. It has been strongly associated with the 20th century. The fateful nature of battle s ...

directed by

Roy Boulting John Edward Boulting (21 December 1913 – 17 June 1985) and Roy Alfred Clarence Boulting (21 December 1913 – 5 November 2001), known collectively as the Boulting brothers, were English filmmakers and identical twins who became known for thei ...

and starring Jeffrey Hunter,

Michael Rennie Michael Rennie (born Eric Alexander Rennie; 25 August 1909 – 10 June 1971) was a British film, television and stage actor, who had leading roles in a number of Hollywood films, including his portrayal of the space visitor Klaatu in the s ...

and

Wendy Hiller Dame Wendy Margaret Hiller, (15 August 1912 – 14 May 2003) was an English film and stage actress who enjoyed a varied acting career that spanned nearly 60 years. Writer Joel Hirschorn, in his 1984 compilation ''Rating the Movie Stars'', desc ...

. It is based on the 1929 novel '' Brown on Resolution'' by C. S. Forester. Set largely in the

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contine ...

, Hunter stars as a Canadian sailor serving on a British warship who battles single-handedly to delay a German

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

warship long enough for the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

to bring it to battle. The film was released in the United States as ''Sailor of the King''. It was filmed at

Shepperton Studios Shepperton Studios is a film studio located in Shepperton, Surrey, England, with a history dating back to 1931. It is now part of the Pinewood Studios Group. During its early existence, the studio was branded as Sound City (not to be confused ...

near

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

and on location in the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa ...

around

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

. The film's sets were designed by the art director

Alex Vetchinsky Alex Vetchinsky ( Alec Hyman Vetchinsky; 9 November 1904 - 4 March 1980) was a BAFTA nominated British film art director and production designer. He worked on more than a hundred productions during a career that lasted between 1928 and 1974. Vetc ...

An earlier 1935 film '' Forever England'' was based on the same novel and starred

John Mills Sir John Mills (born Lewis Ernest Watts Mills; 22 February 190823 April 2005) was an English actor who appeared in more than 120 films in a career spanning seven decades. He excelled on camera as an appealing British everyman who often portra ...

under

Walter Forde Walter Forde (born Thomas Seymour Woolford, 21 April 1898 – 7 January 1984) was a British actor, screenwriter and director. Born in Lambeth, south London in 1898, he directed over fifty films between 1919 from the silent era through to 1 ...

's direction.

Plot

During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Lieutenant Richard Saville, a young

officer on five days' leave, and Miss Lucinda Bentley, a merchant's daughter from

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

, get talking on the train up to London. Halfway through their journey, they miss their rail connection and spend a romantic holiday in the countryside of southern England. When Saville proposes, she accepts, but on the day they are due to go back to Portsmouth, she changes her mind, asking Saville to realise that neither he nor she could bear being parted for the long periods he would be at sea. They part, seemingly forever. Saville serves out the First World War and the inter-war years and, by the first years of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, he is in command of a

squadron Squadron may refer to: * Squadron (army), a military unit of cavalry, tanks, or equivalent subdivided into troops or tank companies * Squadron (aviation), a military unit that consists of three or four flights with a total of 12 to 24 aircraft, ...

of three cruisers on convoy duty in the Pacific. He receives a message from a British merchantman just before it is sunk by the German

raider Raider(s) may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Paul Revere & the Raiders, an American rock band * "Raider", a track from the 1969 album '' Farewell Aldebaran'', by Judy Henske and Jerry Yester * "Raiders", a track from the 1987 album '' Young a ...

''Essen'', but HMS ''Stratford'', the flagship of Saville's squadron is too low on fuel for pursuit and the convoy cannot be left unguarded. Saville decides to remain with the convoy while his other two ships - HMS ''Amesbury'' and HMS ''Cambridge'' - chase after the raider. ''Cambridge'' then has to stop to pick up survivors from the merchantman, leaving the ''Amesbury'' on her own. ''Amesbury'' finds and attacks the ''Essen'', scoring a major torpedo hit on the ''Essen''’s bow, but is sunk with the loss of all but two hands, Petty Officer Wheatley and Signalman Andrew 'Canada' Brown. Brown is the son of a mother keen on the navy and thus knows more about naval tactics, strategy and gunnery than most of his rank. The ''Essen'' picks up the two survivors. Meanwhile, news of the ''Amesbury''’s fate reaches Saville in the ''Stratford''. Saville decides to take a risk and go after the ''Essen'' with ''Cambridge''. While the ''Essen'' is anchored in a rocky lagoon for 36 hours to carry out repairs, Brown manages to escape to the heights around the lagoon with a rifle, Having won marksmanship prizes, he proceeds to pick off sailors working on the repairs, leading the ''Essen''’s captain to use his ship's AA guns and then big guns in a vain attempt to dislodge Brown. Finally, he sends a party of marines to hunt Brown down, but just as they are about to kill him, they are recalled and the ''Essen'' departs. Brown collapses, seriously wounded. As the ''Essen'' leaves the lagoon, she is caught and sunk by Saville's force. One of her survivors informs the British of Brown's exploits, which delayed repairs for 18 hours, thus enabling the British to catch up with them. A landing party is sent ashore from Saville's force to find him.

Alternate endings

The film is unusual for its period in that, for the American version, two different endings were filmed, one in which Brown survives and another in which he is killed. These were both shown in cinemas and audiences were asked to choose their favourite one. Both endings are also shown when the film is broadcast on British television (e.g. FilmFour).

First ending

The landing party searches the island for Brown, as the camera pans to his apparently dead body. The action then cuts to

and an honours investiture, where Saville receives a knighthood for his actions. Brown was found dead by the landing party and is awarded a

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

posthumously, presented to his mother. She is revealed to be the former Lucinda Bentley, who had moved to Canada after her tryst with Saville. She and Saville meet before she goes to accept her son's medal.

Second ending

The action cuts straight from the German survivor to an honours investiture in London, where Brown, who has in this version survived to receive his VC, meets Saville. Brown tells Saville that his English mother - to whom he owes his joining the navy - is living in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...

and unable to make it to the ceremony (though whether or not she is Lucinda is not revealed). Saville informs Brown that he is to be his signaller on their next posting, on the north Atlantic convoy routes. They will both probably get a chance to see his mother in Canada. The pair then stand to attention as the

national anthem A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and Europea ...

plays.

Cast

* Jeffrey Hunter as Signalman Andrew 'Canada' Brown *

as Lieutenant / Captain Richard Saville * Peter van Eyck as Kapitan Ludwig von Falk *

as Lucinda Bentley *

Bernard Lee John Bernard Lee (10 January 190816 January 1981) was an English actor, best known for his role as M in the first eleven Eon-produced James Bond films. Lee's film career spanned the years 1934 to 1979, though he had appeared on stage from ...

as Petty Officer Wheatley *

Victor Maddern Victor Jack Maddern (16 March 1928 – 22 June 1993) was an English actor. He was described by ''The Telegraph'' as having "one of the most distinctive and eloquent faces in post-war British cinema." Life and career Born in Seven Kings, ...

as Signalman Willy Earnshaw * John Horsley as Commander John Willis *

Patrick Barr Patrick David Barr (13 February 1908 – 29 August 1985) was an English actor. In his career spanning over half a century, he appeared in about 144 films and television series. Biography Born in Akola, British India in 1908, Barr was educate ...

as Captain Tom Ashley, HMS Amesbury *

Robin Bailey William Henry Mettam "Robin" Bailey (5 October 1919 – 14 January 1999) was an English actor. He was born in Hucknall, Nottinghamshire. Often cast in upper class and tradition-bound roles such as Mr Justice Graves in Thames Television's '' ...

as Lieutenant John Stafford, HMS Stratford *

Joan Hickson Joan Bogle Hickson, OBE (5 August 1906 – 17 October 1998) was an English actress of theatre, film and television. She was known for her role as Agatha Christie's Miss Marple in the television series ''Miss Marple''. She also narrated a number ...

as Hotel Manager *

Lockwood West Harry Lockwood West (28 July 1905 – 28 March 1989) was a British actor. He was the father of actor Timothy West and the grandfather of actor Samuel West. Life and career West was born in Birkenhead, Cheshire, England in 1905, the son of Mildr ...

as Lieutenant Marsh *

Guido Lorraine Guido Lorraine (2 September 1912 – 31 December 2009) was a Polish-born actor, musician and singer, known primarily for his roles in war films. He was also sometimes known by the stage name Guy Borucki. Lorraine appeared in twenty-eight films ...

as German Officer * James Copeland as Chief Engineer *

Sam Kydd Samuel John Kydd (15 February 1915 – 26 March 1982) was a British-Irish actor. His best-known roles were in two major British television series of the 1960s, as the smuggler Orlando O'Connor in '' Crane'' and its sequel ''Orlando''. He als ...

as Second signalman * Victor Hagan as Station Master *

Lowell Gilmore Lowell Gilmore (20 December 1906 – 31 January 1960) was an American stage, film and television actor. Life and career Lowell Gilmore first worked as a stage manager on the 1929 Broadway play ''The First Mrs. Fraser'', but got his chance as a ...

as Emissary of the King (American version) *The officers and men of , , and .

Ships used

The plays both the fictional Royal Navy ships HMS ''Amesbury'' and HMS ''Stratford''. As ''Amesbury'' she is sunk by the more powerful German raider ''Essen'', and as ''Stratford'' she triumphs at the end of the story. HMS ''Cleopatra'' herself had a distinguished war record, as she was Admiral Vian's flagship at the

Second Battle of Sirte The Second Battle of Sirte (on 22 March 1942) was a naval engagement in the Mediterranean Sea, north of the Gulf of Sidra and southeast of Malta, during the Second World War. The escorting warships of a British convoy to Malta held off a much ...

, when she was one of four light cruisers which drove off the and two heavy cruisers in one of the major cruiser actions of the war. The film's battle sequences depict this light cruiser firing her guns and torpedoes in some detail. HMS Manxman 1945 IWM FL 4437

The raider ''Essen'' is portrayed by , a fast minelaying cruiser, fitted for the film with large mock-up gun turrets over her 4" guns. The torpedo damage which forces her delay at Resolution Island is simply painted on the side of her port bow. With three enlarged raked funnels, she looks more like a First World War vessel than any of the German Second World War surface raiders, but she is sufficiently different in appearance not to be mistaken for the British ships. The scenes when she is holed up for repairs were filmed in the semi-circular Dwejra bay, guarded by Fungus Rock on the west coast of

Gozo Island Gozo (, ), Maltese: ''Għawdex'' () and in antiquity known as Gaulos ( xpu, 𐤂𐤅𐤋, ; grc, Γαῦλος, Gaúlos), is an island in the Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. The island is part of the Republic of Malta. After th ...

. The ship's captain, John Trevor Lean D.S.O., played the part of the navigator in the film as he had to be on the bridge at all times. Several of the ship's company also took part as extras, dressed in German uniforms. The crew of is credited in the opening titles; she herself is seen in a few distant shots in company with two Dido-class cruisers, and her triple 6" guns are depicted when ''Essen'' fires her main armament at the island in an attempt to dislodge Brown.

Production

The film was originally known as ''Able Seaman Brown''. It was an early star role for Jeffrey Hunter, who was the only American in the cast. The lead character was changed to Canadian to accommodate his accent. British actors' union Equity opposed the casting of an American in a British film. The role of Hunter's mother was originally to have been played by Celia Johnson. She was replaced by

. Filming began in London on 22 September 1952 with location filming on Malta. Producer Frank McCarthy knew Lord Mountbatten which enabled him to secure the co-operation of the British admiralty, especially as Mountbatten admired the novel. It was the first American film shot on real British naval ships.How Hunter Took Britain!: Jeff Hunter Hopper, Hedda. Chicago Daily Tribune, 12 July 1953: F9. They used the ships HMS Glasgow, HMS Cleopatra and

HMS Manxman Two ships of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS ''Manxman'', after the term for an inhabitant of the Isle of Man ) , anthem = " O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsiz ...

- the latter was disguised as the German raider. The studio had to cover the cost of fuel.

References

External links

* * * {{Boulting brothers 1953 films 1953 war films 20th Century Fox films British black-and-white films British war films 1950s English-language films Films based on British novels Films based on military novels Films based on works by C. S. Forester Films directed by Roy Boulting Films scored by Clifton Parker Films set in the 1910s Films set in the 1940s Films set in London Films set on the United Kingdom home front during World War I Royal Navy in World War II films Pacific War films Remakes of British films 1950s British films