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San Demetrio London (1943)

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2 reviews

Movie review

From Time Out Film Guide

A prototype docudrama, still inspiring in its fusion of entertainment and wartime propaganda, produced by Michael Balcon at Ealing Studios and co-directed by Robert Hamer after Frend fell ill. The San Demetrio is an oil tanker, critically damaged by German gunfire in mid-Atlantic and abandoned to the flames by its crew, then heroically salvaged and brought safely home by part of the same crew when they happen on it, still floating, after drifting for three days in a lifeboat. The ship, in fact, becomes a microcosm or a symbol of the war: the ship is Island Britain, almost sunk (Dunkirk), its salvage the Churchillian ethos in action, with all hands pulling together and without a pompous officer chappie ordering people around. There is even an American aboard (Beatty) to make it an Allied victory. A fascinating and rather neglected picture.

Author: ATu

Time Out Film Guide

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User reviews of this film

b,hickford said...

Posted on May 16 2009 15:47 I live in Chalk Village near Gravesend Kent and i am a plumber. About 8 years ago my neighbour Peter who was in his seventies . He worked as a camera in the film industry he told me that one of his old films was on channel 4 on thrusday night. well on the tuesday of that week I was working for Mr laurance Dunn the ship photographer who lived in gravesend. I told him about the the film was going to be channel 4. He left the room and went into his office come dark room came back about ten minutes laterwith 4 photographs of the San Dometrio. He was the official naval photographer sent up to liverpool to take of the San Demetrio so the white Star line could try to stop the crew from claiming salvage on the ship.
I watched the film on the Thursday grate film 6 stars

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donald anderson said...

Posted on Jan 08 2008 19:01 This film was the first 'Adult' film that my father took me to see during the WW2. I was then about 9yrs. old. We lived in Liverpool and had suffered the German bombing. The story of the San Demetrio was totally believeable and so typical of the convoy attacks we heard about so often in Liverpool. I recently came across a copy of the film and it brought so many memories back from my childhood.
An excellent Film in every respect and wonderful propoganda to inspire our people.

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