Film Review: Action in the North Atlantic (1943)

Logistics is one of the least glamorous yet the most essential aspects of war. One of the rare Hollywood works to recognise this is Action in the North Atlantic, 1943 war action film directed by Lloyd Bacon.

The plot takes place during Second World War and begins on SS Morning Star, American oil tanker which is commanded by US Merchant Marine Captain Steve Jarvis (played by Raymond Massey), whose best friend is ship’s first officer Joe Rossi (played by Humphrey Bogart). The ship get torpedoed by German U-Boat and survivors forced to cling to the raft for eleven days in the middle of Atlantic before being rescued. After recovering, Jarvis is given command of SS Seawitch, newly built Liberty ship, and reunited with Rossi and most of his old crew. Ship is armed and given small crew of US Navy servicemen to man the guns, which isn’t surprising due to nature of its mission. SS Seawitch is sent to Halifax, where it would join massive convoy tasked for delivering aircraft, tanks and other vital supplies to Soviet Union. Its destination is Soviet Arctic port of Murmansk, which means that SS Seawitch has to pass through gauntlet made of U-boat packs, as well as from Luftwaffe planes operating out of occupied Norway. When convoy gets attacked, it is dispersed and, since Jarvis have been ordered to maintain radio silence at all cost, his crew, which is being pursued by a U-boat, must find way to get to Murmansk alone.

Made during the war, Action in the North Atlantic is the film that wears its propaganda purpose proudly on its sleeve. It begins and ends with a quote by US President Franklin D. Roosevelt about importance of logistics, characters use every opportunity to remind themselves and audience that the work of US Merchant Marine is essential for war effort and the convoy, made of numerous ships under different flags, is powerful symbol of the whole world being united against Nazi Germany and its allies. Film not only praises US Merchant Marine servicemen, but also sailors and even takes pains to show its union at work in a scene that would later bring problems to scriptwriter John Howard Lawson, who would be accused for infusing Hollywood films with Communist propaganda during McCarthy era.

Even with such content limitations, Action in the North Atlantic is surprisingly good film. The beginning, which features some breathtaking action during ship being torpedoed and crew fighting for their lives, is a triumph of special effects and good stunt work. Due to wartime regulations, producers were banned of shooting at sea so the film was entirely made in studios that included gigantic water tanks, with much of the naval action being reconstructed with the use of miniature models. These scenes nevertheless look quite impressive for 1940s standards, and they are even more impressive if we take into account that director Lloyd Bacon left the set over the contract dispute and film had to be finished by uncredited Byron Haskin and Raoul Walsh.

Action in the North Atlantic features ensemble cast, with Humphrey Bogart, who was nominally the biggest star, being quite relaxed while playing second fiddle to character actor Raymond Massey. The set of characters with different ethnicities gives opportunity for many good character actors, with young Dane Clark standing out as Polish American sailor who reluctantly decides to rejoin his comrades when they venture back at sea. Some subplots in the middle look cliched and unneccessary, like those involving female characters – Jarvis’ loyal wife played by Ruth Gordon and vampish bar singer played by Julie Bishop. But, Action in the North Atlantic even with such flaws delivers the goods and most fans of old school action films would appreciate it despite being two hours of propaganda.

RATING: 7/10 (+++)

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