I use the word classic loosely, as this is a pretty serviceable early-mid-60s war movie, which is clearly meant to highlight Kennedy's fame. In many ways, I find it appealing because of its lack of cynicism compared to modern films. Kennedy is nothing but a stoic hero through the story, which shows him being the bulwark on which his crew can rely.
Whether that is true or not is harder to tell. The performances all around are pretty good. I'd seen this a few times as a teen back in the early 90s, and revisiting it now in 2022 I think two performances really stand out: James Gregory as Commander Ritchie, and the sailor who loses his temper after the stranding. In the former, Gregory portrays an old has-been whose motivations are misunderstood by the young men around him. He does a great job of bucking this, and portraying a generation who looked at 'the greatest generation' with spite we now see aimed at our current youth. Humans don't really change, do we?
In the latter, we see a man driven to his limit, who later tearfully apologizes for his lack of courage and faith to Kennedy. In our modern era of stoic (Kennedy-like?) manly heroes, I found it refreshing to see an older film not afraid to show a man be emotional. Is this mid-60s wokeness? Or did we always have such emotions? Either way, I think it's a reminder that when the going gets tough, not everyone copes with the situation in the way that we all wish we could.
Whether that is true or not is harder to tell. The performances all around are pretty good. I'd seen this a few times as a teen back in the early 90s, and revisiting it now in 2022 I think two performances really stand out: James Gregory as Commander Ritchie, and the sailor who loses his temper after the stranding. In the former, Gregory portrays an old has-been whose motivations are misunderstood by the young men around him. He does a great job of bucking this, and portraying a generation who looked at 'the greatest generation' with spite we now see aimed at our current youth. Humans don't really change, do we?
In the latter, we see a man driven to his limit, who later tearfully apologizes for his lack of courage and faith to Kennedy. In our modern era of stoic (Kennedy-like?) manly heroes, I found it refreshing to see an older film not afraid to show a man be emotional. Is this mid-60s wokeness? Or did we always have such emotions? Either way, I think it's a reminder that when the going gets tough, not everyone copes with the situation in the way that we all wish we could.