Action in the North Atlantic (1943) ***

Release Date: May 21, 1943

Running Time: 127 minutes

Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Raymond Massey

Directed By: Lloyd Bacon, Byron Haskin and Raoul Walsh

Action in the North Atlantic is the type of film designed to promote volunteering for active service during the ongoing World War. It is filled with daring heroics as well as patriotic sermonizing, having one character make a selfish statement about staying home and avoiding the conflict only to have several other men preach to him, and to the audience, about how conflicts like this are about more than just the individual. It reeks of propagandizing, yet it manages to not sink underneath all that veneer. Through all its rah rahing about civic duty and self sacrifice, it never skips over the very human dramas of the lives of the men doing these things.

The film begins with the SS Northern Star, an oil tanker under the command of Steve Jarvis (Raymond Massey) and his friend and first officer Joe Rossi (Humphrey Bogart). The ship is attacked and sunk by a German U-Boat and the few survivors are cast adrift for eleven days. Upon rescue, most of the survivors seek out another assignment which ends up being the SS Sea Witch, part of a convoy made up of ships from a multitude of nations bringing war supplies to the Soviet port of Murmansk. Prior to taking command of the Sea Witch, Jarvis spends some much needed time at home with his long suffering but understanding wife. Rossi, on the other hand, meets a women singing at a cafe and, against his usual inclinations, gets married. His new bride, Pearl (Julie Bishop), knows he will have to ship out soon but struggles with the idea of being alone and maybe losing her new husband. An understanding Jarvis gives Pearl the phone number to his his own wife with the understanding the two women can support and comfort each other.

While transporting the supplies on board the Sea Witch, attacks come from several U-Boats forcing the ships to scatter and leading the Sea Witch to get separated from the convoy. This leads to plenty of losses on both sides and a deadly cat and mouse game between the Sea Witch and a persistent U-Boat intent on sinking them.

There is a lot of spectacle on display here. This is evident right from the start as we get a prolonged sequence involving the sinking of the Northern Star. Oil is spilled into the ocean and fire rages everywhere, including on top of the water. Men struggle to escape, only to be killed by the very water they are escaping to. One man gives his life rescuing another who has gotten trapped in his quarters during the bombardment. The two make it off the ship and into the water but only one escapes the flames and makes it to safety. It is harrowing and a clear message about self sacrifice. Later scenes with the convoy are equally as engaging if not quite as intense.

The two leads, Bogart and Massey do good jobs at humanizing their characters in no small part thanks to their spouses at home. All the self sacrifice and courage talk would do no good if we never saw what the potential consequences were back home. It is a clever touch that should have been played out even more but is limited primarily to the few minutes in between the Northern Star and the Sea Witch. Massey portrays Jarvis as a firm, yet human Captain with genuine affection for his first officer. When he sees Rossi with Pearl, not understanding Rossi has just gotten married, he is stern and dismissive of her, thinking his friend has wasted money and time on another harbor fling. Once he sees that the two are married and in love he is immediately retentive of his reaction and warmly welcomes the women as a part of their inner circle. Bogart is a little more stiff, delivering his lines with confidence and authority but occasionally stumbling whenever he is called upon to sermonize.

What it all boils down to is a film with a very basic story that fills it out with human drama and a lot of grand standing. It goes down smoother thanks to some great performances and more than a few quirky characters that round out the crew. It plays like a propaganda film while making sure not to drown out the humanity in it all. This makes for a decent war drama if not quite a masterpiece.