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318:"reconstructed" the film (rather than "directed"). As with other documentary films produced by the Crown Film Unit during the war, this desire for realism led to the use of "real people" in place of professional actors. When the film was originally shot, professional actors had been used for the roles of the lightship's crew, but producer
360:, a reviewer considered that it had cinematic merit outside of its propaganda value, commenting on the "grim realism" of the work and concluding that the film was an "absolutely first-class job of work" and a "credit to everyone concerned in its production". The film's realism was also mentioned in a review in
301:
decided to use this event for propaganda purposes, to portray
Germany as a barbaric enemy and thus encourage support of the war effort against them. The film ends with the narrator concluding: "The Nazis must be stopped. We must, we can, we will stop them." Central to this propaganda aim of the film
225:
In 1940, the East
Dudgeon lightship's seven-man crew are waiting for the arrival of another crew to relieve them of their duties so they can return home. While they are waiting, a momentary danger is encountered and dealt with: a drifting mine comes perilously close to the ship and the crew call for
208:
The filmmakers attempted to recreate the original incident as realistically as possible; the crew of the lightship is composed of real lightship men rather than professional actors. The realism of the film was praised in press reviews upon its release, and it was considered one of the best
British
432:
had been approached as possible distributors for the film in the U.S., but had both declined, suggesting that the film in its current state was unsuitable for an
American audience. Alfred Hitchcock was subsequently approached to explore the possibility of adapting the narration, using an American
322:
contacted David MacDonald during the film's production, asking him to re-shoot the sections containing professional actors because he thought they were "totally unconvincing", in contrast with the "splendid" performances of the amateurs. These scenes were then re-filmed with real lightship men.
31:
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is that of sacrifices for the war effort being made by ordinary working class citizens. To support this end, the characters in the film are developed to show their everyday concerns and activities, including the upcoming wedding of one crew member, and the pet tortoise owned by another.
330:
officials. The suggestion was that additional propaganda value could be added to the film's narrative if the German aircraft were shot down by RAF aircraft. This idea was rejected by the filmmakers, although the RAF still assisted with the reconstruction of the attack, lending two
302:
is the idea that the German aircraft are violating the traditional wartime convention that lightships should be protected as neutral, as they are undefended ships that serve all vessels regardless of the nationality of their crew. Another propaganda theme supported by
370:... turns out to be inexplicably a better means of attaining reality than any skilled imitation." This reviewer also considered the attack to be "astonishingly vivid". Writing in anticipation of the film's distribution in Australia, Betty Wilson in
237:
aircraft fly overhead. To the men's surprise, the aircraft begin firing at them with machine guns, wounding the captain in the arm. As the attack intensifies, and the aircraft begin to drop bombs, the entire crew manage to escape the vessel on a
397:
praised the film's realism, stating: "It is difficult to believe you are not watching the real lightship and its crew, so natural is the acting of the cast, so vivid the action scenes."
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The high praise received for the film meant that some cinemas in the United
Kingdom listed it as the main feature. In a survey of propaganda shorts conducted by
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The escaped crew row during the night in an attempt to reach the shore. Before they can land the boat, the lifeboat capsizes and overcome by tiredness, the men
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on 29 January 1940 and was designed to portray
Germany as a barbaric enemy. An opening narration explains the traditional understanding of
447:. The modified version of the film was distributed by Twentieth-Century Fox in 1941. Hitchcock also later oversaw the editing of the film
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described it as "the best propaganda film
England has put out this war", "worth half a dozen films of the calibre of
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During production, the makers of the film sought to recreate the original event as completely as possible, and the
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in 1940, the year after the beginning of the Second World War. It dramatises the bombing of the East
Dudgeon
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narrator. As well as supervising the editing process, Hitchcock funded the project at a cost of $ 4,428.
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Not all the crewmen died as shown in the film. John
Sanders of Great Yarmouth was the sole survivor.
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The filmmakers cast real lightship men rather than professional actors. The only identified actor is
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was based on a real incident that happened to the East
Dudgeon lightship on 29 January 1940. The
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When the film was released in Australia in early 1941, it was met with a positive reception. In
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An alternative ending, not consistent with the course of the original incident, was proposed by
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was also distributed in America in 1941, in an edited version produced under the supervision of
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stated that it was "the best British documentary film I have yet seen". In the trade magazine
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was distributed in the United States. It was released in an edited version under the title
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283:(1937), as well as appearing as an actor in four other productions between 1942 and 1945.
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242:. The efforts of the German bombers eventually result in the lightship sinking.
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The Encyclopedia of Alfred Hitchcock: From Alfred Hitchcock Presents to Vertigo
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474:"BFI Filmstore: If War Should Come: The GPO Film Unit Collection Volume 3."
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Half the Battle: Civilian Morale in Britain During the Second World War.
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was one of the best rated titles, receiving only positive responses.
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722:(Library of Great Filmmakers). New York: Facts on File Inc., 2002.
472:. The collection of 18 films cover the period 1939–1941.<ref>
260:
249:. A new lightship is then stationed in place of the sunken vessel.
391:, it was described as a "tensely thrilling and moving document".
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Madison, New Jersey: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, 2001.
16:
1940 British wartime propaganda film directed by David MacDonald
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This Is England: British Film and the People's War, 1939–1945.
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437:, who co-wrote the screenplay for the 1940 Hitchcock film
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North Stratford, New Hampshire: Ayer Publishing, 1972.
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739:Manchester, UK: Manchester University Press, 2002.
808:Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1989.
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804:The British Documentary Film Movement, 1926–1946
233:Later, while the crew are gathered on deck, two
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416:As with many other British propaganda films,
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38:was included in a re-release as part of the
632:, 8 February 1941. Retrieved: 9 April 2012.
617:, 3 February 1941. Retrieved: 8 April 2012.
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790:London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1987.
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570:"Gaumont Cinema: 'Men of the Lightship'."
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264:Screenshot of the attack on the lightship
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453:. On both occasions, he was uncredited.
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350:and general press. A reviewer in the
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209:propaganda films of the period.
1556:British short documentary films
787:Mass-Observation at the Movies.
756:New York: HarperCollins, 2004.
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464:is included on Volume 3 of the
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346:was highly praised by both the
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605:
535:"Men of the Lightship (1940)."
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1:
1581:1940s short documentary films
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687:McGilligan 2004, pp. 280–281.
630:The Australian Women's Weekly
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910:It's Never Too Late to Mend
525:Rattigan 2001, pp. 279–283.
256:Screenshot of the lightship
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597:" 'Men of the Lightship'."
586:Huntley 1972, pp. 107–108.
468:GPO Film Unit Collection,
280:The Saving of Bill Blewitt
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627:"Men of the Lightship."
612:"Men of the Lightship."
299:Ministry of Information
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189:Ministry of Information
1586:1940 documentary films
966:Dead Men Tell No Tales
543:British Film Institute
265:
257:
1566:Crown Film Unit films
750:McGilligan, Patrick.
615:Sydney Morning Herald
435:Robert Emmet Sherwood
426:Twentieth-Century Fox
263:
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1483:Men of the Lightship
1267:List of lightvessels
1118:Devil Girl from Mars
1062:Christopher Columbus
1014:Men of the Lightship
840:Men of the Lightship
829:Men of the Lightship
659:Leitch 2002, p. 209.
650:MacKay 2002, p. 179.
462:Men of the Lightship
418:Men of the Lightship
406:Men of the Lightship
344:Men of the Lightship
304:Men of the Lightship
295:Men of the Lightship
211:Men of the Lightship
176:Men of the Lightship
36:Men of the lightship
24:Men of the Lightship
1291:Lightship Nantucket
1142:Three Cornered Fate
704:British Film Music.
670:"Hitchcock at War."
556:Swann 1989, p. 163.
422:Men of Lightship 61
83:Frank "Jonah" Jones
1174:Alias John Preston
1054:The Bad Lord Byron
880:Films directed by
718:Leitch, Thomas M.
668:Parkinson, David.
470:If War Should Come
450:Target for Tonight
379:The Lion Has Wings
320:Alberto Cavalcanti
314:note the director
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92:Stewart McAllister
74:Alberto Cavalcanti
40:If War Should Come
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1214:The Golden Rabbit
1206:Petticoat Pirates
974:This Man in Paris
958:This Man Is News
814:978-0-521-33479-2
796:978-0-7102-0878-1
745:978-0-7190-5894-3
713:978-0-405-03897-6
673:focusfeatures.com
445:Robert Montgomery
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1379:Finngrundet
1358:Carpentaria
1182:Small Hotel
926:Riding High
457:DVD release
228:minesweeper
179:is a short
70:Produced by
61:David Evans
48:Directed by
1546:1940 films
1540:Categories
1477:Lighthouse
1428:Portsmouth
1393:Gedser Rev
1365:Chesapeake
1078:Cairo Road
483:References
290:Production
203:lightships
109:Production
65:Alan Hodge
58:Written by
1450:Swiftsure
1421:Overfalls
1413:Nantucket
1408:(Helwick)
1038:Snowbound
572:The Times
488:Citations
363:The Times
339:Reception
335:bombers.
235:Luftwaffe
198:Luftwaffe
193:lightship
88:Edited by
63:Hugh Gray
1515:Category
1372:Columbia
1351:Barnegat
1274:Stations
240:lifeboat
165:Language
98:Music by
1525:Commons
1460:Related
1343:Ambrose
1335:Museums
1316:Ireland
440:Rebecca
312:credits
195:by the
168:English
157:Country
134: (
111:company
1495:Relief
1438:(1950)
1435:Relief
1416:(1936)
1386:Fladen
1346:(1907)
1217:(1962)
1209:(1961)
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269:Cast
221:Plot
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