'Close Quarters' (1943) British Docudrama (not bad!)

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  • Albacore 569
    Commander

    • Sep 2020
    • 410

    'Close Quarters' (1943) British Docudrama (not bad!)




    British docudrama propaganda film 'Close Quarters' made in 1943. I thought it was an impressive little film & should be a help to British WW2 submarine modelers. (pause images for close ups of bridges etc.).

    It is a no nonsense straight forward film, past the political why we fight stuff. By the time this film was made sure that was no longer necessary. Filmed in a real T class (first group) submarine (HMS Tribune plays the fictional submarine HMS Tyrant) and on a submarine tender (HMS Forth) in Holy Loch.

    You get the feel and rhythm and - interestingly to me the sounds very well on the boat. Absent is the usual cliche' rolling and being thrown back and forth depth charging. The depth charging is steady but distant, the boat steady and solid. Whether that was because the film couldn't afford a budget to do many scenes like that or reflects the Kriegmarines terrible failure at their anti-submarine efforts during WW2. Or they didn't want to scare off any potential submariner volunteers in the audience.

    Most British subs historically were lost more due to mines.

    When the sub makes a torpedo attack you interestingly see the officer standing in front of the 'fruit machine' - their colloquial name for the British TDC (Torpedo data computer). So, the scene conveys what's happening without really showing anything.

    Happy these little jewels of film have been preserved. The music is great too. It doesn't have the great composer like the famous Ralph Vaughn Williams like in a similar Film 'Coastal Command' (1943) about a Sunderland flaying boat crew on ASW patrols, but incidental music great still. Good film, especially compared to the new style of documentaries on TV that suck and choke off any life with too many commercials, where the shallow documentary's story could really be told in 5 minutes.

    HMS Tribune (N76) - Wikipedia

    Click image for larger version  Name:	HMS-Tribune-fiming-1943-IWM-D-13211.jpg Views:	0 Size:	79.0 KB ID:	183667
    Filming on HMS Tribune (1943)


    Click image for larger version  Name:	HMS-Tribune.jpg Views:	0 Size:	57.4 KB ID:	183668

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    Part of the 3rd Submarine Flotilla photo taken from HMS Forth at Holy Loch 1943. Moored outside is the HMS Graph, the Ex U570. captured intact in 1941.
    Last edited by Albacore 569; 10-28-2024, 12:59 PM.
  • vital.spark
    Commander

    • May 2010
    • 290

    #2
    Great flick, thanks for posting!

    Comment

    • rwtdiver
      Vice Admiral

      • Feb 2019
      • 1869

      #3
      I was looking around for some good YouTube submarines movies and stumbled on this movie last night! Good movie and very informative as to how sub life was like for the British Naval personnel!

      Rob
      "Firemen can stand the heat."

      Comment

      • Albacore 569
        Commander

        • Sep 2020
        • 410

        #4
        Stills I took from film of various details.

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        Click image for larger version

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ID:	183760

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