In the Mediterranean in 1941 the Italians start using underwater chariots to mine the undersides of allied ships. Explosives expert Lionel Crabbe arrives in Gibraltar to organize defenses, but finds only two British divers available to help him. Even more worrying, it seems likely that the Italians are secretly using neutral Spain across the bay as their key base. In the Mediterranean in 1941 the Italians start using underwater chariots to mine the undersides of allied ships. Explosives expert Lionel Crabbe arrives in Gibraltar to organise defenses, but finds only two British divers available to help him. Even more worrying, it seems likely that the Italians are secretly using neutral Spain across the bay as their key base. A superb wartime adventure, the Silent Enemy is the true story of Lieutenant Crabbe, a Royal Navy bomb and mine disposal officer sent to Gibraltar on a urgent mission to undo damage being inflicted on the fleet by sly Italian frogmen led by a brilliant underwater engineer. Though he has never dived before Crabbe takes to the underwater world like a fish, and with the help of a plucky NCO and dedicated but tiny band of men turns back the hidden menace. Crabbe and his courageous crew ultimately stop the Italian 10th Flotilla divers from turning the tide of the war.<br/><br/>Characters and acting are sharp. Cinematography and staging on land and especially underwater are very good. Writing is great too. The military historical significance is that these underwater demolition techniques and technologies are the precursors of modern Navy SEALs, Special Boat Squads, etc. The movie significance is that the characters and plot elements foreshadow every James Bond and action movie that's ever had frogmen, underwater fight scenes, secret ships, mini-subs, or stealty sub-surface saboteurs. Being drawn from real life, I found The Silent Enemy even more compelling. The Brits produced some fine war films in the late 40s and 50s, and this one is watchable. Lawrence Harvey leads a team of underwater demolition men against the Italian frogmen who are attaching mines to ships in the harbor at Gibralter and blowing them up. The climax comes when a large convoy arrives and pauses for a few days before bringing supplies and reenforcements to the Eighth Army in North Africa. The Italian unit, just across the border in Algeciras, Spain, a neutral country, is bound to attack it. Can they be stopped? Harvey and his mates are going to give it a try.<br/><br/>This doesn't meet the criteria for polish and effect met by some other films of the period – say, "The Dam Busters" or "Dunkirk", but if it's long and tiring, it has some things going for it. Lawrence Harvey is surprisingly good at the real-life Lieutenant Crabbe. Sid James is first rate as the Chief Petty Officer who brusquely but kindly teaches the team how to carry on. Dawn Addams, as a Wren officer, is delicious but has little to do. The tension of the training and the missions is leavened with some humor. Addams is leading the team to their quarters in a crumbling old fort. "That's a proper bastion," observes one of the men. James: "Watch your language – ladies present!" In its early years, the war between the Brits and the Italians was often a gentlemanly affair and that's reflected in this film. We get to know the members of the Italian unit. And when one of their casualties is found by Harvey, the corpse is buried at sea with ritual respect. <br/><br/>In North Africa, the Italians surrendered in droves, as many did in Sicily. Not because of cowardice but because Mussolini had gotten the nation into an increasingly unpopular war and because many Italians of the time owed their allegiance less to the state than to primary institutions like the family. In "The Godfather," Sonny Corleone makes the same point when he twits Michael for joining the Marine Corps. There were of course some excellent men fighting for Italy, especially a number of daredevils in the air force.<br/><br/>The fronts in North Africa shifted back and forth and captured men from both sides went "in the bag." One was an Italian nobleman. The Italian government offered a ransom for his return – I forget the amount – but it was so small that the exalted POW was insulted at the amount and refused to return to Italy. Better to lose freedom than dignity.<br/><br/>So, though it's no masterpiece, not "The Cruel Sea," neither is it as bad as some others of the time, like "The Gift Horse." And it has its exciting moments.
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