I am re-watching this film as I write! Whilst this is not a great film and the acting is, with a few exceptions (Kay Walsh, Cecil Parker, Nigel Stock (age 19/20) pretty dire, it is worth watching for the outdoor shots of The Britannia Naval Collage (commonly known as Dartmouth Collage) Devon and of Dartmouth and its surrounds. The steam train still exists as a heritage line (Dartmouth Steam Railway) and in many ways Dartmouth has not changed.
The film was made in expectation of forth coming hostilities, just months before the outbreak of the Second World War. The young 'leading' actors, Simon Lack, Nigel Stock and Peter Shaw (later husband of Angela Lansbury) all joined up, returning to acting (with various degrees of success) after the war. Cecil Parker and Leslie Banks had both served in the First World War, both injured, Leslie Banks suffering the facial injuries which were obvious in all his films.
What I find really very sobering is that the external shots of the cadets at Dartmouth feature the cadets of the day, many of whom would have been commissioned straight into their ships shortly after filming. We see the faces of many young men who would not have survived the war.
Lest We Forget.
The film was made in expectation of forth coming hostilities, just months before the outbreak of the Second World War. The young 'leading' actors, Simon Lack, Nigel Stock and Peter Shaw (later husband of Angela Lansbury) all joined up, returning to acting (with various degrees of success) after the war. Cecil Parker and Leslie Banks had both served in the First World War, both injured, Leslie Banks suffering the facial injuries which were obvious in all his films.
What I find really very sobering is that the external shots of the cadets at Dartmouth feature the cadets of the day, many of whom would have been commissioned straight into their ships shortly after filming. We see the faces of many young men who would not have survived the war.
Lest We Forget.