Review of We Dive At Dawn

Introduction

We Dive At Dawn is a World War II film made in 1943 - during the war and features the British submarine "Sea Tiger" and her crew who are recalled from long-awaited shore leave to go on a secret mission to destroy the German warship "Brandenberg".

To get their, they must journey to the Baltic and negotiate the German fleet and mines and finally face the "Brandenberg" and her defences.

Video

Video comes in full-frame black and white, and as you might image is looks every year of its 58-year vintage. The image is extremely dirty, with a great deal of specks on the print at all times - but the image isn`t too grainy, although it is a little bright at times. The picture isn`t particularly crisp or detailed either.

In 1943, it obviously wasn`t sensible to go out on the high seas in a submarine to make a film, or the Germans would sink you. Instead we are "treated" to a conning tower built in the studio and some hilariously poor rear projection, that isn`t in focus most of the time. Also used are various long shots of submarines and other vessels. Some of the rear projection doesn`t actually tie in with what you see in the next shot, so obviously continuity was not of prime concern!

Audio

The sound comes in Dolby Digital Mono, and unsurprisingly given the age of the movie isn`t great at times, with a distinctly low-fidelity sound. The voices are generally clear, even given the usual 40s squeaky voices!

Features

The only extra is a trailer for the "Silver Collection", also complimented by the insert, which details other movies in the range as well as the fifteen chapter breaks.

Conclusion

Overall, for a World War II film made during World War II, this is not too bad and is pretty light-hearted at times as the overly cheerful crew go about their duties. There`s not much suspense or excitement, not helped by the use of the studio and rear projection, and whilst the movie may have helped keep up spirits during the war, if you want to watch submarine movies now, there are plenty of more appealing alternatives.

The video is pretty dismal due to the amount of dirt on the print, and the sound is only adequate. There are no extras, and despite the low price, the film is probably one to look out for on TV instead of buying.