The Cruel Sea Movie Analysis

Gender is one of the most important parts when talking about social identity in twentieth-century Britain. When watching British war films depicted in these times it is hard to get away from noticing the different roles set upon the genders. When speaking on gender we must take into account the idea that we are talking about, “the meanings that society has made, in political, economic and cultural terms, of masculinity and femininity.” (Brooke 44) The main idea society had made was that men are the ones who are in the battle fighting for their country doing the hard work as ‘breadwinners’ and women being the ones who, “give men hope and something worth fighting for”(Summerfield 346). These ideas were presented in many war films before the Second World War such as “In Which We Serve”. After the Second World War different challenges and social norms on the idea of gender were brought up. This essay will focus on the different aspects of gender roles that are presented in the films, “The Cruel Sea” and “Guns at Batasi”. It will bring up different roles put onto men and women in each film by looking at some of the important characters and how they differ or are similar to one another. In the film “The Cruel Sea” we are able to notice the ideas of the past not changing a great deal. Many gender stereotypes, which are brought up in older movies are retold in different ways in new films produced after the Second World War. Though it differed as the women began to have roles not only in the home but also in armed services during this time. (Brooke 50) The idea was that the role women played was to be the ones to give men hope and have something to fight and come back home to after the war. This is portrayed in different ways throughout the movie, one being with the women by the name of Julie Hallam. In the movie she is a Wren officer who is loyal to her work. Though this differs from many other movies as a women is actually put into a role in the war she is still at the same time used to portray femininity and sensitivity. She ends up becoming a love interest to Lieutenant Lockhart and is the person he comes to when he is suffering from the loss of the boat Compass Rose. (Summerfield 347) We can see in this that even though she may be helping in a role with the war, she and many other women do not have the feeling of loss to something a part of the war such as a boat. They are never shown as being true parts of the war and always as being just someone men can return to after it is done. In contrast to Julie Hallam we can speak on the gender role given to …show more content…
One of these characters who is from, “The Cruel Sea” is Lockhart. When watching the movie we are able to see that though hesitant at first he does want to marry and have a family, which conforms ideas of what a man should have in his life. The problem though is the relationship he has throughout the war with George Ericson. He becomes devoted to his captain and would do anything for him. Different ideas of brotherhood and homosexuality did come from critiques for this but we can see that it was linked to an idea presented in many war and in particular naval war films. (Summerfield 347) This was the idea that, “however important a naval wife may be to her husband she always has a serious rival, namely the ship in which her husband serves.”(Summerfield 337) No matter whom you had at home it was now the war and new lasting bonds were made because of this. War brought on this new relationship with not only commanders, and fellow men but also boats in which they served on. This is what came first and it was portrayed in “The Cruel Sea” in the pain both Lockhart and Ericson shared when they lost their boat but also the choice of sticking as Ericson’s second instead of going to command his own