Morning Departure

Morning Departure Photos

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Cast

Richard Attenborough
as Stoker Snipe

John Mills
as Lt. Cmdr. Armstrong

Nigel Patrick
as Lt. Manson

Andrew Crawford
as Lt. McFee

Helen Cherry
as Helen

Lana Morris
as Rose Snipe

Michael Brennan
as CPO Barlow

James Hayter
as AB Higgins

Wylie Watson
as AB Nobby Clark

Giacomo Rossi-Stuart
as Leading Seaman Kelly

Roddy McMillan
as Leading Seaman Andrews

Frank Coburn
as Leading Seaman Brough

Peter Hammond
as Sub/Lt. Oakley

Victor Maddern
as L/Tig. Hillbrook

George Cole
as E.R.A. Marks

Bernard Lee
as Cmdr. Gates

Kenneth More
as Lt. Cmdr. James

Alistair Hunter
as Capt. Jenner

George Thorpe
as Capt. Fenton

Alastair Hunter
as Captain Jenner

Zena Marshall
as WREN

Arthur Sandifer
as (uncredited)

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Critic Reviews for Morning Departure

Audience Reviews for Morning Departure

• May 13, 2012

  "Morning Departure" starts with Lieutenant Commander Peter Armstrong(John Mills) being woken up from a restful slumber by the cries of his infant child. While he is getting dressed, his wife Helen(Helen Cherry) takes the time to talk to him about the opportunity of becoming a manager in one of her father's factories which he is very reluctant about, even though this is now peacetime. That having been said, there are still naval duties to perform like this morning's training cruise on a submarine. Everything goes as planned for the first few hours until a mine is spotted. Even after evasive maneuvers, there is still an explosion that only leaves 12 out of the original 65 crewmen alive, with the survivors stranded at the bottom of the sea. Amazingly, Armstrong announces a rescue plan that sounds simple enough. Now, they just have to wait, sleep or break out the Parcheesi board... "Morning Departure" is a riveting movie with some excellent underwater photography for the time and a perfectly understated performance from John Mills in the lead as the very picture of resolute calm. However, there is one bit of casting that does not work as well as planned, leading to a little bit of predictability. And I know some people may want to put the crewmen's calm in such a desperate situation down to little more than a British stiff upper lip, but I think it has more to do with having so little control over one's situation. As one character puts it, most deaths at sea are down to bad luck or bad weather. Surprisingly, even in such a closed space, we get a very good idea about postwar England with many references to domesticity in the opening minutes that go beyond just establishing the plot. As time goes on, the British class lines start to disappear altogether.
  Walter M Super Reviewer
• Feb 13, 2009

  Nice bit of post-war militarism.
  Randy T Super Reviewer

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