| Date | Area | Gross |
|---|---|---|
| Italy | ITL 239,500,000 |
| Date | Area | Gross |
|---|---|---|
| Italy | ITL 239,500,000 |
Laurence Harvey in, I think his best role, playing Lionel Kenneth "Buster" Crabb OBE GM. I love this film, based on a true story and a real life hero.
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.
This is one of those wartime stories that straddles fact and fiction - and it does it quite well. Laurence Harvey ("Crabbe") is an enthusiastic RN officer posted to Gibraltar at the height of WWII.
As a true story, this is of terrific interest, recounting the heroic feats of Lieutenant Crabbe (Laurence Harvey excellent as usual), but the most interesting part of the film is a rather small parenthesis which is easily jumped over. A plane crashes in the water outside the harbour in Gibraltar, we see the crash actually occurring, but afterwards it appears that one of the casualties was the most important man in the Polish liberation army, the general Sikorski.
I beg to disagree with those who see this movie as a great historical testament. It is a good war movie but it shows how in the Fifties, Brtain had still to come to terms with Italians outsmarting the Royal Navy.
I first saw this film many years ago and was impressed even then with the realism and gritty nature it had given its age and the comparable output of the era.British film fans will relish in an early role of Sid James proving he can act and plays the grizzled character very well indeed.
They don't make them like this anymore. Rousing drama action based on the real life exploits of British Navy Lieutenant Lionel Crabbe and his contributions to underwater demolition work during World War II and later on in salvaging operations.
The Silent Enemy is a tribute to controversial British war hero Lionel Crabb who later got to be known as Buster after the American swimming champion. It wasn't medals that Crabb did his swimming for, he swam for the very survival of king and country.
Fond memories of this film as my Dad was one of the commandos who had to swim over to Spain to blow up the dastardly Axis'. Though for a Brit', it is a bit strange saying "which one are you Dad?
