La gran esperanza

Renato Baldini is the commander of an Italian submarine patrolling the Atlantic. Its orders are to sink enemy ships, both military and mercantile. After he sinks one, he stops to pick up the survivors. The experience affects him, his crew, and the survivors.

There's always something a bit antiwar about a war movie, with its death and destruction. Submarine movies often seem even stronger in this regards, because they usually contain a sequence in which the submarine is trapped helplessly, being depth-bombed. This movie directed by Duilio Coletti avoids that cliche. The submarine is a pure predator and never seems threatened. Instead, we see the humanity of the crew and people rescued, particularly when they are celebrating Christmas, and the momentary happiness is interrupted to sink a merchant ship, Even as the orders are carried efficiently, and the survivors picked up, there is a melancholy air about the entire movie. With Lois Maxwell, Carlo Bellini, and Earl Cameron.