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Poster for H.M.S. Defiant

H.M.S. Defiant

1962 · 101 min

A stiff-upper-lip naval drama of claustrophobic decks, simmering cruelty and duty, building to broadside battles and moral reckoning.

Directed by
Lewis Gilbert
Genres
Adventure, History, War
Starring
Alec Guinness, Dirk Bogarde, Anthony Quayle
Tagline
The cry was MUTINY... and the decks ran red!...
Overview
Defiant's crew is part of a fleet-wide movement to present a petition of grievances to the Admiralty. Violence must be no part of it. The continual sadism of Defiant's first officer makes this difficult, and when the captain is disabled, the chance for violence increases.

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Rent or buy in the UK
  • Apple TV Store
  • Amazon Video
  • YouTube
More options Data from JustWatch
Directed by
Lewis Gilbert
Genres
Adventure, History, War
Starring
Alec Guinness, Dirk Bogarde, Anthony Quayle
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How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • tensestrength 2 of 3
  • earneststrength 2 of 3
  • darkstrength 2 of 3
  • melancholicstrength 1 of 3
Pacing
measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • justice
  • power
  • loyalty
  • betrayal
  • morality
Places
  • sea
Era
period
Audience
adult
Form
  • serialised
Content intensity
  • Gore mild
  • Language mild
  • Violence mild
  • Sex none
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action5
Horror2
Humour2
Realism7
Romance0
Tension6
Darkness6
Complexity5
Emotional weight6

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Where to watch in the UK

Rent or buy
  • Apple TV Store
  • Amazon Video
  • YouTube

Streaming data from JustWatch.All options on TMDB

Details

Genres
adventure, history, war
Directed by
Lewis Gilbert
Written by
Nigel Kneale, Edmund H. North
Starring
Alec Guinness, Dirk Bogarde, Anthony Quayle, Maurice Denham, Nigel Stock, Tom Bell, Richard Carpenter, Ray Brooks
Music
Clifton Parker
Cinematography
Christopher Challis
Runtime
101 min
Country
United Kingdom
Languages
French, English, Italian

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