sailor of the king

Year

1953

directed by

Roy Boulting

starring

Jeffrey Hunter

Michael Rennie

Wendy Hiller

Synopsis

During World War I, Richard Saville, a young lieutenant in the Royal Navy, has a brief affair and is unaware that it resulted in a son.. Twenty years later during World War II, Saville, now a squadron commander, pursues the German raider Essen after it sinks one of his ships. Signalman Andrew "Canada" Brown heroically delays the enemy by sabotaging their repairs, allowing Saville's forces to catch up and sink the Essen.

Based on the 1929 book, Brown on Resolution by C. S. Forester, best known for his Hornblower series, Sailor of the King is also a remake of the 1935 film, Forever England.

Sailor of the king scenes on GOZO

Signalman Brown taking his postion on the cliffs overlooking the Essen, filmed at Dwerja Bay, Gozo.

The Essen enters a cove to moor up for vital repairs, shot at Dwerja Bay, Gozo.

sailor of the king locations map

Did you Know?

The chart of the bay used by the ship Essen accurately reflects Dwerja bay's true outline, but the coastline depicted south of the bay is fictional. In reality, Dwejra Bay has two entrances because its wide mouth is divided by a small rocky island known as Fungus Rock. However, the film frames its shots to show only a single narrow entrance to the bay.