Battle Of The Coral Sea

Great screenplay of an important WW2 battle that gets overshadowed by Midway (and its awful remake)

Another great WWII movie in B&W with great sound and video. Also had a good story line about one "Battle of the Coral Sea".

War Movie Bluff internet blog gave this film a C-Fictitious mission centers around Battle of the Coral Sea. Cliff Robertson’s USN skipper character is assigned a perilous mission as a wrist slap for endangering his sub. Gathers intel via a periscope camera on IJN carriers near Corregidor, survives a minefield crossing, though is caught by IJN frogmen who listen outside the sub hull with stethoscopes 🤣 (scuba technology wasn’t available) threatening to blow it up unless they surrender.Fast forward to an island prisoner camp where Robertson and crew are held. Island’s owned by family whose daughter Karen (played by gorgeous actress Gia Scala- later appeared as Anna in Guns of Navarone film) who walks around in varied cheong sam-styled Chinese dresses, is politically neutral 🤪, and translates for the Japanese commandant. Aussie soldiers and a nurse (played by Patricia Cutts) are prisoners there, and pessimistic about chances of escape. The Japanese intelligence officer assigned to interrogate the Americans is so polite, and is no match for Sesu Hayakawa (Col Saito fr Bridge On River Kwai war movie). However, the intelligence officer is transferred after he fails to get intel and one of Robertson’s crew is killed during a pseudo sumo match. Plot gets even funnier when Roberston, his crew, and Aussies plan their escape. Armed with knives smuggled to them by Scala, the Americans carve wooden bows/arrows from their wooden bed frames to overcome their captors and acquire weapons. Chase scenes are reminiscent of those shown later in Bridge on the River Kwai, with characters being pursued along rivers, ravines. Scala doesn’t disappoint- she kills Japanese guards and disables the camp generator before suffering a leg injury. Most of the Aussie men are killed except the nurse, a few Americans, Scala, and Roberston who steal a pt boat.They’re eventually rescued by a PBY Flying Boat, with Robertson presenting polaroid-like intel photos to the USN brass.Several stock USN WW2 carrier battle scenes, US aircraft, and sea battle scenes are depicted by exploding balsa wood ship models in a studio pool. Definite period piece- I was 2 yrs old when this film was released in ‘59 though never saw it til now in 2022. Though for many guys like me who grew up back in the day, WW2 models and movies were our favorites.

This is a classic and must see for history buffs.

It's not history, or a real battle story, but as a retired sailor, I enjoy almost any movie about my Navy. It was mildly entertaining.

U.S. Navy submarine Lt. Commander Jeff Conway played by Cliff Robertson is the Commanding Officer on two different submarine war patrols to start the film. The Commanding Officer manages to save his crew from certain death on his second submarine war patrol and escapes from a Japanese prisoner of war camp to make a difference in the Battle of Coral Sea. The United States of America owes its success to winning WWII from Commanding Officers like these and their submarine crews. The historical film footage looks GREAT.

Loved the movie thank you .

If you like ww2 movies you may like this one

a good presentation of the batle of the Coral sea

It is nice

Good

Good movie, but expected a more intense battle theme to such an important battle of WWII

A better film than I had expected but a somewhat missleading Title.