Based on Frank Tilsley’s 1958 novel Mutiny, Lewis Gilbert’s British sea adventure and war drama film H.M.S. Defiant from 1962 was released to the American audience as Damn the Defiant (1963). The story, set aboard the eponymous H.M.S. Defiant, follows the frigate’s journey and the different challenges faced by its captain and crew.
Aboard the H.M.S. Defiant, the plot follows the conflict brewing two lead characters: the gentle and principled Captain Crawford (Alec Guinness) and the sadistically vindictive Lieutenant Scott-Padget (Dirk Bogarde). The well-connected Lieutenant Padget questions Crawford’s orders and even targets the captain’s young son Harvey (David Robinson) who has willingly enlisted as a midshipman. The ship’s fate remains uncertain as it encounters the enemy in the sea while a mutiny quietly cooks up onboard.
Standing out as the main focus of interest in Defiant’s journey is the conflict between Crawford and Padget. The lieutenant’s defiance of the captain’s orders takes its share of the ship’s name and the movie’s title. If anything, it would be Padget’s defiance rooted in disdain and arrogance that would damn the ship. Also notable is the absence of any female leads in the story; aside from a brief scene wherein Crawford’s wife (Joy Shelton) bids farewell to her husband and child, there are no female characters except extras in an expository scene toward the beginning.
Most of the scenes in the story are interesting and representative of characters that are relevant to date. Before the ship is boarded in the movie, the military is shown snatching eligible men off the bars and taverns for drafting. The character of a young man Percival Wagstaffe (Murray Melvin) is unwilling to join and tries to lie his way out of it – an issue that has stayed with many governments to date. The crew petitioning for better conditions aboard the ship and the organizing sequence of a mutiny onboard make good subplots to go with the main story.
Damn the Defiant enjoys the merit of good cinematography, believable dialogue, range of characters, and brilliant acting reflective of great direction. For lovers of old sea adventures and war dramas, this movie deserves a spot on the viewing list.
