The Finest Hours

[jwnall]

Not too many sea movies around that do anything other than make me yawn, but this one sounds like it might be good.

QUINCY, MASS. — “The Finest Hours,” which opens Jan. 29, is very closely based on a real-life rescue that took place at sea in February 1952, when, during a nor’easter at least as fierce as the one immortalized in “The Perfect Storm,” not one but two oil tankers broke apart off the coast of Cape Cod. They were T2’s, ships hastily built of inferior metal during World War II and sometimes known as “serial sinkers” for their tendency to snap in half during cold weather.

One of the broken ships, the Pendleton, drifted perilously close to the shoals off Chatham, Mass. The captain and seven others in the bow section were lost, but the 33 sailors trapped aft maintained electric power for a while and were even able to navigate after a fashion until the hull began flooding and drifted so close to shore that people could glimpse it from the beach.

All the available cutters were busy trying to rescue the other tanker, so as darkness fell the Coast Guard sent a 36-foot wooden motor lifeboat operated by just four young crewmen. That the little boat, with the utilitarian name CG36500 (CG for Coast Guard, 36 for its length and 500 for a serial number), made it out to the Pendleton, let alone back with all but one of the 33 stranded sailors, is still a source of wonder to naval historians, who consider this the greatest small-boat rescue ever.

 

[menzies]

You do know that MASS is full of Irishmen right!

 

[Larry M]

We saw the coming attractions for "The Finest Hours" this past week. From what we saw, not a yawn. The story and Hollywood working together me thinks we may want to see this movie.

 

[markpierce]

Saw the trailer at the movies last Thursday. The movie will be available in 3-D.

 

[jwnall]

You do know that MASS is full of Irishmen right!

Um, yeah. And????

 

[menzies]

Um, yeah. And????

We Irishmen can do ANYTHING!

 

[jwnall]

We Irishmen can do ANYTHING!

Oh, OK. Since my SO is Irish also, guess I have to go along with that.

 

[stubones99]

We Irishmen can do ANYTHING!

As long as a pub isn't along the way

 

[menzies]

As long as a pub isn't along the way

We can do more than anything after a few!

 

[menzies]

Oh, OK. Since my SO is Irish also, guess I have to go along with that.

Where is she from?

 

[Peter B]

We Irishmen can do ANYTHING!

Arrrrhhh, but what did they do wit all de oil then..?

 

[READY2GO]

Here is the trailer.

 

[refugio]

The Vice Commodore of my YC scored a bunch of passes to a screening tomorrow night - there are 80 of us going!


Keith

 

[refugio]

Saw it last night. Pretty good, definitely not a yawn. Suggest avoiding the 3D version - it adds nothing and makes a dark- toned movie even harder to watch.


Keith

 

[Brooksie]

Looks like a must see, went aboard the actual rescue boat this year so have a feeling for what they did. I fished the Pendelton wreck (1/2) in my youth b/4 it was detonated as a hazard. But your time might be better spent seeing The Big Short to see where your 401K money went and how.

 

[Wxx3]

Based on this book: "Two Tankers Down"
By Robert Frump.

A fantastic book.

Read it, either before or after the movie.

 

[kthoennes]

Saw the movie last weekend. I thought it was fantastic. Kept me on the edge of my seat nearly the whole time. Okay, so "crossing the bar" was a little over the top, and it sure seemed odd that they had such a comparatively easy time coming back in after the maelstrom going out, but okay, close enough. I did some checking after the movie too and it seems unlike a lot of Hollywood treatments, they stayed very close to reality. For example they changed the order in which one of the characters dies (I don't want to spoil the suspense so that's all I'll say) but that's pretty minor if that's all I could find. I thought it was a great movie. And the practical details didn't drive me nuts like that Robert Redford movie "All is Lost." Well, I did want to give them all sets of Helly Hansen foulies, they didn't start shivering until the end, February in the Atlantic, come on, but still, I give it two big thumbs up.

 

[Aquafarm]

It didn't drive me nuts like that Robert Redford movie "All is Lost." Well, I did want to give them all sets of Helly Hansen foulies, they didn't start shivering until the end, February in the Atlantic, come on, but still, I give it two big thumbs up.

OMG All is Lost was horrible, we were yelling at the screen ( saw it at home).
It's a running joke in the family..."rough water, why not get a shave?"
Finest Hours was good, but the lack of coats,outerwear ( even for the landlubbers) was annoying and an issue with the people at the dock. I won't go into detail, don't want to spoil the movie.
There is no hypothermia in Hollywood

 

[kthoennes]

Here's Bernie Webber telling the story himself -- wow.

CG36500, Pendleton Rescue story

 

[stubones99]

OMG All is Lost was horrible, we were yelling at the screen ( saw it at home).
It's a running joke in the family..."rough water, why not get a shave?"

I thought it was me!!! Watching him whittle down the broom handle so it would fit the gusher while water is pouring in that open hole in his boat? At least stuff something in it to slow down the water coming aboard, since that's lots easier than pumping it back out.

Debra had to tell me 4-5 times "Stu, it's just a movie..."

All is lost could have been something good... yanked from the jaws of victory

Stu

 

[kthoennes]

Apparently All is Lost is supposed to be a metaphor for life and old age so we're not supposed to pay attention to the practical details. Whether or not it's a big vague metaphor, to me that's still no reason to do stupid boat things in the movie.

 

[cardude01]

Saw the movie last weekend. I thought it was fantastic. Kept me on the edge of my seat nearly the whole time. Okay, so "crossing the bar" was a little over the top, and it sure seemed odd that they had such a comparatively easy time coming back in after the maelstrom going out, but okay, close enough. I did some checking after the movie too and it seems unlike a lot of Hollywood treatments, they stayed very close to reality. For example they changed the order in which one of the characters dies (I don't want to spoil the suspense so that's all I'll say) but that's pretty minor if that's all I could find. I thought it was a great movie. And the practical details didn't drive me nuts like that Robert Redford movie "All is Lost." Well, I did want to give them all sets of Helly Hansen foulies, they didn't start shivering until the end, February in the Atlantic, come on, but still, I give it two big thumbs up.

I rented this movie last night. Definitely worth watching. I thought the bar crossing scene was pretty cheesy also, especially when the boat got shacked in the tube on that one wave. ?. And yes, the guys were certified polar bears with their lack of foul weather gear. How do directors miss those details?

But still, the rescue count was amazing, and it was crazy how that 1/2 ship made it as far as it did. I guess that part was true?

 

[78puget-trawler]

The book I have that the movie is supposedly based on is called THE FINEST HOURS, written in 2009. Excellent read. I have yet to see the movie but if its available I will probably get a copy off Amazon.

 

[FlyWright]

Dude, I saw it the other night, too. Had similar thoughts and enjoyed the movie. Normally, I don't like boating 'disaster' movies. They give me bad dreams!!

 

[Wayfarer]

I was worried that this would be an over the top, explosion based movie, but it was actually pretty good. I was pleasantly surprised.

 

[SaltyDawg86]

The book was much better. The movie was ok, definitely some parts in the movie that were dramatic, but you have to Hollywood it up some. Still, pretty amazing to think about what that little boat did!