Western Approaches (BLU-RAY + DVD)

Directed by Pat Jackson (White Corridors, What a Carve Up!) and shot in Technicolor by acclaimed cinematographer Jack Cardiff (The Red Shoes, The African Queen), Western Approaches pays tribute to the bravery of the Merchant Navy during the Second World War. Anticipating post-war neorealism, Jackson cast serving merchant seamen as the survivors of a torpedoed ship being shadowed by a U-Boat, bringing a powerful authenticity to this car-and-mouse thriller played out through stunning colour imagery. A crowning achievement of the British documentary movement that flourished in the 1930s and 1940s, this landmark film is presented here in a new 2K restoration by Imperial War Museums.