Recently The Husband suggested we get Apple+ TV. My response was lukewarm. I didn't want to pay for another streaming service, but it turns out Apple+TV is only $4.99 a month, we decided to give it a try. One of the first things we watched, also The Husband's pick, was Greyhound.
Greyhound stars Tom Hanks who is an untested navy captain who is tasked with being the commander of a destroyer who is leading and protecting a convoy of ships over a stretch of the Atlantic in early 1942. He's a devout Lutheran who is shepherding the ships, many of which are slow cargo ships, and as the commander he has to try and keep the convoy (the sheep) together and safe from U-boats (the wolves).
The story takes place during 50 nail-biting hours where the convoy is most at risk because they were without air cover. The book is fiction, but is based on the realities of actual convoys. The film does an excellent job of showing how communications were done from ship to ship, the constant fear of u-boats, and how important each shipmate was to the overall ability of the destroyer to stay afloat.
Because I enjoyed the movie, I wanted to read the book so that I could better understand some of the intricacies of why Commander Krause (Tom Hanks' character) made the decisions that he did. Since I don't know much at all about boating and even less about naval troop movements during World War 2, having seen the movie before listening to the audiobook helped me to better grasp the story.
Usually, I like books better than the films based on books; but in this case, I liked both equally!
1 comment:
You're right, books are usually so much better than the movie. I'll be looking out for these books. I usually love anything with Tom Hanks in it anyway.
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