The Silence of the Sea
The Silence of the Sea

Watch The Silence of the Sea Online Free

- 76/100 based on 5,447 votes

1941 in a small town in Nazi occupied France. Against the will of its elderly male and his adult niece residents, the Nazis commandeer a house for one of their officers, Lt. Werner von Ebrennac, to live in for as long as he is in the area on Nazi business. As a figurative and literal silent protest against the Nazis and the officer, the uncle and niece do whatever is required of them while the officer is in their house, however they do not acknowledge his presence, living lar... (Full plot summary below)

Watch MOVIES for FREE on Prime Video

Enjoy FREE movies and series with your Prime (USA) subscription or when you start a 30-day free trial!

Share this

The Silence of the Sea Online Streaming

Links compiled using automated software. Availability of offers subject to change / might be region specific / out of date.

Rent The Silence of the Sea on DVD

Rent The Silence of the Sea on Blu-ray

Today's Featured Movies:

PhiladelphiaPhiladelphia
The ApartmentThe Apartment
Seven PoundsSeven Pounds
The TerminalThe Terminal
DodgeBall: A True Underdog StoryDodgeBall: A True Underdog Story
It's a Wonderful LifeIt's a Wonderful Life
Hotel RwandaHotel Rwanda
Knives OutKnives Out
SnatchSnatch
UnbreakableUnbreakable
Green LanternGreen Lantern
Big FishBig Fish
The Last King of ScotlandThe Last King of Scotland
Midnight in ParisMidnight in Paris
Resident EvilResident Evil
This Means WarThis Means War

You Might Also Like:

Gloomy SundayGloomy Sunday
Nowhere in AfricaNowhere in Africa
A Real Young GirlA Real Young Girl
The Dirty DozenThe Dirty Dozen
2 or 3 Things I Know About Him2 or 3 Things I Know About Him
Don't Worry, I'm FineDon't Worry, I'm Fine

Actors in The Silence of the Sea:

Howard Vernon
Nicole Stéphane
Jean-Marie Robain
Amy Aaröe
Georges Patrix
Denis Sadier

Full Plot Details

1941 in a small town in Nazi occupied France. Against the will of its elderly male and his adult niece residents, the Nazis commandeer a house for one of their officers, Lt. Werner von Ebrennac, to live in for as long as he is in the area on Nazi business. As a figurative and literal silent protest against the Nazis and the officer, the uncle and niece do whatever is required of them while the officer is in their house, however they do not acknowledge his presence, living largely in silence whenever he is around. The officer treats the housing situation with care, like he is a guest. Although not a nightly occurrence, the officer begins an evening routine with his reluctant hosts: in his civilian clothes, he knocks on the door of the room in which they have convened for the evening, walking in shortly thereafter knowing that no acknowledgment will be made for him to enter, he visits with them for no more than five minutes before he bids them a good evening as he exits. During these visits, he speaks reverently about, among other things, culture - music and literature in particular as he is a composer and musician - his national pride, his love of France, and what he hopes will emerge from the war, namely a strong and free France, stronger than it was before the war, and the marriage between the French and German cultures which will enrich the lives of all Europeans. All the while, he makes no expectations from them, either to listen, or to answer if they are indeed listening. At the end of what ends up being his six month stay at the house, he does end up having a profound effect on the uncle and niece, despite that effect being largely unacknowledged, as his stay in France has a profound effect on him, opening up his eyes to the reality of the war based largely on his first ever visit into Paris.

Review & Comments

Leave your thoughts about The Silence of the Sea.

Movie Reviews

Parallax View - 9/10 by Sean AxmakerMelville called it an "anti-cinematic" film, and he creates the expressiveness in what remains unspoken, the glances and gestures that take on grand drama in the minimalist presentation.
Little White Lies - 9/10 by Anton Bitelif the niece's silence gives intimate expression to a whole nation's resistance, Werner too, far from being demonised as a villain, himself becomes a dramatic embodiment of the tensions within occupied France.
User Review - 10/10 by Darwin FUnbelievably good. Melville's debut feature tells a personal story of resistance to military occupation. Filled with insight into the strength of the human will, and the will to power, the film is also a testament to the power of the novel on which it was based.
User Review - 10/10 by George BA demonstration of Melville's personal hopeless romanticism. This belongs to one of the great debuts from a masterful filmmaker that never needed to be recognized by awards.
User Review - 10/10 by Ryan MMelville fans searching for another moody crime film from the director should look to the recently released 'Le deuxieme souffle' or to the late-great 'Un Flic', because they'll find no such beast here. To quote the man himself, this film was made back when Melville wasn't "terrified of poetry", and so it evidences a slightly different artistic personality than the one behind his iconic 'Le Samourai' (though it could be argued that 'Le Samourai' is simply film-poetry in another idiom). 'Le Silence de la Mer' finds Melville in what has to be his most nakedly literary mode. And of course there's an obvious reason for this in the fact that the film is a pretty exacting adaptation of Vercors' famous resistance novel. But while filmmakers usually get flack for narration-heavy adaptations, Melville I think has to be praised for his fidelity to the source, because his decision to tackle the novel almost line-by-line is both aesthetic AND political. It's aesthetic in that the book's central thematic dichotomy of silence vs. speech can only be realized cinematically via the counterpoint of inner/outer monologues that Melville uses here. And it's political in that the text is freighted from cover to cover with "Le mythe de la Resistance", and too much deviation in 1949 so soon after the close of the war could be construed as trivialization. (Melville actually agreed to have the film judged by a "jury" of resistance members to ensure its legitimacy, and he swore that if they condemned it he'd burn the prints.) So if the film perhaps plays like a musical theater piece, it seems wholly appropriate artistically and attributable to an amount of reverence for Vercors and the resistance writ large (which Melville himself was a part of). Of course, Melville DOES deviate a bit in an effort to embellish the story (most off-puttingly when he references the then-nonexistent concentration camp Treblinka in a 1941 setting), but no particular scene save for Ebrennac's blindingly allegorical flashback seems not of a piece with the whole. I think it's important to consider the mythical aspects of the film when reckoning with it, because certain of the characterizations may ring falsely if divorced from the immediate post-war "Frenchness" of their origin. And I think in the final analysis this is much more a tale of humans working through a long and embattled reconciliation than it's a story of persisting divides. Certainly WWII created some of the deepest and most harrowing schisms yet known between man and his fellow men, but Melville stresses here that even these incredible divisions are somehow bridgeable with the aid of culture, conversation (even one-sided!), and something as simple as shared livingspace. It's not tea with Hitler -- nor will it ever be -- but it's some kind of gesturing toward a principled, universal sympathy for humanity. Call me old-fashioned but I think it has to be considered one of Melville's best.
User Review - 10/10 by Allan CThis is Melville first movie and its absolutely exquisite. This is all about wariness and fascination and having the enemy in your own house. But what happens when the enemy is in love with your country and people?
User Review - 10/10 by Pasha AWith the power of silence, images and narration Melvilles describes the complicated relationship between occupant and occupied.
User Review - 10/10 by Brad SThis was my first time watching this debut film from the great director Jean-Pierre Melville, and I thoroughly enjoyed. Melville directed 2 of my all-time favourite films, "Le Samourai" and "Bob Le Flambeur". The story is about the French resistance during WWII, as a German officer go to live with a older French man and his niece during the occupation, they show passive resistance to him by refusing to speak to him. He spends each evening telling them stories, and recounting his affection for France. The characters in this story are not purely good or evil, but layered which makes for a fascinating watch. Highly recommended!
User Review - 10/10 by Ryan VLe Silence de la Mer was often called an anti-cinematic film by it's aspiring new Director, Jean-Pierre Melville. He went outside the film industry in order to make the film and didn't even have the rights to the source material when he filmed it. The film itself is one in which a lot happens and is said on the part of a German officer to the French man and his daughter with whom he lodges with. The German's are invading France and while under occupation they are stuck with this German officer with whom is very outspoken. While most of what the officer says is simply concerning music, art, cultures, other topics include philosophical observations and ideals. The man and his daughter are silent the entire film as this officer goes on and on and it's only out of defiance they maintain their silence. Near the end of the film the officer is finally awakened to the true cruelty of the Nazi party and his superiors views and it's this that enlightens him and he decides to depart to the front lines, disenchanted and dumbfounded. We hear the daughter utter goodbye to him, the first and only word spoken to him in the entire film. Le Silence de la Mer or The Silence of the Sea is very simplistic, both in it's filming technique and it's characters but it's entirely lyrical and thought provoking in it's subject matter. This is one of the only films in which the French resistance is shown and the German officers, at least some of them, are not all shown as monstrous brainwashed machines. Granted, our central character is the only one that isn't a true monster but this depiction is what I believe to be honest and true as not every single one could have been so heartless. Certainly the film shows their crimes and terrible inhuman ideals but also that not every one was truly in the know about Hitler's true intentions, at least outside the inner circle. The film was not only beautiful but also showed something rarely seen and had a profound effect on many other French directors afterwards, including Robert Bresson and Alain Resnais. While mostly lost on the American audiences, the film was well received in its native country and was prolific as the debut film of Melville. This was a pleasure to watch and truly an eye opening and inspiring film.
User Review - 10/10 by Fredrik GAn intriguing film, very interesting and in my opinion, it had this Cocteau feeling in it, it has than unreal mood that is apparent when you know that the DOP for some of Cocteau films is the same as for this film, Henri Decae. I adored how the film has this approach to it that doesn't blindly villify anyone but displays how man sometimes is just weak and incapable when superior forces force him into a spot. I feel the film is powerful, the story may be a little cliche but yet, it has that tone to it.

Browse Movie Genres

Other Links

The Silence of the Sea

Watch Online For Free | Free Movies | Movie Genres | Most Viewed | Top Rated | Latest Releases

About Us • Affiliates • Terms of Use • Disclaimer • Cookies • Privacy Policy • Copyright • DMCA Compliance • Contact Us • Language Settings

Copyright © 2004 - 2016 Watch Online For Free or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved.

Imagery, artwork, logos, service marks, and trademarks used on this page are the intellectual property of their respective companies.

Related Websites: Prime Free Trial - DVD Rental Free Trial - Prime Video Free Trial - Movie Trailers