Of the several movies made about submariners in World War 2, for my money "Run Silent, Run Deep" is the best of the lot. Not to say there aren't a few flaws, but on the whole it is a well made venture into this realm.
The film opens with Captain Rich Richardson (Clark Gable) losing his sub command, sunk, we find, in the Bungo Straits. This is a real place, the Bung Channel separating the Japanese islands of Kyushu and Shikoku. We next meet him cooling his heels at a desk job in Pearl Harbor, itching to get back in action.
He successfully lands a sub (the U.S.S. Nerka) command but has a run-in with the boat's current Chief Officer (Burt Lancaster as Lieutenant Jim Bledsoe, who feels he has earned a captaincy (as does the crew).
An uneasy patrol begins, with Captain Richardson endlessly drilling his team. Resentment and distrust grows as the Captain passes on an enemy target, choosing instead to keep moving. Lieutenant Bledsoe maintains his calm and backs the skipper throughout.
One thing particularly noteworthy as the sub begins to parry with the enemy are the special effects. Of the plethora of marine combat films extant, this one has much more believable footage. This is probably the best use of scale models you'll ever see. In addition a great deal of the camera work focuses on the sub while it is in the open sea.
The myriad of problems especial to submarine warfare is well covered in the movie, and the overall feel one gets is the incredible tension that exists during a patrol. Close quarters, rumors, disagreements between crew members, enemy attack, all are mixed in a stew that gives us pause to consider the situation on board the Nerka.
One of the aspects of the submarine campaign during World War 2 that speaks to the incredible danger inherent in any patrol was the rate of casualties of U.S. seamen tallied. According to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_War#Submarine_warfare) "of the 16,000 Americans who went out on patrol, 3,500 (22%) never returned, the highest casualty rate of any American force in World War II".
There are some small details that don't pass muster, but are not so frequent as to change the overall effect of "Run Silent, Run Deep". As usual, it seems our torpedoes never miss (and the usefulness of torpedoes in the early going of the War was suspect - http://www.valoratsea.com). They seem to be always fighting in some kind of murk, so that you aren't sure if it supposed to be night or day.
Overall this is a first rate film, with fine acting from all concerned and details of submarine combat life well presented. View it and you won't have to see another WW2 sub movie.
Three and a half stars.
The film opens with Captain Rich Richardson (Clark Gable) losing his sub command, sunk, we find, in the Bungo Straits. This is a real place, the Bung Channel separating the Japanese islands of Kyushu and Shikoku. We next meet him cooling his heels at a desk job in Pearl Harbor, itching to get back in action.
He successfully lands a sub (the U.S.S. Nerka) command but has a run-in with the boat's current Chief Officer (Burt Lancaster as Lieutenant Jim Bledsoe, who feels he has earned a captaincy (as does the crew).
An uneasy patrol begins, with Captain Richardson endlessly drilling his team. Resentment and distrust grows as the Captain passes on an enemy target, choosing instead to keep moving. Lieutenant Bledsoe maintains his calm and backs the skipper throughout.
One thing particularly noteworthy as the sub begins to parry with the enemy are the special effects. Of the plethora of marine combat films extant, this one has much more believable footage. This is probably the best use of scale models you'll ever see. In addition a great deal of the camera work focuses on the sub while it is in the open sea.
The myriad of problems especial to submarine warfare is well covered in the movie, and the overall feel one gets is the incredible tension that exists during a patrol. Close quarters, rumors, disagreements between crew members, enemy attack, all are mixed in a stew that gives us pause to consider the situation on board the Nerka.
One of the aspects of the submarine campaign during World War 2 that speaks to the incredible danger inherent in any patrol was the rate of casualties of U.S. seamen tallied. According to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_War#Submarine_warfare) "of the 16,000 Americans who went out on patrol, 3,500 (22%) never returned, the highest casualty rate of any American force in World War II".
There are some small details that don't pass muster, but are not so frequent as to change the overall effect of "Run Silent, Run Deep". As usual, it seems our torpedoes never miss (and the usefulness of torpedoes in the early going of the War was suspect - http://www.valoratsea.com). They seem to be always fighting in some kind of murk, so that you aren't sure if it supposed to be night or day.
Overall this is a first rate film, with fine acting from all concerned and details of submarine combat life well presented. View it and you won't have to see another WW2 sub movie.
Three and a half stars.