The Enemy Below (1957)

Note des utilisateurs:

7.8/10   

Réalisateur:

Dick Powell

Writers:

Wendell Mayes (screenplay)
D.A. Rayner (novel)

Release Date:

8 janvier 1958 (Japan)

Genre:

Action | Aventure | Drame | Thriller | War

Plot:

During World War II, an American destroyer meets a German U-Boat. Both captains are good ones, and the engagement lasts for a considerable time.

Plot Keywords:

Naval Battle | All Male Cast | Torpedo | Identifying With The Enemy | Depth Charge

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 3 wins & 1 nomination

Avis des utilisateurs:

Two men, caught in the conflict of WWII, engage in a hunt-and-seek situation that has only one final outcome.

Ensemble

Robert Mitchum	...	Capt. Murrell
Curd Jürgens	...	Von Stolberg (as Curt Jurgens)
David Hedison	...	Lt. Ware (Executive Officer [XO]) (as Al Hedison)
Theodore Bikel	...	'Heinie' Schwaffer
Russell Collins	...	Doctor
Kurt Kreuger	...	Von Holem
Frank Albertson	...	Lt. (j.g.) Crain
Biff Elliot	...	Quartermaster

Autre(s) titre(s) :

Torpilles sous l'atlantique (Belgium: French title) (dubbed version) (Canada: French title) (France) [fr]

Durée:

98 min

Pays:

USA

Langue:

Anglais

Couleur:

Couleur

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Son:

4-Track Stereo (Westrex Recording System)

Classification:

Netherlands:12 | USA:Approved (certificate #18627) | Canada:G (video rating) | West Germany:12 (f) | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 | UK:PG | Australia:PG

Emplacements De Pelliculage:

Hawaii, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Anecdotes:

Average Shot Length = ~8.7 seconds. Median Shot Length = ~6.3 seconds.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Right after the burial at sea sequence on board the rescue destroyer, you can see a watertight deck hatch rigged in the open position, with its escape scuttle also open. During wartime cruising, (Condition III) Navy Regulations require all watertight doors, hatches and scuttles on the weather decks to be closed while the ship is underway. Note: any deck exposed to the outside is classified as a "Weather deck".

Guillemet:

Kunz: [salutes Von Stolberg for the order] Jahwol, Herr Kapitan.
Von Stolberg: That boy needs to learn we do not salute at sea.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Crimson Tide (1995)

Soundtrack:

So leben wir alle Tage

Two men, caught in the conflict of WWII, engage in a hunt-and-seek situation that has only one final outcome.

"The Enemy Below" released in 1957, was one of those films directed by Dick Powell, and starring Robert Mitchum, that sparked with genuine realism and utmost attention to detail. This film also showed the harsh realities in war, and the dedication that men on both sides of the conflict can give to the task appointed. Mitchum plays the commander of a US Naval vessel that has the task of seeking out and destroying enemy submarines; having just recently lost one command, he is going to make sure such doesn't happen twice. The renowned German actor, Curt Jurgens, portrays the submarine commander whose presence has been detected by Mitchum's destroyer, and the chase is on.

Both commanders, Mitchum and Jurgens, in their characters, reveal that each was firm in their beliefs toward their respective countries. While Jurgens is not a gung-ho Nazi, he does have a firm dedication to his fatherland, and what it was before the war. Mitchum has the same firm devotion to his country, and what he is doing is the right course to bring a successful ending to the war, ultimately. There is a lot of verbal discussion during the course of the film, who is right, why are we engaged in this action, etc., but both commanders are desperately trying to out think and outmaneuver the other.

There were several good movies made during the 50s, this film, "The Enemy Below",and "Run Silent, Run Deep" come to mind, and are certainly worth a view. This film does give a look at both sides involved in the type of chase done here. An 8/10