This film is based on a novel written by Edward L. Beach and it is the American equivalent of the German film Das Boot. The captain of a submarine sunk by the Japanese during WWII is finally given a chance to skipper another sub after a year of working a desk job. His single minded determination for revenge against the destroyer that sunk his previous vessel puts his new crew in unnecessary danger.
In the opening scene, the U.S. submarine is detected by a Japanese Destroyer. The order is given to dive. Then, there is an explosion and the captain and some crew members are seen among the wreckage. Japanese depth charges could only do such catastrophic damage if detonated within 15 or so feet from a subs hull. Also Japanese depth charges before 1943 only had two depth settings, 100 and 200 feet. Any such destruction of a sub at 100 feet would mean none of the crew would survive? 5* (I really liked this movie)
93 min, Action directed by Robert Wise, written by John Gay and Edward L. Beach with Clark Cable, Burt Lancaster, Jack Warden, Brad Dexter, Don Rickles, Nick Cravat, Joe Maross, Mary LaRoche, Eddie Foy III, Rudy Bond.
Note: Goodreads gives the book 4.19* out of 5* with 4083 ratings and 105 reviews, Imdb 7.3 out of 10 with 10,181 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 100% with 9 critics 79% with 5570 audience scores, Letterboxd 3.5* out of 5*, Blu-ray Steven Cohen 3 1/2* (story 3 1/2* video 4*, audio 3 1/2*) Amazon 4.8* out of 5* with 737 reviews.
Special Note: Director Robert Wise observed that while Clark Gable was a highly professional actor, he didn't want to work past 5:00 pm because at this stage in his life, he seemed to be tired and wrung out by 5 PM. Also, Clark Gable was ill during filming and his head violently shakes in several scenes. It is believed this shaking was caused by his chronic alcoholism and smoking four packs of cigarettes a day. There were also rumors that he had Parkinson's disease? The real submarine captain that Clark Gable's character was based on, Captain Edward L. Beach, was only 23 years old at the time of the events depicted. Despite receiving generally favorable reviews, this film proved to be only a moderate hit at the box office. This may have been partly due to the fact that it was released at the same time as Teacher’s Pet (1958) also starring Clark Gable?
Mistakes: When Lt. Jim Bledsoe decides to return to the Bungo Straits towards the end of the film (at around 1h 15 mins) the submarine does a U-turn. As it does maneuver, this you can clearly see what appears to be an American aircraft carrier in the distance on the horizon. A submarine operating in hostile territory never 'pings' or uses its active sonar. The pings can be picked up by enemy submarines, surface ships and homed in on. This action would be similar to calling out or making other noises on land. The action of the film takes place in 1943 but the song "It's Been a Long, Long Time" featured in one of the scenes was written and copyrighted by Jule Styne and Sammy Cahn in 1945?
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