RunSilent Run Deep (1958) – A submarine captain hunts for revenge
against a Japanese ship that sank his previous command. His
obsession puts his new crew in danger.
against a Japanese ship that sank his previous command. His
obsession puts his new crew in danger.
Directed by Robert
Wise
Starring: Clark Gable, Burt Lancaster, Jack Warden,
Don Rickles
Why
I Liked It: A classic story (think “Moby Dick”) that may be
the first great submarine movie of all time.
This movie is
one that gets a lot of criticism because it gets some details wrong.
It also gets credit because it gets other details right. You can get
caught up in the details or you can enjoy a well done
movie.
Submarines offer a wonderful environment for drama. There
is no place for the antagonists to go. Even modern submarines are
tight confines. The submarines that fought in the Second World War
were tiny. Crews lived on top of one another, so conflict happens in
pressurized conditions. Tough way to live, great place for movie
drama.
The primary mistake in the movie is that the entire cast
is too old. Officers were in their 20s and the crew thier late teens
or a little older. So the 57-year-old Gable and the 45-year-old
Lancaster were way past their use-by date for these roles. Gable’s
character is based on a real-life 23-year-old sub captain. If you
want historical accuracy, I’m not sure why you are watching major
studio motion pictures.
With that to one side, the cast is
great. Commander Richardson (Gable) has politicked his was into a
command, hoping to sink the ship that sank his last command. To do
this, he has to shove ahead of the man who expected to take command
of the sub, Lieutenant Jim Bledsoe (Lancaster). After pushing his new
crew hard on a controversial maneuver, Richardson will defy orders to
hunt his enemy. That takes the sub into the most dangerous waters of
the Pacific, with little likelihood of coming out alive. With veteran
characters like Jack Warden teaming up with movie novices like
comedian Don Rickles (his movie debut), they keep the action tight.
All the classic submarine movies that follow owe a great deal to this
one. It nails down many of the familiar settings and behaviors we now
expect.
Gable was in declining health when he shot this. He
would make only three more films before dying in 1960. Even with the
physical limits, he carries the role of the obsessed captain to
perfection.
Rating
– **** Recommended
Stories Are My Life 
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