Submarines and Hollywood
Crimson Tide [1995]
CAST: Gene Hackman, Denzel Washington, George Dzundza, Viggo Mortensen, James Gandolfini, Matt Craven, Lillo Brancato, Danny Nucci, Steve Zahn, Rick Schroder, Vanessa Bell Calloway, Rocky Carroll; CAMEO(S): Jason Robards Jr.; DIRECTED BY: Tony Scott; WRITTEN BY: Michael Schiffer, Richard P. Henrick; CINEMATOGRAPHY BY: Darius Wolski; MUSIC BY: Hans Zimmer. PRODUCER: Don Simpson, Jerry Bruckheimer, Bill Unger, Lucas Foster, Mike Moder, Hollywood Pictures, Buena Vista. A thriller about the fictional ballistic missile submarine Alabama during a crisis in the post-Cold War Russian Far East. A dispute over the meaning of a partially decoded message leads the Executive Officer (Denzel Washington) to mutiny against his captain (Gene Hackman).
Das Boat (The Boat) [1981]
CAST: Juergen Prochnow, Herbert Gronemeyer, Klaus Wennemann, Hubertus Bengsch, Martin Semmelrogge, Bernd Tauber, Erwin Leder, Martin May, Heinz Honig, Uwe Ochsenknecht, Claude-Oliver Rudolph, Jan Fedder, Ralph Richer, Joachim Bernhard, Oliver Stritzel, Konrad Becker, Lutz Schnell, Martin Hemme, Rita Cadillac; DIRECTED BY: Wolfgang Petersen; WRITTEN BY: Wolfgang Petersen; CINEMATOGRAPHY BY: Jost Vacano; MUSIC BY: Klaus Doldinger. PRODUCER: Bavaria Atelier Gmbh, Columbia Pictures, Gunter Rohrback. A gripping portrayal of the U-boat war in World War II, seen from the German perspective. The film follows the crew of a U-boat as it attacks Allied shipping and endures ASW attacks. Nominated for six Oscars.
Down Periscope [1996]
CAST: Kelsey Grammer, Lauren Holly, Bruce Dern, Rob Schneider, Rip Torn, Harry Dean Stanton, William H. Macy, Ken Campbell, Toby Huss, Duane Martin, Jonathan Penner, Bradford Tatum, Harland Williams; DIRECTED BY: David S. Ward; WRITTEN BY: Hugh Wilson, Andrew Kurtzman, Eliot Wald; CINEMATOGRAPHY BY: Victor Hammer; MUSIC BY: Randy Edelman. PRODUCER: Robert Lawrence, Jack Cummins, 20th Century-Fox. A slapstick comedy about a crew of misfits on board an old diesel submarine Stingray competing against a modern nuclear submarine in a wargame.
Hunt For Red October [1990]
CAST: Sean Connery, Alec Baldwin, Richard Jordan, Scott Glenn, Joss Ackland, Sam Neill, James Earl Jones, Peter Firth, Tim Curry, Courtney B. Vance, Jeffrey Jones, Fred Dalton Thompson; DIRECTED BY: John McTiernan; WRITTEN BY: Larry Ferguson, Donald Stewart; CINEMATOGRAPHY BY: Jan De Bont; MUSIC BY: Basil Poledouris. PRODUCER: Paramount Pictures. Screen adaptation of the Tom Clancy thriller, as a U.S. intelligence agent (Alex Baldwin) tracks both Soviet sub commander (Sean Connery) and the maiden voyage of the Soviet's newest secret weapon --the submarine Red October Oscar winner for sound effects editing.
Operation Peticoat [1959]
CAST: Cary Grant, Tony Curtis, Joan O'Brien, Dina Merrill, Gene Evans, Arthur O'Connell, Virginia Gregg; DIRECTED BY: Blake Edwards. PRODUCER: Universal. Comedy about a damaged (pink painted) World War II submarine seeking a yard for repairs. Along the way, it takes on five stranded Army nurses.
U-571 [2000]
CAST: Matthew McConaughey, Bill Paxton, Harvey Keitel, Jon Bon Jovi, Jake Weber, David Keith, Terrence "T.C." Carson, Jack Noseworthy, Tom Guiry, Thomas Kretschmann, Erik Palladino, Will Estes, Matthew Settle, Dave Power, Derk Cheetwood; DIRECTED BY: Jonathan Mostow; WRITTEN BY: Jonathan Mostow, David Ayer, Sam Montgomery; CINEMATOGRAPHY BY: Oliver Wood; MUSIC BY: Rick Marvin. A World War II action film, in which a U.S. submarine captain undertakes to recover an Enigma decoding machine from a stranded German U-boat.
Enemy Below [1957]
CAST: Robert Mitchum, Curt Jurgens, David Hedison, Theodore Bikel, Doug McClure, Russell Collins; DIRECTED BY: Dick Powell. PRODUCER: 20th Century-Fox. A gripping tale of a U.S. destroyer chasing a German U-boat during World War II. Won Academy Award for special effects.
Destination Tokyo [1943]
CAST: Cary Grant, John Garfield, Alan Hale, Dane Clark, John Ridgely, Warner Anderson, William Prince, Robert Hutton, Tom Tully, Peter Whitney, Faye Emerson, John Forsythe; DIRECTED BY: Delmer Daves. PRODUCER: Warner Brothers. A patriotic war epic about a U.S. submarine sent into Japanese waters. Academy Award Nomination for Best Original Story.
Run Silent, Run Deep [1958]
CAST: Burt Lancaster, Clark Gable, Jack Warden, Don Rickles, Brad Dexter, Nick Cravat, Joe aross, Mary Laroche, Eddie Foy III, Rudy Bond, H.M. Wynant, Joel Fluellen, Ken Lynch, John Bryant; DIRECTED BY: Robert Wise; WRITTEN BY: John Gay; CINEMATOGRAPHY BY: Russell Harlan; MUSIC BY: Franz Waxman; TECHNICAL ADVISOR: Rear Adm. Rob Roy McGregor. PRODUCER: Harold Hecht, United Artists. This adaptation of the book by Ned Beach, follows a submarine skipper (Clark Gable) who seeks revenge for the loss of his former submarine and crew by pursueing the notorious Japanese destroyer "Bungo Pete."
Torpedo Alley [1953]
CAST: Dorothy Malone, Mark Stevens, Charles Winninger, Bill Williams; DIRECTED BY: Lew (Louis Friedlander) Landers. PRODUCER: Allied Artists. Story of a submarine during the Korean War.
Torpedo Run [1958]
CAST: Glenn Ford, Ernest Borgnine, Dean Jones, Diane Brewster, L.Q. (Justus E. McQueen) Jones; DIRECTED BY: Joseph Pevney; CINEMATOGRAPHY BY: George J. Folsey. PRODUCER: MGM. The story of revenge of a submarine commander (Glenn Ford) who was forced to sink a Japanese transport carrying American prisoners of war, among them his wife and child, because it was being used to shield an aircraft carrier.
Up Periscope [1959]
CAST: James Garner, Edmond O'Brien, Andra Martin, Alan Hale Jr., Carleton Carpenter, Frank Gifford, Richard Bakalyan; DIRECTED BY: Gordon Douglas. PRODUCER: Aubrey Schenck. A World War II action yarn about a submarine on a secret mission to photograph a Japanese code book.
We Dive at Dawn [1943]
CAST: Eric Portman, John Mills; DIRECTED BY: Anthony Asquith. PRODUCER: J. Arthur Rank. A drama about the crew of a British submarine as it stalks the new German battleship Brandenburg in the Baltic. A tense story which protrays men at war involved in submarine warfare.
Hostile Waters [1997]
CAST: Rutger Hauer, Martin Sheen, Colm Feore, Rob Campbell, Harris Yulin, Max von Sydow, Regina Taylor, John Rothman; DIRECTED BY: David Drury; WRITTEN BY: Troy Kennedy Martin; CINEMATOGRAPHY BY: Alec Curtis; MUSIC BY: David Ferguson. PRODUCER: Tony Garnett, William Cran, BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation), World Productions, HBO NYC Productions. This made for TV movie is about the accidental sinking of a Soviet nuclear submarine off the coast of Bermuda.
Steel Sharks [1997]
CAST: Billy Dee Williams, Gary Busey, Tim Lounibos, Barry Livingston, Billy Warlock, Larry Poindexter, Tim Abell, Robert Miranda, David Roberson, Matthew St. Patrick; DIRECTED BY: Rodney McDonald; WRITTEN BY: Rodney McDonald, William Martell; CINEMATOGRAPHY BY: Bryan Greenberg; MUSIC BY: David Lawrence.
Ice Station Zebra [1968]
CAST: Rock Hudson, Ernest Borgnine, Patrick McGoohan, Jim Brown, Lloyd Nolan, Tony Bill; DIRECTED BY: John Sturges; CINEMATOGRAPHY BY: Daniel F. Fapp; MUSIC BY: Michel Legrand. PRODUCER: MGM. An American submarine commander is ordered to an outpost at the North Pole, in a race against a Russian submarine to recover reconaissance film crucial to the national defense of both countries. Based on Alistair MacLean's adventure novel. Academy Award Nominations for Best Cinematography and Best Special Visual Effects.
A Few More . . .
Above the Waves
Around the World under the Sea
Hell BelowMen Without Women Monster from the Ocean Floor
MorgenrotMorning Departure Mystery Submarine
Submarine Command
Submarine Raider Submarine X-1
The Atomic Submarine
The Flying Missile The Hunley
The Land that Time Forgot
The Last U-Boat
The Mysterious Island
The Russians Are Coming! The Sea Wolves
Tomorrow Never Dies
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
We Dive at Dawn20,000 Leagues Under the SeaThe submarine, with a little help from Hollywood, has drawn film goers to the allure and mystique that has surrounded the Silent Service. Movies have made the submarine an object of fascination. The following is a selection of prominent movies which have depicted submarines and submariners in action. Many of these can be purchased on-line right here.
Gray Lady Down [1978]
CAST: Charlton Heston, Stacy Keach, Ned Beatty, David Carradine, Stephen McHattie, Ronny Cox. DIRECTOR: David Greene. SCREENWRITER: Howad Sackler and James Whittaker. PRODUCER: Walter Mirisch. CINEMATOGRAPHER: Steven Larner. COMPOSER: Jerry Fielding. The tense story of the U.S. Navy's attempt to rescue the crew of the submarine Neptune which was rammed by a Norwegian freighter and sank 1400 feet off the coast of Connecticut.
Crash Dive [1943]
CAST: This romantic adventure, set during World War II, features two Navy men vying for the love of the same woman. While heading to Washington, Lieutenant Ward Stewart meets teacher Jean Hewlitt, quickly falls for her, and eventually succeeds in gaining her affection. However, Lieutenant Stewart soon discovers that his new girlfriend is already engaged to his commanding officer. Further complications develop when both officers get assigned to the same submarine and must set off together on a dangerous mission to destroy a Nazi base.
Operation Pacific [1951]
CAST: John Wayne, Patricia Neal, Ward Bond, Scott Forbes, Philip Carey, Paul Picerni; DIRECTED BY: George Waggner; CINEMATOGRAPHER: Bert Glennon; MUSIC BY: Max Steiner; PRODUCER: Louis F. Edelman. Warner Brothers. The submarine Thunderfish fights the Japanese and rescues nuns and children. This film was loosely based on the true stories of the USS Angler (SS-240) and Growler (SS-215). ADM Charles Lockwood, USN, served as Technical Advisor on this film.
Hellcats of the Navy [1957]
CAST: Ronald Reagan, Nancy Davis, Arthur Franz, Harry Lauter; DIRECTOR: Nathan Juran. PRODUCER: Columbia. Based on ADM Charles Lockwood's book Hellcats of the Sea, this fictionalized account of the submarine attack group that entered the Sea of Japan in 1945 to ravage Japanese shipping.
The Bedford Incident [1965]
CAST: Richard Widmark, Sidney Poitier. PRODUCER: Columbia. At the peak of Cold War tensions, a stressed-out U.S. Navy destroyer captain (Widmark) discovers a Soviet submarine in the North Atlantic and proceeds to scrutinize its every move. As the Soviet submarine pushes forward intensely, relations between members of U.S. destroyer becomes strained as a battle of wits ensues. An unfortunate reporter (Poitier) who went along to interview the Captain gets more of a story than he'd wanted as the drama builds to a heightened climax.
On the Beach [1959]
CAST: Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner, Fred Astaire, Anthony Perkins, Donna Anderson, John Tate, Harp McGuire, Lola Brooks, Ken Wayne, Guy Doleman, Richard Meikle, John Meillon, Joe McCormick, Lou Vernon, Norman Bates. United Artists. A moving story of a U.S. submarine crew that finds itself stranded in Australia in 1964, after a nuclear war has destroyed the rest of the world. As the radioactive residue closes in, the captain (Peck) and crew must decide whether to go back home. Not a submarine action movie but a thought-provoking film based on the novel by Nevil Shute.
Submarine D-1 [1937]
CAST: Pat O'Brien, George Brent, Wayne Morris, Henry O'Neill, Regis Tommey, Broderick Crawford, Dennis Moore. DIRECTOR: Lloyd Bacon. Navy submariners on leave find romance and adventure during a port visit. Ronald Reagan was in the original cast but didn't make the final cut.
