THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, May 11, 1995 TAG: 9505110037
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Mal Vincent
LENGTH: Medium: 67 lines
THEY'VE BEEN diving for years, both off our coast and in the movies. With ``Crimson Tide,'' the thriller opening Friday, here are my favorite submarine movies, in order. Most of them had more than periscope depth. Check them out to get ready for the ``Tide.''
1. ``The Enemy Below'' (1957) Robert Mitchum as the U.S. destroyer commander and Curt Jurgens as the German U-boat kapitan in a cat-and-mouse chase across and under the Pacific. The characterization of Jurgens as a ``good Nazi'' who hates Hitler was controversial at the time the film was released. It was one of the first times the movies took a sympathetic look at a World War II German. The psychological warfare has the audience pulling for both guys at different times. You learn about what a depth charge can do.
2. ``Das Boot'' (1982) Perhaps the most realistic submarine movie ever. From West Germany and directed by Wolfgang Petersen (who went on to direct American hits ``In the Line of Fire'' and ``Outbreak''), it's about the grungy daily life aboard a German U-boat in World War II. Jurgen Prochnow stars as the captain. The film captures the claustrophic atmosphere better than any other movie.
3. ``The Hunt for Red October'' (1990) Soviet sub commander Sean Connery tries to defect to the West and take his submarine with him. Alec Baldwin, Scott Glenn, Sam Neill, James Earl Jones, Joss Ackland, Richard Jordan, Peter Firth and Tim Curry were in the cast. High-tech tension, directed by John McTiernan, who will be represented this summer by ``Diehard, With a Vengeance.''
4. ``Run Silent, Run Deep'' (1958) Commander Clark Gable defies second-in-command Burt Lancaster, and everyone else, to pursue the Japanese ship that sank the last ship he commanded. If it sounds a little like the obsession of ``Moby Dick,'' it's more than coincidental. The film was directed by Robert Wise and has a suspenseful crippled-sub scene.
5. ``Torpedo Run'' (1958) Glenn Ford is the sub captain forced to sink the Japanese transport carrying his wife and daughter. Dedication to the war effort is tested to the utmost. Ernest Borgnine and Dean Jones co-star.
6. ``Ice Station Zebra'' (1968) The extremely cool journey under the polar ice is one of the draws. A traitor is on board, and the suspense builds as to who it might be. Patrick McGoohan turns in a good performance. The other stars are Rock Hudson, Ernest Borgnine and Jim Brown. This was one of eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes' favorite movies. He watched it over and over. But, then, there are those who say he was insane.
7. ``Operation Petticoat'' (1959) A pink submarine that isn't seaworthy is the setting for this classic comedy. Cary Grant is the befuddled captain. A scheming Tony Curtis and some shapely Navy girls help get it diving again. Directed by Blake Edwards, it also starred Dina Merrill.
8. ``Hell Below'' (1933) One of the earliest submarine movies, pre-World War II. It has Capt. Walter Huston clashing with seaman Robert Montgomery. (Things haven't changed much). The cast included Jimmy Durante, Eugene Pallette, Robert Young and Sterling Holloway.
9. ``The Day Will Dawn'' (1942) Mostly on land, but a young Deborah Kerr (long before her Hollywood stardom) plays a Norwegian girl who aids a reporter trying to blow up a secret Nazi sub base near her home. Ralph Richardson and Finlay Currie were also in the cast. Playwright Terrence Rattigan had a hand in the script.
10. ``Destination Tokyo'' (1943) Cary Grant is difficult to take seriously as a sub commander but here he is, headed for Tokyo harbor. Directed by Delmer Daves, the cast included John Garfield, Alan Hale and Dane Clark. by CNB