Run Silent Run Deep (1958)'s comments

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Forzelius

Excellent sparring between the two leads. As said well by the previous commentator, the effects of this film are well felt in later submarine movies. Also, Fletcher Christian has come full circle.

4 years 3 months ago

There is no doubt in my mind that Run Silent Run Deep's DNA is all over the later, best-remembered submarine movies. So on the basis of film history alone, it's worth watching. In practice, I did find it a little old-fashioned in the beginning, but it certainly went to exciting places by the end, both in terms of its "based on a true story" plot and pretty good model effects. On screen and off, this is a battle of wills between two leaders. Burt Lancaster plays the young commander who was just passed over to make room for Clark Gable's older man out to avenge his previous sub, sunken by a Japanese destroyer. In real life, the two actors clashed probably more than their characters (Lancaster was also producer), and Gable, here near the end of his career and indeed life, apparently resented his character being put out of commission at a crucial point in the film. As you watch the drama unfold, it's difficult not to see real life intrude, but it gives the action another layer, and that's for the better. The movie also does a good job with verisimilitude, with cramped sets and a cast trained to be submariners to make it look authentic.

5 years 10 months ago