"We'll take her with decks awash." Lt. Jim Bledsoe

Run Silent, Run Deep is a classic - the king of the WWII submarine movies with plot points echoed by later valiant efforts like Das Boot and U-571.

Clark Gable stars as a skipper who had his boat shot from under him in a 1942 encounter in the Bungo Strait off the coast of Japan. Most of his crew was killed following the depth charge bombardment that blew his submarine apart in the depths of the ocean.

During a year of enforced inaction at Pearl, Commander Richardson (Gable) learns of three further submarines sunk in the strait that becomes known as The Graveyard. Finally, a new command becomes available, the USS Nerka, but this creates tension as the ship's executive officer Jim Bledsoe (Burt Lancaster) feels he has had his rightful command snatched out of his grasp.

Nevertheless, there can be only one captain on a ship and the two professional submariners grudgingly agree to cooperate, Lancaster remaining the XO (executive officer) for yet another wartime patrol. The crew has a considerable attachment to Lancaster and shows its frustration at the interloper who shrugs off the latent hostility as the price of being a leader of men.

After the patrol is underway, Richardson reads the orders over the PA. They will patrol Area 7, which includes the Bungo Strait. Eager for action the crew is dismayed when the Nerka slips away from an enemy sub rather than engaging it. Instead, the captain involves them in endless drills to learn to submerge and shoot just as the sub hits 50 feet in less than 33 seconds. This was a new tactic and the crew began to grumble but was agreeably surprised when the skipper used it to sink a Japanese Tin Can (destroyer) with a heretofore unheard of bow shot. Apparently, precision accuracy with torpedoes had not been given much credence in 1943 but Richardson proved it could work.

Finally, Richardson's plan becomes clear to Bledsoe; Richardson didn't want to waste a pair of torpedoes on the submarine; he was heading to the Bungo Strait with all 16 of his remaining torpedoes to take on the Japanese destroyer that had destroyed so many American subs. The submariners also learn there are unseen enemies lurking beneath the unfriendly waters…

I leave the details on just how the characters resolve the conflicts and use their new tactics in the Bungo Strait to your viewing pleasure - it will be worth your while.

Directed by Robert Wise, who brought us many fine movies including The Day the Earth Stood Still and performed editing on Citizen Kane, Run Silent, Run Deep is an extremely well put together adventure classic. Submarine sets are very effective and realistic and the surface activity where most of the torpedoing takes place is top notch. The actual ship was the USS Redfish that was lent by the Navy for the film. Models were used during undersea sequences; however, they were absolutely believable, also. Black and White photography by Russell Harlan is first class and puts the viewer in the middle of the action. Score by Franz Waxman is typically well suited to the subject matter and melds well with the sonar pings, claxon horn, and other sound effects.

Acting is first class, also, with national treasures Clark Gable and Burt Lancaster taking the lion's share of screen time ably supported by Jack Warden, Don Rickles, Brad Dexter, and other fine supporting players.

MGM's DVD is presented in original 1.66 : 1 Widescreen format and is very sharp and clear both in audio and video. There are no freebies on the disc except for the original trailer but with a movie this fine and at a price of around $10.00 you need this in your DVD collection if you have any interest whatsoever in submarines, WWII, or the actors. Five stars.

Also recommended are Das Boot, "U-571, "Crash Dive and Hunt for Red October - all fine movies of the submarine genre.



Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening