RUN SILENT RUN DEEP 1958
Burt Lancaster and Clark Gable headline this film about obsession set on a submarine in World War 2. Clark Gable plays a submarine Captain who lost his boat to a Japanese destroyer in the Bungo Strait area separating the Japanese islands of Kyushu and Shikoku. Gable has spent the year since at a desk in Pearl Harbor. Gable manages to wangle the command of a submarine coming to Pearl.
This causes hard feelings with the submarines second in command, Burt Lancaster. Lancaster had been in line to take over the boat. Lancaster asks for a transfer to another boat but is denied. He does not like it, but he will follow Gable's orders. Gable turns out to be a hard task master and has the crew drilling day in and day out. Gable wants the submarine to be able to dive and take a torpedo shot inside a set time.
The crew is less than amused with the constant drills and think Gable is a bit of a flake. They are sure Gable is also a coward when he refuses to attack a Japanese submarine they spot one night. That soon changes when they come on a Japanese tanker and its destroyer escort. The drills show quick results with the submarine sinking the tanker and its escort.
Gable now changes his operational orders and heads back to the Bungo Strait. He wants a bit of revenge against the destroyer that had sunk his earlier command. The destroyer has earned the nickname, "Bungo Pete" after sinking three more American submarines.
Needless to say this soon leads to a battle between "Bungo Pete" and the American sub. Gable, Lancaster and company manage to eliminate said Japanese destroyer. But it turns out that the Japanese have been playing a rigged deck. They have had a submarine of their own trailing the convoys. This sub has been knocking off the American subs. There is now a game of cat and mouse between the two vessels before the American's get in a well-placed torpedo.
Gable, who had been badly wounded in the fight, dies and is buried at sea as the Americans return to Pearl Harbor.
While it might seem a bit dated to some viewers, it does pack an emotional punch. The inter-play between the two leads is quite good with Lancaster in particular shining. Also in the mix cast wise, is, Brad Dexter, Nick Cravat, Jack Warden and Don Rickles in his big screen debut.
The director here is two time Oscar winner, Robert Wise. Wise keeps things moving along nicely with help from cinematographer, Russell Harlan. Harlan lensed such films as, A WALK IN THE SUN, RED RIVER, GUN CRAZY, THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD, THE BLACKBOARD JUNGLE, WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION, HATARI, RIO BRAVO and TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD. Adding to the film's mood is the deep rumbling score by Franz Waxman. Waxman was nominated for an Oscar, ten times, winning an even pair.
The writer of the novel, Edward L Beach was a highly decorated officer during WW2.
Burt Lancaster and Clark Gable headline this film about obsession set on a submarine in World War 2. Clark Gable plays a submarine Captain who lost his boat to a Japanese destroyer in the Bungo Strait area separating the Japanese islands of Kyushu and Shikoku. Gable has spent the year since at a desk in Pearl Harbor. Gable manages to wangle the command of a submarine coming to Pearl.
This causes hard feelings with the submarines second in command, Burt Lancaster. Lancaster had been in line to take over the boat. Lancaster asks for a transfer to another boat but is denied. He does not like it, but he will follow Gable's orders. Gable turns out to be a hard task master and has the crew drilling day in and day out. Gable wants the submarine to be able to dive and take a torpedo shot inside a set time.
The crew is less than amused with the constant drills and think Gable is a bit of a flake. They are sure Gable is also a coward when he refuses to attack a Japanese submarine they spot one night. That soon changes when they come on a Japanese tanker and its destroyer escort. The drills show quick results with the submarine sinking the tanker and its escort.
Gable now changes his operational orders and heads back to the Bungo Strait. He wants a bit of revenge against the destroyer that had sunk his earlier command. The destroyer has earned the nickname, "Bungo Pete" after sinking three more American submarines.
Needless to say this soon leads to a battle between "Bungo Pete" and the American sub. Gable, Lancaster and company manage to eliminate said Japanese destroyer. But it turns out that the Japanese have been playing a rigged deck. They have had a submarine of their own trailing the convoys. This sub has been knocking off the American subs. There is now a game of cat and mouse between the two vessels before the American's get in a well-placed torpedo.
Gable, who had been badly wounded in the fight, dies and is buried at sea as the Americans return to Pearl Harbor.
While it might seem a bit dated to some viewers, it does pack an emotional punch. The inter-play between the two leads is quite good with Lancaster in particular shining. Also in the mix cast wise, is, Brad Dexter, Nick Cravat, Jack Warden and Don Rickles in his big screen debut.
The director here is two time Oscar winner, Robert Wise. Wise keeps things moving along nicely with help from cinematographer, Russell Harlan. Harlan lensed such films as, A WALK IN THE SUN, RED RIVER, GUN CRAZY, THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD, THE BLACKBOARD JUNGLE, WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION, HATARI, RIO BRAVO and TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD. Adding to the film's mood is the deep rumbling score by Franz Waxman. Waxman was nominated for an Oscar, ten times, winning an even pair.
The writer of the novel, Edward L Beach was a highly decorated officer during WW2.