Submarine

My copy of this film has a soundtrack which, apart from the last reel, is not original and not of particularly good quality; in the last few minutes the original music appears and the almost inevitable theme song "Pals, just pals" I found this, in some ways, a daring film, even for the pre-code era. The casual sexual behaviour of the lead characters and the off-hand way in which they accept their fate is, I think, surprising, especially in today's era with our awareness of the dangers of STDs and AIDS. Apart from that, this is a sturdy melodrama which presages "Dirigible", which features the same two male leads and has a similar storyline of male friendship,betrayal and rescue. Strange how some films of this period stray close to an almost homo-erotic portrayal of male friendship -see also "Wings","Robin Hood"-with much bodily contact and lingering looks and the odd chaste kiss-"Wings", Noahs's Ark" The story is strong, especially the scenes inside the submarine, though I wonder how effective the captain's proposed final solution would have been! and had they never heard of conserving their oxygen supply back then? In all, a film worth re-visiting.