U 23 - Tödliche Tiefen

WOW! is all I can say. This is the most realistic submarine film of it's day. I don't think anybody equaled this film in this genre until Das Boot was released nearly 30 years later. Clark Gable and Burt Lancaster star in this epic about a submarine and a mission. Others have commented at length on the basic story, so I'll leave that alone. Only a couple of details bothered me. The men were all too clean and well-shaven to be sub sailors. Some of the last WWII US Subs built had air conditioning, so that could explain the cleanliness and lack of condensation in the boat. Still, the entire crew should have been growing beards for the entire length of the cruise since water was too precious to be used for shaving or bathing while at sea. The only shipboard scene that I felt was unrealistic was one scene in the crew's mess. The space shown is far too large to have been aboard a US Fleet boat. Otherwise, I found the film to be a great depiction of the way life was aboard a US sub during WWII. The acting is superb by the entire cast, but it should be with names like Gable, Lancaster and Warden. This is one of the greats!

When it comes that particular sub-genre of "military drama" movies that take place aboard submarines, the canon cannot be considered complete without "Run Silent Run Deep." It's not a flawless film, but nevertheless a very powerful one, and arguably seminal for the genre. This may well be the film which introduced the phrase "Ah-OOOO-gah! Dive, dive!" into the collective consciousness.

Plot synopsis: At the start of the film, it's late 1942, and Commander "Rich" Richardson (Gable) is commanding a submarine attacking Japanese shipping in the Bungo Strait. One of the escorting vessels, an Akikaze-class destroyer, counter-attacks and sinks the submarine with consummate skill. We skip ahead to mid-1943 and find Richardson in a desk job at Pacific Fleet headquarters at Pearl Harbor, obsessing over how to take revenge on the destroyer, which he has nicknamed "Bungo Pete," and which has sunk another three American submarines in the interim. When the position of commanding officer of the submarine Nerka becomes vacant, Richardson manages to wangle the job on the basis that the Nerka's next assignment will be to Japanese coastal waters, an area with which Richardson is well familiar. This, however, sets him at odds with the boat's executive officer, Lieutenant Bledsoe (Lancaster), who had originally been slated to take over command of the Nerka. Due to the losses incurred in the Bungo Strait, Richardson's orders are to avoid that waterway, but it is readily apparent to the viewer that Richardson fully intends to return to the Strait and sink "Bungo Pete." However, "Bungo Pete" is not the only threat that the Nerka faces...

The film's primary flaw is that it places emphasis on the significance of certain facts without explaining why these are significant. This is likely a result of being adapted from a novel. It would be helpful to know, for example, that the Bungo Strait is the waterway separating the Japanese islands of Kyushu and Shikoku, and is one of the two exits from the Inland Sea into the Pacific. It is the obvious route for shipping to and from the military logistics center at Hiroshima, among others, and would therefore be a "target-rich environment" for American submarines. Another commentator on this site asks why a Momo-class destroyer "merely serves as target practice" while the Akikaze-class is considered a serious threat. The answer is that the Momo is a "2nd class" destroyer, older, slower and more lightly armed than the Akikaze. Most importantly, 2nd class destroyers did not have depth charges, and were thus unable to harm a submerged submarine. (It should be noted, incidentally, that what is referred to as the Akikaze-class in this film is more correctly known as the Minekaze class. "Bungo Pete" could not be the historical Akikaze, as this vessel was in the South-West Pacific at the time this film takes place.) As to the question why Richardson opts not to dive when attacked by aircraft, the answer is that a submarine IS visible from the air if it's only at periscope depth, while at the same time, being submerged forces it to run on electric (battery) power instead of its diesels, resulting in less speed and maneuverability. For the Nerka to gain protection from diving, she would have to go so deep that she could not continue the attack against the Akikaze.

The pacing in the film is very good, and the story carries no unnecessary ballast. It was probably to maintain this that much of the exposition was cut. However, this does cause certain events in the film to come off as contrived to the casual viewer, which is unfortunate, because actually the story is very consistent. Like a good detective story, the film gives you clues to future events instead of springing them on you (per the dictum attributed to Chekov that a gun fired in Act III should be visible on the wall in Act I). Gable and Lancaster may, strictly speaking, be too old for their characters, but they play them convincingly, and their interaction--especially Bledsoe's grudging but increasing respect for Richardson--is very credible. There are some war movie clichés, and you can plainly see the wires used on the sub and torpedo models in the underwater scenes, but this was, after all, 1958. If you like submarine movies, you'll love this one.

Clark Gable plays "Rich" Richardson, a submarine commander whose previous boat had been sunk. He's subsequently given a new sub to command, and a new XO in Lieutenant Jim Bledsoe (Burt Lancaster). While back at sea, he's itching for some payback, and disobeys direct orders from his superiors to avoid a certain area. Soon, the commander and the crew will find themselves stalked by a stealthy enemy.

What's truly impressive about "Run Silent Run Deep" is how utterly convincing it is. The filmmakers, led by the talented director Robert Wise, were sticklers for accuracy, and everything looks and sounds authentic. There's no melodrama to be found here, nor is there any bloat: the film clocks in at a reasonable one hour and 33 minutes. All of the tension is genuine, and the storytelling is done in an efficient, no-frills style. Franz Waxmans' score is excellent, but the absolute best scene comes late in the film when score and sound effects are dropped out. The suspense then becomes extremely palpable.

Lancaster, a star who subscribed to the theory of balancing projects done for artistic reasons and ones done for commercial reasons, delivers a wonderful low key performance as the lieutenant who doubts his commanders' ability to lead but never oversteps his boundaries. Gable is appropriately intense, and these two men get a good odd couple chemistry going as their characters butt heads. The top notch supporting cast are all 100% believable: Jack Warden, Brad Dexter, Don Rickles (who does have some amusing moments), Nick Cravat, Joe Maross, Eddie Foy III, and Rudy Bond.

Even for a film released 57 years ago, the special effects are reasonable and don't distract from the scenario one bit.

This is a very fine example of the war / submarine genre.

Eight out of 10.

A good story and good performances from good actors leads inevitably to a really good movie, and that's what you get with this movie set on an American submarine patrolling Japanese waters during World War II.

Clark Gable plays Commander P.J. Richardson, reduced to a desk job at Naval headquarters in Pearl Harbor after the submarine he commanded was sunk by the Japanese. After another sub returns to base needing a new captain, Richardson convinces the brass to give him another shot, and he sets out on a quest for revenge, seeking the ship that shot his first sub out from under him. Among other challenges, Richardson has to put up with the wounded ego of his Executive Officer, Jim Bledsoe (Burt Lancaster) who believed the command should have been given to him, and with the hostility of the crew, who would have preferred Bledsoe.

The story of Richardson's quest for revenge, of his efforts to gain the trust of his crew and of his ultimate fate is full of suspense and you will not find your attention wandering at any point of this movie. It is an excellent story, well worth watching.

8/10

A submarine story that sticks to a simple "clash of wills" storyline without the inclusion of sub-plots and worn-out clichés that existed in so many WWII war stories is RUN SILENT, RUN DEEP. It proves without a doubt that CLARK GABLE and BURT LANCASTER were not only genuine classic stars but extremely good actors when given a solid script. And under Robert Wise's no nonsense direction, the cast of submarine sailors delivers the goods in realistic fashion, avoiding the sort of stereotypes often seen in these kind of war stories.

The main action involves Gable's revenge motif. He's like a Captain Ahab, fervently determined to sink the Japanese destroyer that took the lives of his former crew members a year earlier, just as Ahab ran after the whale. His motives are questioned by the man originally selected to be Captain, his second in command Burt Lancaster. It's the clash of wills between these strong personalities that gives the film its punch and keeps the situation tense and taut until the final battle.

Franz Waxman's score is almost non-existent, one of the chief shortcomings for me, as I always expect great things from Waxman. Here he opted for silence on the soundtrack when the situations get tense, as when the depth charges are sinking to the bottom of the ocean, barely missing the submarine. Perhaps this was a wise decision, since the sounds we do hear are those the sailors aboard the sub are experiencing while waiting tensely in their claustrophobic surroundings.

It's an admirable war film, graced by two excellent performances from Gable and Lancaster, both convincing in their display of authority and command. Although models are used in the battle scenes, all of the action looks very realistic thanks to some excellent B&W photography. Kudos to Robert Wise for keeping the whole story brisk and supercharged.

It never drags for a moment, as some of the other big wartime movies like DESTINATION TOKYO did. The script is taut and concise without resorting to any arbitrary love interest or humorous shenanigans which would have weakened the drama--and it's all told in a tense running time of 94 minutes.