Torpilles sous l'Atlantique

What's really impressive about this movie is the photography. When you see Robert Mitchum actually standing on the deck of a destroyer with depth charges going off behind it, you know somebody went to a lot of trouble to get all this on film. That destroyer is no movie set. You'll find very few backdrops and special effects here except for underwater shots of the enemy U-boat, and even those are above average. It all seems ahead of its time somehow, the brilliant color footage, the musical score, and the attention to detail.

The Enemy Below is a fascinating study of WW2 anti-submarine warfare. Although the ending is a little corny, the anti-war message is timeless and quite appropriate. Especially now (Oct. 2004) as America is being dragged into another real conflict. It's certainly worth a look.

Since WWI, most people thought of the submarine as the hunter. Hitler called them his "wolves." But towards the middle of WWII, with the use of sonars, air reconnaissance and fast destroyers, the U-boat's mastery of sea warfare came to an end. For comments and statistics on the survival chances of German U-boat crews, watch Das Boot and The Eagle Has Landed.

I always thought Run Silent, Run Deep (1958), with Clark Gable and Burt Lancaster), was the older movie because it was in black and white while this was in color. Aside from the color, Enemy was also better technically crafted overall. But for me what puts Enemy well over Run Silent is the very effective characterization of the enemy U-boat Commander (portrayed by Curd Jurgens). In Run Silent, the captain and the crew of the Japanese destroyer hunting the American sub were practically faceless unknowns.

I notice that the U-boat commander has a "von" in his name indicating a noble lineage. Same as George Ritter von Trapp (of the famous singing family)a baron who commanded a U-boat in WWI. I understand the Kriegsmarine attracted a better class of educated and highly cultured people which is why the infamous Heydrich was cashiered from the German navy under the Weimar Republic. Incidentally, the US Navy was led to victory in the Pacific by another descendant of the Prussian junkers class, the petty nobility whose members usually made a career of the military. That would be Chester von Nimitz although his immediate ancestors gave up the "von" when they settled in the New World.

Dick Powell, singer and light comedy actor did a fantastic job writing the screenplay and directing this movie.

This was a Great WWII DE versus Sub movie. One of the few movies that actually used proper Navy voice procedure and a radar with no sound.

I liked it better than "Run Silent, Run Deep" and "Dos Boot", though I liked both.

An almost perfect Navy movie with the one exception of always returning to course 140. If one as ever navigated or plotted via radar, you know that if you've vectored off course , e.g. zigzagged for any length of time, to get back on your original course, it would not be the same exact 140 as it started.

I can't wait for this movie to be released on DVD and in Wide Screen.

"The Enemy Below" released in 1957, was one of those films directed by Dick Powell, and starring Robert Mitchum, that sparked with genuine realism and utmost attention to detail. This film also showed the harsh realities in war, and the dedication that men on both sides of the conflict can give to the task appointed. Mitchum plays the commander of a US Naval vessel that has the task of seeking out and destroying enemy submarines; having just recently lost one command, he is going to make sure such doesn't happen twice. The renowned German actor, Curt Jurgens, portrays the submarine commander whose presence has been detected by Mitchum's destroyer, and the chase is on.

Both commanders, Mitchum and Jurgens, in their characters, reveal that each was firm in their beliefs toward their respective countries. While Jurgens is not a gung-ho Nazi, he does have a firm dedication to his fatherland, and what it was before the war. Mitchum has the same firm devotion to his country, and what he is doing is the right course to bring a successful ending to the war, ultimately. There is a lot of verbal discussion during the course of the film, who is right, why are we engaged in this action, etc., but both commanders are desperately trying to out think and outmaneuver the other.

There were several good movies made during the 50s, this film, "The Enemy Below",and "Run Silent, Run Deep" come to mind, and are certainly worth a view. This film does give a look at both sides involved in the type of chase done here. An 8/10

A US Destroyer plays a deadly game of cat and mouse with a German U-Boat in the South Atlantic during World War Two.

Despite this film getting fairly regular screenings on UK TV over the years, I saw it for the first time in its entirity over the weekend. Considering the era in which it was made, I was pleasantly surprised by its straightforward story and solid production. Rather than have some superfluous romantic sub-plot dragging it down, it instead concentrates on the professionalism of those involved on both sides. Robert Mitchum and Curt Jurgens portray the opposing Captains impressively as men who take no pleasure in the prospect of killing, but carry out their jobs to the best of their considerable abilities. The supporting cast include Theodore Bikel, David Hedison and a very young looking Doug McClure.

A combination of good technical credits, sure handed direction, good acting and a sympathetic depiction of the German crew ensure that the film holds up very well today. It may not be 'Das Boot' but its certainly entertaining.