Cacciatori di squali

Victor Mature spends more time drinking beer than fighting sharks in this shamefully bad film about a U.S. military shark-fighting operation in Cuba. It looks like it was shot with only camera (which has a hard time staying in focus). The film was probably just an excuse to take a vacation in Cuba.

It's early 1943. Navy scientists have come to a remote Cuban island to research on a shark repellent. Lt. Cmdr. Ben Staves (Victor Mature) arrives to lead the team. His personal history forces him to zealously push the experiment.

The sharks need to be scarier. The tropics need to be more tropics. This may be a real story but it's not a thrilling story. It lays there like so much dead bait with a few exceptions. At least, they could do more underwater filming and give more a magical colorful experience. This is no Jaws except for a couple of scenes. It's a little funny with Mature saying "Go go girl" while an island lady is twerking. At the end of the day, there is not enough intensity and the drama falls flat. It's too stiff.

Victor Mature was self-deprecating about his acting ability, which has led to the myth that he wasn't very good. However, he's terrific in this interesting, entertaining movie about a World War II U.S. Navy commander who loses some of his crew to a shark attack and is then assigned to a research team in the Caribbean to develop an effective shark repellent. The whole cast, especially Karen Steele as Mature's wife, is excellent, and the location photography, which includes pre-Castro Havana, is beautiful. The action scenes with sharks are exciting and the outcome, given the fate of several of Mature's characters in other movies, is not certain. To top it off, Jerome Moross, perhaps the greatest of all film composers, wrote the music score. "The Sharkfighters" is well worth seeing.

Now I now here Spielberg got the Idea for his shot in JAWS.

''THE SHARKFIGHTERS'' (1956) has been virtually UNSEEN-- except for an occasional RARE showing on TCM! 'THE SHARKFIGHTERS'' also boasts a beautifully unique, and early music score from JEROME MOROSS (before ''THE BIG COUNTRY''.) ALSO a PLUS being in 'Cinemascope and TECHNICOLOR.

It was based on actual events involving the creation of the Navy's shark repellent, "Shark Chaser", a cake combining copper acetate to mimic putrefied shark tissue, black dye as a camouflage agent, and a water-soluble wax binder as described in the script, which some sources attribute to efforts of Julia Child while working for the Office of Strategic Services during World War II.

"Shark Chaser" was announced as a successful repellent as early as May 7, 1943. A patent application was made in October 1944 and granted in 1949 to four scientists who also designed the packet, and the product was issued by the Navy until 1973. However its effectiveness is now judged dubious.

The always dependable Claude Akins.

Lobby Cards , I wish they still handed these out today.

Victor Mature in The Sharkfighters (1956)

Death during production Special effects artist Russell Shearman died from a shark attack while filming underwater scenes for The Sharkfighters in the Caribbean Sea off Cuba.

The Sharkfighters is a surprisingly effective and sensible adventure story that holds one's interest with great live shark footage, excellent location photography, action scenes with sharks are exciting and tight script. It is only 1:14 minutes easy watch !!! You can also find this hidden gem on Prime Video. 7/10.