Aux postes de combat

Original title: The Bedford Incident

IMDb RATING

7.3/10

6.2K

YOUR RATING

Sidney Poitier, Richard Widmark, and Eric Portman in Aux postes de combat (1965)

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Tragedy Drama Thriller

An American destroyer Captain is determined to confront a Soviet submarine caught violating territorial waters. Perhaps too determined.An American destroyer Captain is determined to confront a Soviet submarine caught violating territorial waters. Perhaps too determined.An American destroyer Captain is determined to confront a Soviet submarine caught violating territorial waters. Perhaps too determined.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.3/10

6.2K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
- 1 nomination total

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Trivia
Although by this point Sidney Poitier had been making films for 15 years, this was the first film he made in which his race was neither mentioned nor relevant.

Goofs
While at General Quarters (battle stations), some officers of the USS Bedford are shown wearing dress blue uniforms. In the mid-1960s, both officers and chiefs wore khaki uniforms while at sea.

Quotes
[after Finlander orders an anti-submarine rocket armed]
Commodore Schrepke: This is insane!
Captain Finlander: Now don't worry, Commodore. The Bedford'll never fire first. But if he fires one, I'll fire one.
Ensign Ralston: [launching the rocket] Fire One!

Alternate versions
Reportedly, there are two versions with different endings. One version ends with a missile being fired and a torpedo being released from the sub seconds before. In another version the sub is destroyed, and later that evening the German commodore is found aiming a .45 at the nose cone of a live missile. The captain asks why, the commodore gives some reply and pulls the trigger. Mr. Munceford is blown over the side, but survives.

Connections
Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Cold War Movies (2014)

User reviews82

Featured review

FailSafe on a Surface vessel.

Along the same lines as FailSafe this is a tense Cold War drama with a cat and mouse game going on between an iron willed Navy Captain and an essentially unseen Soviet submarine. Great performances all around are what make this a good film. Richard Widmark is great as the somewhat tyrannical ships skipper who has his crew drilled, trained and poised for all out war up to the breaking point. Sidney Poitier as always does another superb job as the journalist aboard to do a story of a Navy deployment and gets more than what was expected. Despite the fact that an individual like the Poitier character would not enjoy that much freedom aboard a US Naval vessel this motion picture is quite realistic. Martin Balsam and James MacArthur also put in outstanding performances with Balsam as a newly arrived unappreciated ships doctor and MacArthur as an Ensign who is dogged endlessly by his commanding officer.