Yar, you be here: Enemy Below > Customer Reviews

Enemy Below Customer Reviews (1 - 3 of 24 Reviews)

Cat and mouse games on the high seas in WWII
Thoroughly enjoyed the cat and mouse games between the sub and battle cruiser - highly recommend for WWII buffs.

Classic plot of enemies to friends
Two old war horses moving past their prime, one a disalusioned u-boat commander, the other a former merchant marine skipper now commanding a destroyer escort, come up against each other in the atlantic. In their efforts to outsmart and kill each other, they earn each other's respect, ending in friendship after a spectaculer climax.

Extremely well done. Great drama. Respectful of both sides.

AMONG HOLLYWOOD'S BEST SUBMARINE DUELS & ONE OF MY FAVORITE WAR FILMS

IN A NUTSHELL: FOCUSED ACTION DRAMA HIGHLIGHTS THE HUMAN SPIRIT

In this action war picture set in the south Atlantic, men are pitted against each other in mortal combat aboard an American Destroyer Escort and a U-Boat. In "The Enemy Below", we see the Captain, officers, and crews of both ships: before, during and after a rather intense day of mortal combat. The only distraction here is the philosophical delving into the basic morality [or lack of it] of war by the Captains of both vessels and what they do about it.

WHAT IT IS ALL ABOUT: DESTROYER VERSUS SUBMARINE - TO THE END

The entire film is aboard ship, both ships in this case, and it all is set in a day of battle - total mortal combat. Everything looks and sounds pretty realistic and this film did win an Academy Award for "Best Special Effects", in 1960.

Both Captains, Robert Mitchum who plays Captain Murrell, and Curd Jürgens as Captain Von Stolberg, play their roles with balanced intensity while both suffer from personal losses from the war. Though both men are affected by their losses, it does not affect their efficiency, which is rather impressive in every way. The climax of the film illustrates the fruit of their philosphical leanings which are quite alike.


---* THE PLAYERS --*

Robert Mitchum - Capt. Murrell
Curd Jürgens - Von Stolberg
Theodore Bikel - Schwaffer
Russell Collins - Doctor
Kurt Kreuger - Von Holem
Frank Albertson - C.P.O. Crain
Biff Elliot - Quartermaster
Alan Dexter - Mackeson
Doug McClure - Ensign Merry
Jeff Daley - Corky
Joe di Reda - Robbins
Ralph Manza - Lt. Bonelli
Maurice Doner - Cook
Robert Whiteside - Torpedo Officer
Ronnie Rondell - American Sailor
Peter Dane - Andrews, Radio Operator
Vince Deadrick, Jr.
David Bair - Ellis
Robert Boon - Chief Engineer
David Hedison - Lieutenant Ware
Ralph Reed - Fireman

--* THE PRODUCTION CREW --*

Dick Powell - Director / Producer
Wendell Mayes - Screenwriter
D.A. Rayner - Book Author
Harold Hal Rosson - Cinematographer
Leigh Harline - Composer (Music Score)
Lionel Newman - Musical Direction/Supervision
Stuart Gilmore - Editor
Albert Hogsett - Art Director
Lyle Wheeler - Art Director
Walter Scott - Set Designer
Charles LeMaire - Costume Designer
Arthur L. Kirbach - Sound/Sound Designer
Ben Nye, Sr. - Makeup
L.B. Abbott - Special Effects


ABOUT THE DVD: VERY CLEAN WIDESCREEN TRANSFER + SOME FEATURES

This DVD plays and sounds much better than the video version that I had for several years. It is Widescreen anamorphic with a 2.35:1 aspect ratio. I would guess that it has been remastered or at least cleaned up nicely before transferring to DVD.

---* FEATRUES:

You get several trailers and three excerpts from "Movie Tone News" from World War 2 pertaining to U-Boats, U-Boat pens, and the battle at sea around Norway in 1940.

Yes, it will PLAY in ENGLISH, FRENCH or SPANISH & their are SUBTITLES available in both ENGLISH & SPANISH.

BOTTOM LINE: STANDS UP WELL TO TIME

One of the best naval war films leaves out all the extraneous non-ship stuff and provides 98 minutes of wartime action with 'Oscar' Winning 'Special Effects', realistic action and believable characters.

---* ALSO RECOMMENDED VIEWING:

DAS BOOT Das Boot [1981, Wolfgang Petersen]
RUN SILENT RUN DEEP [1958, Robert Wise]
TORPEDO RUN [1958, Joseph Pevney]
DESTINATION TOKYO [1943, Delmer Daves]
U-571 [2000, Jonathan Mostow]

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Next Page