The Enemy Below (1957)

Director:

Dick Powell

Writers:

Wendell Mayes (screenplay)
D.A. Rayner (novel)

Release Date:

8 January 1958 (Japan)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Thriller | War

Plot:

During World War II, an American destroyer meets a German U-Boat. Both captains are good ones, and the engagement lasts for a considerable time.

Plot Keywords:

All Male Cast | Torpedo | Naval Battle | Identifying With The Enemy | Depth Charge

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 3 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Robert Mitchum	...	Capt. Murrell
Curd Jürgens	...	Von Stolberg (as Curt Jurgens)
David Hedison	...	Lt. Ware (Executive Officer [XO]) (as Al Hedison)
Theodore Bikel	...	'Heinie' Schwaffer
Russell Collins	...	Doctor
Kurt Kreuger	...	Von Holem
Frank Albertson	...	Lt. (j.g.) Crain
Biff Elliot	...	Quartermaster

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Netherlands:12 | USA:Approved (certificate #18627) | West Germany:12 (f) | Canada:G (video rating) | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 | UK:PG | Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

Hawaii, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

The tune sung by the U-Boat crew on the ocean floor between depth charge attacks is from an 18th century march called "Der Dessauer Marsch". As a more popular song, it's also known by the first line of lyrics: "So leben wir".

Goofs:

Continuity: In the card game scene Lt. Ware's body position shifts wildly throughout the bidding dialog - at first sitting upright and slightly hunched over the card table, then slouching to his left with his left arm on the table, then sitting far back in the chair, and finally slouching to his left with chin in hand.

Quotes:

Von Stolberg: [listening on hydrophone] Now American, turn the right way and I'll give you a pretty present.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Get Smart: Rub-A-Dub-Dub... Three Spies in a Sub (#2.9)" (1966)

Soundtrack:

Ich hatt' einen Kameraden

GREAT WWII DE versus SUB 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.