Submarine (1928)

Two sailors who are always competing against each other set their sights on the same girl. When she chooses one over the other, their friendship ends acrimoniously. However, things change ... See full summary »

Director:

Frank Capra

Writers:

Dorothy Howell, Norman Springer (story)

Stars:

Jack Holt, Dorothy Revier, Ralph Graves

Cast

Credited cast:
Jack Holt	...	Jack Dorgan
Dorothy Revier	...	Bessie, Mrs. Jack Dorgan
Ralph Graves	...	Bob Mason
Clarence Burton	...	Submarine Commander
Arthur Rankin	...	The Boy
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Joe Bordeaux

Storyline

Two sailors who are always competing against each other set their sights on the same girl. When she chooses one over the other, their friendship ends acrimoniously. However, things change when one the men is in a submarine trapped beneath the ocean and the other, a diver, is sent down on a rescue mission.

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Plot Keywords:

ocean | submarine | u boat | actor shares first name with character

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Genres:

Action | Drama

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 November 1928 (USA)

Also Known As:

Femmine del mare

Box Office

Budget:

$150,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System) (musical score and sound effects) Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The first film released by Columbia Pictures to include sound effects.

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Connections

Featured in The Lady with the Torch (1999)

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Soundtracks

"Pals, Just Pals"
Written by Herman Ruby and Dave Dreyer

User Reviews

Capra shows talent in this buddy movie!

This early movie from the acclaimed director Frank Capra tells the story of two navy friends who fall in love with the same girl. The break up of their friendship over this girl is only saved by a sinking submarine. When the diver of the two saves the other from dying on the submarine they finish their argument and ditch the girl. The story is told with a lot of pace so for a silent film it's really dynamic. Capra also uses the medium in an innovative way, this is clearly visible when he shows us the wish of the girl to be back in the dancing where she used to hangout a lot. Capra shows this by letting a close up of the girls face fade in to a shot of the nightclub. This is an example of a detail which shows that Capra tried to explore new ways of using the film. I suspect that the navy financed this picture because there is a lot of navy display. The original score for this movie, i think, was written by Irving Berlin so if you have the change to catch this movie, dive into it!