Seas Beneath (1931)

In the waning days of WWI, a U.S. "Mystery Ship," sets sail for the coast of Spain towing a submarine. Their mission is to find and sink a U-boat that has been especially effective in ... See full summary »

Director:

John Ford

Writers:

Dudley Nichols, James Parker Jr. (story),

Stars:

George O'Brien, Marion Lessing, Mona Maris

Cast

Complete credited cast:
George O'Brien	...	Cmdr. Robert 'Bob' Kingsley
Marion Lessing	...	Anna Marie Von Steuben
Mona Maris	...	Fraulein Lolita
Walter C. Kelly	...	Chief Mike 'Guns' Costello
Warren Hymer	...	'Lug' Kaufman
Steve Pendleton	...	Ens. Richard 'Dick' Cabot (as Gaylord Pendleton)
Walter McGrail	...	Chief Joe Cobb
Larry Kent	...	Lt. 'Mac' McGregor
Henry Victor	...	Baron Ernst von Steuben (U-boat commander)
John Loder	...	Franz Shiller

Storyline

In the waning days of WWI, a U.S. "Mystery Ship," sets sail for the coast of Spain towing a submarine. Their mission is to find and sink a U-boat that has been especially effective in attacking Allied shipping. Posing as a harmless schooner, the mystery ship is in fact fitted with a formidable gun capable of sinking a U-boat. Stopping in the Canary Islands to refuel, the crew interacts with locals involved with Germans, and with Germans themselves, including the sister of the U-Boat commander, who is lurking offshore waiting for the coming battle.

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Plot Keywords:

u boat | submarine | canary islands | rescue | navy | 

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Genres:

Action | Drama | War

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 March 1931 (USA)

Also Known As:

Mar de fondo

Filming Locations:

Isthmus, Santa Catalina Island, Channel Islands, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fox Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.20 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The three-masted schooner used as the decoy mystery ship was the same one used in the movies The Sea Wolf and The Painted Woman.

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Soundtracks

"My Loves"
Written by Troy Sanders
Sung by Mona Maris in the cafe

User Reviews

Interesting early talkie

I've been working my way through Ford at Fox, and found this to be the most entertaining of Ford's early talkies. After the joy of watching such silents as The Iorn Horse, 3 Bad Men, Four Sons and the Hangman's House, watching such talkies as Up The River and Born Reckless felt like I was paying my dues as a Ford fan.

Seas Beneath was a real breath of fresh air. It plays out like the grand old silents where everything is staged for real. No models, no process shots. Want to shoot a scene at sea? Pack up the gear and go to sea.

While the story has many of the hokey elements of early film melodramas, the scenes at sea are very real and very effective. You won't see better footage of a German submarine until Das Boot. And the scene where they unload the lifeboat onto the American ship: that was no water tank shot.

While Seas Beneath pales in companion to Ford's great films from the 1930's, there is still much to admire in it.