Hell Below Zero (1954)

Duncan Craig signs on a whaling ship, partly because his own business deal has fallen through, partly to help Judie Nordhall find her father. Rumor has it that her father may have been ... See full summary »

Director:

Mark Robson

Writers:

Alec Coppel (screenplay), Max Trell (screenplay),

Stars:

Alan Ladd, Joan Tetzel, Basil Sydney

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Alan Ladd	...	Duncan Craig
Joan Tetzel	...	Judie Nordhal
Basil Sydney	...	Bland
Stanley Baker	...	Erik Bland
Joseph Tomelty	...	Capt. McPhee
Niall MacGinnis	...	Dr. Howe
Jill Bennett	...	Gerda Petersen
Peter Dyneley	...	Miller
Susan Rayne	...	Kathleen
Philo Hauser	...	Sandeborg
Ivan Craig	...	Larsen
Paddy Ryan	...	Manders
Cyril Chamberlain	...	Factory Ship Radio Operator
Paul Homer	...	Kista Dan Radio Operator
Edward Hardwicke	...	Ulvik

Storyline

Duncan Craig signs on a whaling ship, partly because his own business deal has fallen through, partly to help Judie Nordhall find her father. Rumor has it that her father may have been murdered by Erik Bland, son of her father's partner and her one-time lover. Duncan and Erik find themselves on rival whaleboats and, ultimately, on an ice floe.

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Plot Keywords:

whaling | whaling ship | murder | ship crew | skiing | 

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 January 1954 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Hölle unter Null

Filming Locations:

Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warwick Film Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When the film premiered in Hollywood in 1954, Alan Ladd gave a few mounted actual whale teeth to special guests on opening night. He was actually on the ship during some of the filming. The tooth "trophies" are highly collectible today. Each has a plaque identifying them as coming from the movie.

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Goofs

During scenes set in the Antarctic, at supposedly below zero (Celsius) temperatures, we never see breath vapor.

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Connections

Referenced in Cubby Broccoli: The Man Behind Bond (2000)

User Reviews

Fighting the cold

This British-made adventure represents an early teaming for two of the men who helped create the James Bond series, producer Albert Broccoli and writer Richard Maibaum. Apart from character names and the Arctic setting, the story doesn't really have much to do with the Hammond Innes novel on which it is (allegedly) based; the film actually ends more or less where the novel begins.

Nevertheless, this is gutsy, vital stuff with some vigorous action scenes and excellent location work. A young Stanley Baker makes a smooth, dangerous villain and the always-excellent Niall MacGinnis is on hand as a drunken doctor who comes to the aid of Alan Ladd's stoical, if slightly dull, hero.