Run Silent Run Deep (1958)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Robert Wise

Writers:

John Gay (screenplay)
Edward L. Beach (novel)

Release Date:

27 March 1958 (USA)

Genre:

War | Action | Drama

Tagline:

Gable and Lancaster make the seas boil in the battle adventure that hits like a torpedo!

Plot:

A U.S. sub commander, obsessed with sinking a certain Japanese ship, butts heads with his first officer and crew.

Plot Keywords:

Submarine | WWII | Captain Tyrannical | Naval Battle | US Navy

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Clark Gable	...	Cmdr. 'Rich' Richardson
Burt Lancaster	...	Lt. Jim Bledsoe
Jack Warden	...	Yeoman 1st Class Mueller
Brad Dexter	...	Ens. Gerald Cartwright
Don Rickles	...	Quartermaster 1st Class Ruby
Nick Cravat	...	Russo
Joe Maross	...	Chief Kohler
Mary LaRoche	...	Laura Richardson
Eddie Foy III	...	Larto
Rudy Bond	...	Sonarman 1st Class Cullen

Also Known As:

Run Silent, Run Deep (USA) (poster title)

Runtime:

93 min | Germany:88 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Japanese

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Brazil:12 (DVD rating) | USA:Approved | Norway:16 (1958) | USA:TV-PG | West Germany:12 (f) | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 | UK:U

Filming Locations:

Imperial County, California, USA

Company:

Hill-Hecht-Lancaster Productions

Trivia:

In March 1958, United Artists distributed this film in the USA on a double bill with Tiger by the Tail (1955) starring Larry Parks. (Tiger by the Tail (1955) was distributed under the title "Cross-Up").

Goofs:

Incorrectly regarded as goofs: There's a Black man on the sub, though in WWII the armed forces weren't yet fully integrated; however, Black men did serve as mess cooks and stewards on submarines.

Quotes:

Commander Richardson: The best exec I could possibly get in the whole Navy. "The backstop" I think you said, and the first command you give as a captain is to order a retreat!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Codename: Kids Next Door: Operation B.E.A.C.H./Operation U.N.D.E.R.C.O.V.E.R. (#2.11)" (2004)

Great film!

WOW! is all I can say. This is the most realistic submarine film of it's day. I don't think anybody equaled this film in this genre until Das Boot was released nearly 30 years later. Clark Gable and Burt Lancaster star in this epic about a submarine and a mission. Others have commented at length on the basic story, so I'll leave that alone. Only a couple of details bothered me. The men were all too clean and well-shaven to be sub sailors. Some of the last WWII US Subs built had air conditioning, so that could explain the cleanliness and lack of condensation in the boat. Still, the entire crew should have been growing beards for the entire length of the cruise since water was too precious to be used for shaving or bathing while at sea. The only shipboard scene that I felt was unrealistic was one scene in the crew's mess. The space shown is far too large to have been aboard a US Fleet boat. Otherwise, I found the film to be a great depiction of the way life was aboard a US sub during WWII. The acting is superb by the entire cast, but it should be with names like Gable, Lancaster and Warden. This is one of the greats!