Ten Seconds to Hell (1959)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Robert Aldrich

Writers:

Robert Aldrich (writer)
Lawrence P. Bachmann (novel)

Release Date:

16 June 1959 (West Germany)

Genre:

Drama | War

Tagline:

Blockbuster About To Explode!

Plot:

At the end of the Second World War six German ex-soldiers return to Berlin and set up as a bomb disposal group...

Plot Keywords:

WWII | Based On Novel | Number In Title

Cast

Jack Palance	...	Eric Koertner
Jeff Chandler	...	Karl Wirtz
Martine Carol	...	Margot Hofer
Robert Cornthwaite	...	Franz Loeffler
Virginia Baker	...	Frau Bauer
Richard Wattis	...	Major Haven
Wesley Addy	...	Wolfgang Sulke (as Wes Addy)
Dave Willock	...	Peter Tillig
James Goodwin	...	Hans Globke (as Jimmy Goodwin)
Nancy Lee	...	Ruth Sulke
Charles Nolte	...	Doctor

Also Known As:

The Phoenix (UK)

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Sound Mix:

Mono (Klangfilm-Eurocord)

Certification:

Norway:16 | West Germany:16 (f) | Argentina:16 | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

UFA Studios, Berlin, Germany

Company:

Hammer Film Productions

Quotes:

Karl Wirtz: I guess it's still my bomb.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in À bout de souffle (1960)

Memorable Film

To put this in context, I saw this in an outdoor theater at the Marine base at Camp Pendelton, California in 1959. I can't tell you how many movies I have seen in my life time, and how very few I remember. This is the movie that came to my mind when I read of Jack Palance's death. It was a guy film all the way, I mean Jeff Chandler and Jack Palance in the same flick? Too much. After nearly 50 years, I still remember so well how the film had me sitting on the edge of my seat. The suspense related to "will this bomb go off and kill the guy" was tremendous. Remember that in it's original form the film was black and white. I can still remember the details of the defusing of the bombs, and how sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't. A fine movie in it's time.