Ten Seconds to Hell (1959)

At the end of the Second World War six German ex-soldiers return to Berlin and set up as a bomb disposal group. The pressure of the dangerous work starts to affect them, the more so as they... See full summary »

Director:

Robert Aldrich

Writers:

Robert Aldrich (screenplay), Teddi Sherman (screenplay),

Stars:

Jack Palance, Jeff Chandler, Martine Carol

Cast

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

Storyline

At the end of the Second World War six German ex-soldiers return to Berlin and set up as a bomb disposal group. The pressure of the dangerous work starts to affect them, the more so as they have agreed to pool half their pay so that if only one survives he takes it all. Casualties and friction are inevitable, and having to handle British 1000lb bombs seems particularly bad news.

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Plot Keywords:

ex soldier | prisoner of war | prisoner of war camp | demolitions expert | germany | 

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Taglines:

BLOCKBUSTER ABOUT TO EXPLODE! (original poster-all caps)

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Romance | War

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 June 1959 (West Germany)

Also Known As:

Vor uns die Hölle

Filming Locations:

UFA Studios, Berlin, Germany

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hammer Film Productions, Seven Arts Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Klangfilm-Eurocord)

Color:

Black and White

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director Robert Aldrich had his name taken off the credits as Producer because the studio cut a half-hour out of the picture without telling him, and he believed that unless they put that footage back in, the film made no sense. The studio refused, so Aldrich had his name taken off as producer.

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Quotes

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

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Connections

Referenced in Breathless (1960)

User Reviews

Good post world war two drama.

I found this film on the shelf at the local video store in a nondescript white box which listed only the title, the two leads, and only mentioned that it was a Hammer film. I had no idea what it was about. But I was curious about a Hammer film that starred Jack Palance and Jeff Chandler, so I decided to rent it. I did not regret it. I at first thought it would be a British crime thriller. Little did I expect it to be a post WW2 drama about a group of former German soldiers in charge of a bomb disposal unit. I won't go any further into the plot since the previous reviewer says most of whats important to know. The first half of this film is a bit slow, but then picks up speed and becomes really interesting. It was also interesting to see a reversal in roles for the two leads; Jack Palance who usually played villains, plays the hero here, while Jeff Chandler, who usually played heroes,plays the heavy in this one.

The one thing that intrigues me about this film, is how an American director, a mostly American cast, ended up making a film produced by a British film company with a British crew, shot on locations in Berlin, with interiors shot at Berlins UFA studios.