The Bedford Incident (1965)

An American destroyer captain is determined to confront a Soviet submarine caught violating territorial waters. Perhaps too determined.

Director:

James B. Harris

Writers:

Mark Rascovich (novel), James Poe (screenplay)

Stars:

Richard Widmark, Sidney Poitier, James MacArthur

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Richard Widmark	...	Captain Eric Finlander U.S.N.
Sidney Poitier	...	Ben Munceford
James MacArthur	...	Ensign Ralston (as James Macarthur)
Martin Balsam	...	Lieut Cmdr. Chester Potter, M.D., U.S.N.
Wally Cox	...	Seaman Merlin Queffle
Eric Portman	...	Commodore Wolfgang Schrepke Deutsche Marine
Michael Kane	...	Commander Allison Executive Officer - Bridge
Colin Maitland	...	Seaman Jones - Bridge
Paul Tamarin	...	Seaman 2nd Class - Bridge
Frank Lieberman	...	Seaman 1st Class - Bridge
James Caffrey	...	Seaman 1st Class - Bridge
Burnell Tucker	...	Seaman 1st Class - Bridge
Michael Graham	...	Lieutenant Krindlemeyer U.S.N. - Bridge
Bill Edwards	...	Lieutenant Hazelwood U.S.N. - Bridge
Stephen von Schreiber	...	Seaman 2nd Class - Bridge (as Stephen Von Schreiber)

Storyline

Richard Widmark plays a hardened cold-warrior and captain of the American destroyer USS Bedford. Sidney Poitier is a reporter given permission to interview the captain during a routine patrol. Poitier gets more than he bargained for when the Bedford discovers a Soviet sub in the depths and the captain begins a relentless pursuit, pushing his crew to the breaking point. This one's grim tension to the end.

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Plot Keywords:

destroyer | submarine | crew | confrontation | reporter | 

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Taglines:

High adventure on the high seas, from the company that gave you "The Caine Mutiny"!

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English Russian

Release Date:

January 1966 (Austria)

Also Known As:

Zwischenfall im Atlantik

Filming Locations:

Shepperton Studios, Shepperton, Surrey, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation, Bedford Productions Ltd.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

First feature film of Burnell Tucker.

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Goofs

The elapsed time clock ticks over from 23:59 to 0:00, but in later scenes it shows 24:02, etc.

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Quotes

Captain Finlander: He didn't surface during the night, he couldn't, we must've been directly over him. So he's out of breathing air. Staying down, he couldn't charge his batteries, so he can't run. And there he is. So you see, Commodore, we've accomplished the most important step. We've made him desperate.
Commodore Wolfgang Schrepke, Deutsche Marine: He's certainly desperate. That is the danger. You are dealing with a desperate force.
Captain Finlander: And we're a determined force.
Commodore Wolfgang Schrepke, Deutsche Marine: YOU are in the power here, Eric. It is not a force, it is just you.
Captain Finlander: Uh, you mean you're trying...
[...]

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Connections

Referenced in American Masters: Sidney Poitier: One Bright Light (2000)

User Reviews

Authentic, tense cold war drama

Having served aboard this very class of ship during the late 60's and early 70's, I can attest that the events, from a technical standpoint, are frighteningly real. The Queeg-like personality of the Captain is a bit of a stretch, but the events in the movie come right out of the battle plans of the Navy (at the time).

The tension of the situation is palpable. Even at the time, the outcome was in doubt, but the outcome was believable. It still is.