When Hell Was in Session (TV 1979)

This film describes Navy Commander Jeremiah Denton's 7 and a half years as a prisoner of war. Held in numerous, brutal POW camps, he faced starvation, torture and terrible living conditions... See full summary »

Director:

Paul Krasny

Writers:

Eddie Brandt (book), Jeremiah Denton (book),

Stars:

Hal Holbrook, Eva Marie Saint, Mako

Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Hal Holbrook	...	Cmdr. Jeremiah A. Denton
Eva Marie Saint	...	Jane Denton
Mako	...	Maj. Bai
Ronny Cox	...	Maj. Frank Perrin
Renne Jarrett	...	Nancy Tschudy
Richard Evans	...	Lt. Alec Vardis
James Hong	...	Nguyen
Tom Bower	...	Lt. Jim Norton
Stephen Keep Mills	...	Lt. Bill Grainger (as Stephen Keep)
Byron Chung	...	Quoc
William Kirby Cullen	...	Jerry Denton
Paul Mantee	...	Capt. Brown
Rod Browning	...	Ed Brandt
Rod McCary	...	T.V. Host
Ric Carrott	...	Lt. Hadley

Storyline

This film describes Navy Commander Jeremiah Denton's 7 and a half years as a prisoner of war. Held in numerous, brutal POW camps, he faced starvation, torture and terrible living conditions brought on by his North Vietnamese captors in an effort to keep communication alive between the prisoners. His wife, Jane, is also arranging a POW wives league in the U.S. in order to popularize their plight.

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Plot Keywords:

prisoner of war | vietnam war | based on true story

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 October 1979 (USA)

Also Known As:

Cuando el infierno abrió sus puertas

Company Credits

Production Co:

Aubrey/Hamner Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

User Reviews

A must see film!!

I was fortunate enough to see this film back in the early 80's on late night television (long before cable and satellite TV). I only saw it once, but it left a very lasting impression on me. To see the torture on POW's like that is a total cry against humanity. I was literally fighting back tears watching this film, finding it hard to believe that this sort of activity occurs during wartime. My hat goes off to Col. Denton, and I hope more people will learn of his account. He is worthy of all the highest military honors possible. I hope this film doesn't gather dust for too long, and will be shown again soon!