The Sea Chase (1955)

As World War II begins, German freighter Captain Karl Ehrlich tries to get his ship back to Germany through a gauntlet of Allied warships.

Director:

John Farrow

Writers:

James Warner Bellah (screenplay), John Twist (screenplay)

Stars:

John Wayne, Lana Turner, David Farrar

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
John Wayne	...	Capt. Karl Ehrlich
Lana Turner	...	Elsa Keller
David Farrar	...	Cmdr. Jeff Napier
Lyle Bettger	...	Chief Officer Kirchner
Tab Hunter	...	Cadet Wesser
James Arness	...	Schlieter
Richard Davalos	...	Cadet Walter Stemme (as Dick Davalos)
John Qualen	...	Chief Engineer Schmitt
Paul Fix	...	Max Heinz
Lowell Gilmore	...	Capt. Evans
Luis Van Rooten	...	Matz
Alan Hale Jr.	...	Wentz (as Alan Hale)
Wilton Graff	...	Consul General Hepke
Peter Whitney	...	Bachman
Claude Akins	...	Winkler (as Claude Akin)

Storyline

As the Second World War breaks out, German freighter captain Karl Ehrlich is about to leave Sydney, Australia with his vessel, the Ergenstrasse. Ehrlich, an anti-Nazi but proud German, hopes to outrun or out-maneuver the British warship pursuing him. Aboard his vessel is Elsa Keller, a woman Ehrlich has been ordered to return to Germany safely along with whatever secrets she carries. When Ehrlich's fiercely Nazi chief officer Kirchner commits an atrocity, the British pursuit becomes deadly.

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Plot Keywords:

sea battle | sea chase | bare chested male | homosexual subtext | warship | 

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Taglines:

He was a skipper sworn never to be taken! She was the fuse of his floating time-bomb!

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Genres:

Action | Drama | War

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 June 1955 (USA)

Also Known As:

Der See-Fuchs

Filming Locations:

Hawaii, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

117 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (35 mm optical prints) (RCA Sound Recording) 4-Track Stereo (35 mm magnetic prints) (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Color (WarnerColor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.55 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Claude Akins and James Arness appeared as supporting players. Akins appeared on ten episodes of Gunsmoke (1955).

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Goofs

When David Farrar talks about Ehrlich's course options, he says they can rule out the vast Pacific to the west and the Indian Ocean to the east. Sailing from Sydney Australia, the Pacific would be to the East and the Indian Ocean to the West.

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Quotes

Capt. Karl Ehrlich: What do you suggest that I do?
Counsel General Hepke: The Rockhampton is due in Valparaiso tomorrow. There's not a chance that you can leave.
Capt. Karl Ehrlich: I'll take my chances with the British. They won't waste a warship watching this harbor for long.
Counsel General Hepke: Very well, Captain. If you insist. Seamanship is your forte. But I beg to remind you, propaganda's mine. If I assist you, you must help me.
Capt. Karl Ehrlich: I won't lie for you.
Counsel General Hepke: Of course not! I wouldn't think of asking you to lie. You haven't had the necessary diplomatic training.

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Connections

Referenced in El día de los enamorados (1959)

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Soundtracks

Steh'ich in finstrer Mitternacht
(uncredited)
Written by Wilhelm Hauff
English Lyrics by John Farrow
Arranged by Ray Heindorf

User Reviews

"Auf Wiedersehen, Sidney"

No, John Wayne and his crew don't speak German, but what do you expect of a film from this era? In Ben-Hur the Romans speak with British accents and the Jews speak with American accents. The same line of reasoning applies here. The English have British accents and the Germans have American accents. Accept it and move on. Once one can get past the accent issue, this is really quite a good film. All of the credit in the world goes to John Wayne for making this film. Made in the mid-50's, just ten years after the end of World War II, I would imagine it was not very popular subject matter at the time. It is one of the few Hollywood films to try to show the Second World War from the German point of view. Karl Ehrlich (Wayne) is a man torn between his love for his country and his personal hatred for the ideals of Hitler. He is an officer of the old school Prussian monarchy still loyal to the Kaiser who does not like the new regime. As Jeff Napier (David Farrar) notices, he flies the swastika outside on his ship but still has the old imperial battle flag hanging in his cabin. He must decide whether to allow his ship to be taken or defy the entire British Navy and try to bring the Ergenstrasse back safely to the Fatherland. The flag he flies during the final battle is a telling sign of where his loyalty lies and (in my opinion) is Ehrlich's explanation for his actions. An interesting, intriguing, and thought-provoking war film.