Run Silent Run Deep (1958)

A U.S. sub commander, obsessed with sinking a certain Japanese ship, butts heads with his first officer and crew.

Director:

Robert Wise

Writers:

John Gay (screenplay), Edward L. Beach (based on novel by) (as Commander Edward L. Beach)

Stars:

Clark Gable, Burt Lancaster, Jack Warden

1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Clark Gable	...	Cmdr. 'Rich' Richardson
Burt Lancaster	...	Lt. Jim Bledsoe
Jack Warden	...	Yeoman 1st Class Mueller
Brad Dexter	...	Ens. Gerald Cartwright
Don Rickles	...	Quartermaster 1st Class Ruby
Nick Cravat	...	Russo
Joe Maross	...	Chief Kohler
Mary LaRoche	...	Laura Richardson
Eddie Foy III	...	Larto
Rudy Bond	...	Sonarman 1st Class Cullen

Storyline

The captain of a submarine sunk by the Japanese during WWII is finally given a chance to skipper another sub after a year of working a desk job. His singleminded determination for revenge against the destroyer that sunk his previous vessel puts his new crew in unneccessary danger.

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Plot Keywords:

submarine movie | submarine | submarine crew | captain tyrannical | war at sea | 

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Taglines:

Gable and Lancaster make the seas boil in the battle adventure that hits like a torpedo!

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Genres:

Action | Drama | War

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film has a 100% rating based on 8 critic reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.

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Goofs

In the underwater scene after Commander Richardson orders the bodies to be ejected with the rest of the 'oil slick', 2 depth charges sink past the submarine. At the conning tower, one of the depth charges has an explosion, yet the depth charges continue to sink and ultimately detonate below the submarine.

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Quotes

Lt. Jim Bledsoe: It's one thing to drill a crew for fighting. But when you duck a Jap sub, they wonder why they should break their backs on drills when the captain has no stomach for attacking. What does he want? Obedience? Efficiency? Or the best drilled cowards in the Navy?
Commander Richardson: [after a long pause] Mr. Bledsoe, tell them I'm doubling the drills, starting tomorrow.
Lt. Jim Bledsoe: Yes sir.
[He starts to leave]
Lt. Jim Bledsoe: You might as well know, sir, I don't believe it.
Commander Richardson: Believe what?
Lt. Jim Bledsoe: That you ran away from that sub from cowardice.

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Crazy Credits

Opening credits: "Bungo Straits Near the Coast of Japan 1942"

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Connections

Referenced in Star Trek: The Original Series: Balance of Terror (1966)

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Soundtracks

Anchors Aweigh
(uncredited)
Music by Charles A. Zimmerman

User Reviews

Good Suspense In This World War II Sub Story

A good story and good performances from good actors leads inevitably to a really good movie, and that's what you get with this movie set on an American submarine patrolling Japanese waters during World War II.

Clark Gable plays Commander P.J. Richardson, reduced to a desk job at Naval headquarters in Pearl Harbor after the submarine he commanded was sunk by the Japanese. After another sub returns to base needing a new captain, Richardson convinces the brass to give him another shot, and he sets out on a quest for revenge, seeking the ship that shot his first sub out from under him. Among other challenges, Richardson has to put up with the wounded ego of his Executive Officer, Jim Bledsoe (Burt Lancaster) who believed the command should have been given to him, and with the hostility of the crew, who would have preferred Bledsoe.

The story of Richardson's quest for revenge, of his efforts to gain the trust of his crew and of his ultimate fate is full of suspense and you will not find your attention wandering at any point of this movie. It is an excellent story, well worth watching.

8/10

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Japanese

Release Date:

27 March 1958 (USA)

Also Known As:

Run Silent, Run Deep

Filming Locations:

Salton Sea, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hill-Hecht-Lancaster Productions, Jeffrey Pictures Corp.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1