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IMDbPro

The Bedford Incident

  • 19651965
  • ApprovedApproved
  • 1h 42m
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
5.5K
YOUR RATING
The Bedford Incident (1965)
Official Trailer
Play trailer3:14
1 Video
30 Photos
DramaThriller
An American destroyer Captain is determined to confront a Soviet submarine caught violating territorial waters. Perhaps too determined.An American destroyer Captain is determined to confront a Soviet submarine caught violating territorial waters. Perhaps too determined.An American destroyer Captain is determined to confront a Soviet submarine caught violating territorial waters. Perhaps too determined.
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
5.5K
YOUR RATING
    • James B. Harris
    • Mark Rascovich(novel)
    • James Poe(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Richard Widmark
    • Sidney Poitier
    • James MacArthur
    • James B. Harris
    • Mark Rascovich(novel)
    • James Poe(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Richard Widmark
    • Sidney Poitier
    • James MacArthur
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 72User reviews
    • 24Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award

    Videos1

    The Bedford Incident
    Trailer 3:14
    Watch The Bedford Incident

    Photos30

    Sidney Poitier in The Bedford Incident (1965)
    Sidney Poitier and Eric Portman in The Bedford Incident (1965)
    The Bedford Incident (1965)
    The Bedford Incident (1965)
    The Bedford Incident (1965)
    The Bedford Incident (1965)
    Eric Portman in The Bedford Incident (1965)
    Richard Widmark in The Bedford Incident (1965)
    Sidney Poitier in The Bedford Incident (1965)
    Sidney Poitier and Richard Widmark in The Bedford Incident (1965)
    The Bedford Incident (1965)
    The Bedford Incident (1965)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Richard Widmark
    Richard Widmark
    • Capt. Eric Finlander U.S.N.
    Sidney Poitier
    Sidney Poitier
    • Ben Munceford
    James MacArthur
    James MacArthur
    • Ens. Ralston
    • (as James Macarthur)
    Martin Balsam
    Martin Balsam
    • Lt. Cmdr. Chester Potter M.D., U.S.N.
    Wally Cox
    Wally Cox
    • Seaman Merlin Queffle
    Eric Portman
    Eric Portman
    • Commodore Wolfgang Schrepke - Deutsche Marine
    Michael Kane
    Michael Kane
    • Cmdr. Allison - Executive Officer, Bridge
    Colin Maitland
    Colin Maitland
    • Seaman Jones - Bridge
    Paul Tamarin
    • Seaman 2nd Class - Bridge
    Frank Lieberman
    • Seaman 1st Class - Bridge
    James Caffrey
    James Caffrey
    • Seaman 1st Class - Bridge
    Burnell Tucker
    Burnell Tucker
    • Seaman 1st Class - Bridge
    Mike Lennox
    • Lt. Krindlemeyer U.S.N. - Bridge
    • (as Michael Graham)
    Bill Edwards
    Bill Edwards
    • Lieutenant Hazelwood U.S.N. - Bridge
    Stephen Schreiber
    Stephen Schreiber
    • Seaman 2nd Class - Bridge
    • (as Stephen Von Schreiber)
    Ronald Rubin
    • Seaman 1st Class - Bridge
    Eugene Leonard
    • Seaman 2nd Class - Bridge
    Gary Cockrell
    Gary Cockrell
    • Lieutenant Bascombe U.S.N. - C.I.C.
      • James B. Harris
      • Mark Rascovich(novel)
      • James Poe(screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Although by this point Sidney Poitier had been making films for 15 years, this was the first film he made in which his race was neither mentioned nor relevant.
    • Goofs
      Some believe that the U.S. Navy of the mid-1960s was segregated and Black sailors could serve only in limited categories, which is not true. The U.S. military was desegregated in 1947 by President Harry S. Truman and Navy rates (jobs) were open on a race-free basis.
    • Quotes

      [after Finlander orders an anti-submarine rocket armed]

      Commodore Schrepke: This is insane!

      Captain Finlander: Now don't worry, Commodore. The Bedford'll never fire first. But if he fires one, I'll fire one.

      Ensign Ralston: [launching the rocket] Fire One!

    • Alternate versions
      Reportedly, there are two versions with different endings. One version ends with a missile being fired and a torpedo being released from the sub seconds before. In another version the sub is destroyed, and later that evening the German commodore is found aiming a .45 at the nose cone of a live missile. The captain asks why, the commodore gives some reply and pulls the trigger. Mr. Munceford is blown over the side, but survives.
    • Connections
      Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Cold War Movies (2014)

    User reviews72

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    FailSafe on a Surface vessel.
    Along the same lines as FailSafe this is a tense Cold War drama with a cat and mouse game going on between an iron willed Navy Captain and an essentially unseen Soviet submarine. Great performances all around are what make this a good film. Richard Widmark is great as the somewhat tyrannical ships skipper who has his crew drilled, trained and poised for all out war up to the breaking point. Sidney Poitier as always does another superb job as the journalist aboard to do a story of a Navy deployment and gets more than what was expected. Despite the fact that an individual like the Poitier character would not enjoy that much freedom aboard a US Naval vessel this motion picture is quite realistic. Martin Balsam and James MacArthur also put in outstanding performances with Balsam as a newly arrived unappreciated ships doctor and MacArthur as an Ensign who is dogged endlessly by his commanding officer.
    helpful•21
    0
    • yenlo
    • Jun 23, 1999

    FAQ1

    • Is the Bedford a real ship?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 12, 1965 (Japan)
      • United Kingdom
      • United States
      • English
      • Russian
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Shepperton Studios, Shepperton, Surrey, England, UK
    • Production companies
      • Columbia Pictures
      • Bedford Productions Ltd.
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 1 hour 42 minutes
      • Black and White

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