The Enemy Below

"I don't wanna know the man I'm trying to destroy"

This naval potboiler is indicative of the loosening grip of propaganda on Hollywood war films in the mid to late '50s. The 'enemy below' of the title is a German U-boat, but beyond this title there isn't much more demonising going on - both sides of the conflict are given equal shrift in the honour stakes, with the film seeking to present pre-20th century ideals of honour in combat. War itself is also depicted as a sorry byproduct of human nature, with enough tragedy to go round for both the Americans and the Germans. On the surface, it's a fairly straightforward action film about battleship strategy, but as far as the critics at the time were concerned the balanced anti-war subtext is what elevated it above your more typical John Wayne war films.

As usual for these kind of films, there isn't really much of a plot. An American Destroyer, captained by the confident Captain Murrell (Robert Mitchum), plays a game of WWII cat and mouse with a German submarine, captained by the weary Capitan Von Stuhlberg (Curd Jurgens). These two men, without having met each other, must size the other up in their efforts to destroy one another. Murrell, despite being a very good captain, must earn the confidence of his men due to the fact that he was the sole survivor of his previous vessel (and spent 25 days lost at sea). It doesn't long though, as he's honourable and very much in control. By contrast, Von Stuhlberg has lost faith in the Nazi war effort and just wants to go home.


Both captains are painted as equals, the title is an ironic one as they're only enemies by circumstance. There's no sense of enmity between these men, and both are beset by the mutual tragedy and sordid reality of war. There's so much destruction at the end of this film, a sharp and bitter contrast to the lack of aggression displayed by both ship's crews. The themes really come to the fore when the captains finally meet in the wreck of the U-boat and Murrell asks Von Stuhlberg to leave a dying man behind, and Von Stuhlberg replies, in an underplayed and matter-of-fact manner, that the dead man is his friend. It's probably the only real moment of emotional clarity that doesn't feel laboured. A lot of the U-boat scenes are weighed down by the poor morale of the Germans, and I have to question whether they would really have been praying.

It's a decent war film, but it will inevitably only appeal to classic war film buffs. A lot of it plays pretty dry despite the excellent Oscar-winning modelwork. The only properly realised characters are the two captains, beyond that it just chugs along. In comparison to modern war films I think a lot of the impact would probably be lost on modern viewers.

DIRECTOR: Dick Powell
WRITER/SOURCE: Script by Wendell Mayes, based on a novel by Denys Rayner.
KEY ACTORS: Robert Mitchum, Curd Jurgens, Theodore Bikel, Doug McClure, Al Hedison, Frank Albertson

RELATED TEXTS
- The Enemy Below, a war novel written by a British Naval officer.
- An episode of the original Star Trek named Balance of Terror was based closely on the film, as was an episode Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea called Killers of the Deep.
- Director Dick Powell and Robert Mitchum re-teamed for another war film, The Hunters, this time about the Korean War.
- Submarine war films: Das Boot, Crimson Tide, The Hunt For the Red October, U-571, Run Silent Run Deep, Sink the Bismarck and The Cruel Sea.
- WWII Naval films: Operation Pacific, The Battle of the River Plate, Midway and In Harm's Way.

AWARDS
Academy Awards - won Best Special Effects.
BAFTAs - nominated for Best Foreign Actor (Curd Jurgens)