The Atomic Submarine (1959) (film review).
As I read through ‘The Encyclopaedia Of Science Fiction Movies,’ I made the decision to begin with the 1959 film ‘The Atomic Submarine.’ This decision was primarily influenced by the plot of the 1961 film ‘Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea,’ particularly in certain episodes later in its series. The submarines don’t look alike.
The submarine Tigershark equips itself with the bathysphere Lung Fish to investigate the disappearance of nuclear submarines in the Arctic. The dialogue provides insight into the characters’ backgrounds.
In addition to the standard crew, the cast includes two scientists, Sir Ian Hunt (played by Tom Conway) and Dr. Clifford Kent (played by Victor Varconi). Leading is Commander Dan Wendover (actor Dick Foran), Lt. Commander Richard Holloway (actor Arthur Franz), and Dr. Carl Neilson Jr. (actor Brett Halsey), who runs the bathysphere-like Lung Fish.
Hunt discovered that all the destroyed vessels were located 100 miles from the North Pole. They spot a large UFO underwater and plot to intercept it. A lot of that is shown by maps, no doubt to keep the effects budget down, but they seem to go all over…under the Arctic. Considering they know it’s going to recharge near the North Pole, you would think it would have been easier to just go there.
They encounter the flying saucer much earlier and discover that it effectively stops its torpedoes in the gunge area. They send Holloway and the two frogmen over in the Lung Fish. I find it astounding how a bathysphere can travel horizontally, even though it isn’t shaped like a globe. It also provides insight into the size of the saucer, revealing it to be significantly larger than the Tigershark. From here on, it’s a spoiler.
There’s an audio commentary on this edition with producer Alex Gordon and writer Tom Weaver recorded in October 2002. This really is Gordon’s commentary, and I can’t blame Weaver for stepping back and letting him go. If you ever read Gordon’s articles in ‘Fangoria,’ you will see that he truly understood and retained his subjects. You gain a deep understanding of the steps involved in resolving the financial issues. Gordon didn’t like the monster originally, but it worked out. The film also had some influence on ‘The Abyss’ years later, placing it in SF history.
In the past, WW2-themed films primarily featured submarines. When it came to nuclear submarines, there was a lack of knowledge, leading to a reliance on guesswork. Hence the sub is spacious. For the convenience of the viewer, special effects allow for visibility at depths. The decision to send the two frogmen outside to search for damage in subpolar water disregards their presence.
The title ‘War Under The Arctic Ice’ features a number of extras. The first is an interview with actor Brett Halsey from 2005. The submarine special effects came from the 1943 film ‘Destination Tokyo,’ and there were 6 days of principal filming. Upon reviewing this Cary Grant-starring film, it appears that the used footage was not directly from the film, but rather a repurposed portion. Halsey also discusses appearing in ‘Revenge Of The Creature’ (1955) and ‘Return Of The Fly’ (1959) as a contract actor. I looked up Halsey on IMDb and found that his career has been quite extensive.
A minute trailer and 28 photos, including various posters, are also included.
For a very low-budget film and some clichés in the plot, it holds up reasonably well if you can lay your hands on a copy.
GF Willmetts
November 2024
(public domain. 72 minute film with extras)
cast: Arthur Franz, Dick Foran, Brett Halsey, Tom Conway, Victor Virconi and many more
