THE ENEMY BELOW is a taut, deep sea war thriller
highlighted by the performances of stars Robert Mitchum and Curt Jurgens,
as the opposing commanders (of a Destroyer and U-Boat, respectively)
engaged in combat during World War 2. Robert Mitchum is a true Hollywood
legend who stands apart from his contemporaries—try selecting his best
film and role. You can’t do it. But genre film fans will best remember
him from his chilling performance in NIGHT OF THE HUNTER (1955). Joining
Mitchum in THE ENEMY BELOW is one of Germany’s best actors: Curt
Jurgens. He appeared in several genre efforts including, THE KARATE
KILLERS, THE MEPHISTO WALTZ, and TALES FROM THE CRYPT (1974). Perhaps
Jurgen’s is best known as the villainous Carl Stromberg from THE SPY
WHO LOVED ME (1977). Other genre talents in the film include David
Hedison (THE FLY, THE LOST WORLD, VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA), and
THEODORE BIKEL (I BURY THE LIVING, THE DEFIANT ONES, DARK TOWER). THE
ENEMY BELOW by directed by popular actor Dick Powell, who demonstrates
significant directorial skills. Fox Home Video presents THE ENEMY BELOW
as part of their 2004 line of Fox War Classics.
Captain Murrell (Robert Mitchum) is the
battle-weary commander of the Haynes, a Naval destroyer on the trail of
a German submarine. Murrell employs strategy and psychology to stalk the
German vessel commanded by Von Stohlberg (Curt Jurgens), a crafty,
veteran U-Boat commander whose viewpoint does not reflect that of his
Nazi superiors. Von Stohlberg is attempting to return to the German
fleet as he is transporting a stolen codebook to decipher American
codes, something that’s very valuable to the Nazis. Murrell is
attempting to either destroy or disable the U-Boat before more German
naval vessels show up. Each man manages to launch an offensive and
countermeasures to prolong their conflict. Finally, a random barrage of
depth charges damages the U-Boat forcing its inhabitants to land on the
rocky bottom of the ocean. From this vantage point, Von Stohlberg is
able to fire multiple torpedoes up towards the Haynes as it passes
overhead. The Haynes is hit by one of the torpedos, causing it to burst
into flames. Captain Murrell orders his crew to abandon ship as the
enemy U-Boat surfaces to finish the job. However, Captain Murell has a
few tricks of his own to even the score…
THE ENEMY BELOW is an exciting, suspenseful naval
thriller that defies the boundaries of the War genre. Most War films end
with a downbeat ending and bang you over the head with the fact that War
is Hell. And while I agree in reality that War IS Hell, it makes for a
very cliched component of the War film. Not only does THE ENEMY BELOW
have heart, but the screenplay has a distinguishing element of Hope,
something that is sorely lacking in today’s Hollywood War films where
the focus is on special effects and rising death tolls (SAVING PRIVATE
RYAN and PLATOON for example). Here is a major example on how different
THE ENEMY BELOW is from other War pictures: When was the last time you
saw a War film where the Germans were presented in a realistic and
non-villainous fashion? Here the crew of the submarine gets more screen
time and characterization than its US counterparts. After all, most War
films take delight in painting German (and Japanese) generals and
leaders as evil super villains right out of a comic book. This movie
portrays the German enemies in a realistic and sympathetic manner—just
individuals doing their duty for their country. THE ENEMY BELOW deserves
further credit for the cerebral efforts of the two opposing factions.
This element of the script creates suspense and intrigue, and allows the
cast members—Robert Mitchum and Curt Jurgen’s especially—to shine
in their roles while delivering their dialog. Everyone knows that Robert
Mitchum is one of the greats, but Curt Jurgins comes very close to
stealing the spotlight. This actor is surely one of the most overlooked
German actors to emerge from his country.
Fox Home Video presents THE ENEMY BELOW with newly
remastered, 16x9 enhanced widescreen transfer that really shines. This
1957 production looks like it was shot yesterday. Barring a scratch here
or there, the ocean cinematography is absolutely gorgeous. The image has
excellent depth and detail. The filmmakers persuaded the actual US Navy
to take part in the production of this film, hence scene after scene of
reailstic, detailed photography of the ocean, the vessels, and exploding
columns of water from the depth charge bombings. The special effects
sequences are handled using miniatures and match well with the live
action footage. THE ENEMY BELOW is presented in a very colorful fashion
with all the aquatic colors (blues, greens, grays, etc.) coming to life
in this transfer. The soundtrack is Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo, remastered
from the original mono audio stems. Don’t expect the type of fidelity
from today’s studio efforts, but the enhanced soundtrack here offers
great moments of battle, explosions, pinging radar, seawinds, bubbles,
and other convincing effects. The score has been cleaned up as much as
the picture. The period American voices and German-accented English
dialog come through clearly in the center channel. There is no hiss,
distortion, or background noise in the mix. There two other audio
options on the disc, a Spanish and French language tracks, and both of
them are in mono only. There is not much for extras on the disc, but you
can view some old 30 seconds MovieTone News documentaries or the
trailers for the Fox War Classics THE ENEMY BELOW, SINK THE
BISMARK, HEAVEN KNOWS MR. ALISON, THE DESERT FOX, THE BLUE MAX, and 13
RUE MADELINE.
Because of the originality, suspense, and high
caliber of acting, THE ENEMY BELOW is a must-see War film. Kudos to Fox
Home Video for not downplaying the significance of this film, and going
the distance to restore THE ENEMY BELOW in the audio and video
department. The only weakness on an otherwise fabulous disc is the lack
of extras. Perhaps the company will revisit the title in the future as a
full-fledged special edition. We look forward to the next wave of Fox
War Classics series.
THE
ENEMY BELOW is available from DVDEmpire.com
