"The Enemy Below" is a war film about the battle between an American destroyer and a German U-boat in the South Atlantic during World War II. This is not just a battle between two vessels, it is also a battle between their respective captains, Lieutenant Commander Murrell and Kapitän-Leutnant von Stolberg. Both are shrewd naval tacticians, although in the course of the film both make one single error which proves costly.
Although by 1957, the year in which this film was made, the war had been over for more than a decade, many American (and British) war movies this period were little different from those made during the war itself, propaganda exercises showing Our Side taking on Their Side and coming out on top. The Germans were generally played either as an impersonal, faceless enemy or as evil Nazi thugs. This film is different. Although he is no pacifist- he looks back nostalgically on World War I as a time when a German officer could fight for his country with honour- von Stolberg makes quite clear his dislike of the Nazi regime. This does not, moreover, mean that he is the film's token "good German". Most of his crew can also be seen as "good Germans". Only one of his subordinates shows any enthusiasm for the New Germany, and even he does not have the courage of his Nazi convictions. (When the submarine finds itself in a tight spot, he is the first to advocate surrender, a suggestion which von Stolberg indignantly refuses). Scenes set on board the destroyer alternate with those set on board the submarine, with the Germans (played by German or Austrian actors) being shown as prominently as the Americans.
This is a film in which we are clearly meant to root for the underdogs, but as the tactical balance between the two sides shifts back and forth both crews at different times find themselves in the position of underdog. We feel for the Americans when their ship comes under torpedo attack, but we also feel for the Germans when they are forced to dive to dangerous depths in order to avoid the American depth charges. There is one particularly moving scene near the end when the body of a German seaman killed in the action is consigned to the deep in a traditional ceremony. Although elsewhere in the film the Germans speak to one another in English, this scene is played all in German.
"The Enemy Below" certainly has its fair share of exciting action sequences, but it is more than a simple action film. It is also a psychological study of men at war, with two fine performances from Robert Mitchum and Curt Jürgens as the two commanders. It is not an explicitly pacifist movie; unlike von Stolberg, Murrell retains a belief in the moral rightness of the case he is fighting for. It is, however, an affirmation of the common humanity of all men, regardless of whether they are fighting for Our Side or Their Side. 8/10
Although by 1957, the year in which this film was made, the war had been over for more than a decade, many American (and British) war movies this period were little different from those made during the war itself, propaganda exercises showing Our Side taking on Their Side and coming out on top. The Germans were generally played either as an impersonal, faceless enemy or as evil Nazi thugs. This film is different. Although he is no pacifist- he looks back nostalgically on World War I as a time when a German officer could fight for his country with honour- von Stolberg makes quite clear his dislike of the Nazi regime. This does not, moreover, mean that he is the film's token "good German". Most of his crew can also be seen as "good Germans". Only one of his subordinates shows any enthusiasm for the New Germany, and even he does not have the courage of his Nazi convictions. (When the submarine finds itself in a tight spot, he is the first to advocate surrender, a suggestion which von Stolberg indignantly refuses). Scenes set on board the destroyer alternate with those set on board the submarine, with the Germans (played by German or Austrian actors) being shown as prominently as the Americans.
This is a film in which we are clearly meant to root for the underdogs, but as the tactical balance between the two sides shifts back and forth both crews at different times find themselves in the position of underdog. We feel for the Americans when their ship comes under torpedo attack, but we also feel for the Germans when they are forced to dive to dangerous depths in order to avoid the American depth charges. There is one particularly moving scene near the end when the body of a German seaman killed in the action is consigned to the deep in a traditional ceremony. Although elsewhere in the film the Germans speak to one another in English, this scene is played all in German.
"The Enemy Below" certainly has its fair share of exciting action sequences, but it is more than a simple action film. It is also a psychological study of men at war, with two fine performances from Robert Mitchum and Curt Jürgens as the two commanders. It is not an explicitly pacifist movie; unlike von Stolberg, Murrell retains a belief in the moral rightness of the case he is fighting for. It is, however, an affirmation of the common humanity of all men, regardless of whether they are fighting for Our Side or Their Side. 8/10