The best submarine movies, such as "Run Silent, Run Deep," "The Enemy Below," and "Das Boot," are focused on the action beneath the waves. Unfortunately, while "Crash Dive" has some good underwater scenes and decent action on dry land, too much time passes with a clichéd and unconvincing romantic triangle, before the sub and her crew set to sea.
Lensed in color by master cinematographer Leon Shamroy, the film highlights Tyrone Power at the peak of his fabled looks; as Lt. Ward Stewart, Power reluctantly accepts a transfer from PT boat duty back to a submarine, where he began. The sub has been out of duty for some time, because the commander, Dewey Connors, played by Dana Andrews, lacked an executive officer. Enter the brash, self confident Tyrone with family connections, and the sub commander and his new executive officer get off to a chilly start. As anyone reared on Hollywood movies will expect, the situation complicates when Tyrone meets Anne Baxter in a tired "meet cute" mix-up over a train berth; of course, Baxter initially dislikes Power, but, of course, he is persistent. The overly familiar story line follows the pair to wartime Washington, D.C., where the overcrowding, which was more amusingly portrayed in "The More the Merrier," provides a backdrop for the sparring between Baxter and Power. Of course, Baxter, as private school teacher Jean Hewlett, is seeing Dana Andrews, who wants to eventually marry her. When Andrews and Power go to sea on a mission, the unwitting rivals for the same girl, surprise surprise, develop mutual respect and a budding friendship. The stale rehashed plot, written by Jo Swerling from a story by W.R. Burnett, unfolds without a whiff of fresh creativity, and any film fan will know the ending long before the sub ever crash dives.
Made to instill patriotic fervor during World War II, "Crash Dive" includes gratuitous shots of U.S. naval ships, Washington, D.C. monuments, and an extended patriotic speech by Power at the finale. Amusingly, the film also posits an intriguing question: do submarines fly the Stars and Stripes while underwater? In this film, the sub emerges from beneath the sea with the flag flapping in the wind, instantly dry.
The cast is solid, although the performances are generally routine, and Power's persistent pursuit of Baxter is hard to fathom, when she seems better paired with Andrews. Veteran character actor, James Gleason, who is always a pleasure to watch, plays an old timer with a bad ticker. In an uncharacteristic turn for the period, African-American actor, Ben Carter, plays Oliver, the ship's cook, who develops a caring relationship with Gleason. Although Carter is a token in an otherwise all-white cast, his performance avoids the negative stereotypes that often marred minority appearances in early Hollywood films. The delightful Dame May Witty also appears in a brief, but amusing role as Power's grandmother.
Directed by Archie Mayo, "Crash Dive" maintains a decent pace during the action sequences, both at sea and on land; however, the predictable romantic triangle is for fans of the stars only.
Lensed in color by master cinematographer Leon Shamroy, the film highlights Tyrone Power at the peak of his fabled looks; as Lt. Ward Stewart, Power reluctantly accepts a transfer from PT boat duty back to a submarine, where he began. The sub has been out of duty for some time, because the commander, Dewey Connors, played by Dana Andrews, lacked an executive officer. Enter the brash, self confident Tyrone with family connections, and the sub commander and his new executive officer get off to a chilly start. As anyone reared on Hollywood movies will expect, the situation complicates when Tyrone meets Anne Baxter in a tired "meet cute" mix-up over a train berth; of course, Baxter initially dislikes Power, but, of course, he is persistent. The overly familiar story line follows the pair to wartime Washington, D.C., where the overcrowding, which was more amusingly portrayed in "The More the Merrier," provides a backdrop for the sparring between Baxter and Power. Of course, Baxter, as private school teacher Jean Hewlett, is seeing Dana Andrews, who wants to eventually marry her. When Andrews and Power go to sea on a mission, the unwitting rivals for the same girl, surprise surprise, develop mutual respect and a budding friendship. The stale rehashed plot, written by Jo Swerling from a story by W.R. Burnett, unfolds without a whiff of fresh creativity, and any film fan will know the ending long before the sub ever crash dives.
Made to instill patriotic fervor during World War II, "Crash Dive" includes gratuitous shots of U.S. naval ships, Washington, D.C. monuments, and an extended patriotic speech by Power at the finale. Amusingly, the film also posits an intriguing question: do submarines fly the Stars and Stripes while underwater? In this film, the sub emerges from beneath the sea with the flag flapping in the wind, instantly dry.
The cast is solid, although the performances are generally routine, and Power's persistent pursuit of Baxter is hard to fathom, when she seems better paired with Andrews. Veteran character actor, James Gleason, who is always a pleasure to watch, plays an old timer with a bad ticker. In an uncharacteristic turn for the period, African-American actor, Ben Carter, plays Oliver, the ship's cook, who develops a caring relationship with Gleason. Although Carter is a token in an otherwise all-white cast, his performance avoids the negative stereotypes that often marred minority appearances in early Hollywood films. The delightful Dame May Witty also appears in a brief, but amusing role as Power's grandmother.
Directed by Archie Mayo, "Crash Dive" maintains a decent pace during the action sequences, both at sea and on land; however, the predictable romantic triangle is for fans of the stars only.