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Here's a good one to catch on TCM while you can. "Hell Below" is a 1933 pre-Code film by MGM set in the Adriatic Sea during World War I. Based on Commander Edward Ellsberg's novel "Pigboats", it stars my favorite naval officer actor Robert Montgomery, Walter Huston, Robert Young and Madge Evans. It follows the adventures of the officers and men aboard the US sub AL-14 as she combats the Germans.
The real star is the S-23 which was dolled up as the fictional AL-14 (the L-class stopped at 11). There are terrific shots of the exterior of the boat including the deck gun, bridge, a long tracking shot as a launch travels down her side, and several surfacing and diving scenes. Highly recommended if you have any S-class interest.
I won't bore you with the romantic melodrama on land, but there is action aplenty at sea. The production actually purchased an obsolete USN destroyer, the USS Moody (DD-277), and sank her for a battle scene. The sub model work is very good. The scenes onboard while the boat suffers through a depth charge attack on the bottom are gripping as well. As it was made before the Hayes Code restrictions there is even a bit of blood when the bullets start flying.
The crew is made up of some recognizable character actors including Jimmy Durante, Eugene Pallette and Sterling Holloway. The boxing match alone, between Durante and an "Australian" opponent, was worth my time (your results may vary depending on your sense of humor).
The real star is the S-23 which was dolled up as the fictional AL-14 (the L-class stopped at 11). There are terrific shots of the exterior of the boat including the deck gun, bridge, a long tracking shot as a launch travels down her side, and several surfacing and diving scenes. Highly recommended if you have any S-class interest.
I won't bore you with the romantic melodrama on land, but there is action aplenty at sea. The production actually purchased an obsolete USN destroyer, the USS Moody (DD-277), and sank her for a battle scene. The sub model work is very good. The scenes onboard while the boat suffers through a depth charge attack on the bottom are gripping as well. As it was made before the Hayes Code restrictions there is even a bit of blood when the bullets start flying.
The crew is made up of some recognizable character actors including Jimmy Durante, Eugene Pallette and Sterling Holloway. The boxing match alone, between Durante and an "Australian" opponent, was worth my time (your results may vary depending on your sense of humor).
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