Product Description

"Rich" Richardson (Clark Gable) is a hard-driving, dedicated submarine officer with a single-mindedpurposeto seek out and smash the Japanese destroyer he believes sank his former ship. Given a new command, Richardson drills his men to the point of mutiny as he relentlessly trains them for the battle ahead. At last, word comes of the destroyer's position, and, disobeying orders, Richardson finally confronts his foe, unaware that an even greater enemy lurks nearby...one who's been targeting him for a watery grave. Co-starring Burt Lancaster as Gable's executive officer, this gripping WWII adventure-thriller set a new standard for submarine pictures. "Severely, nail-bitingly tense" (The New York Times), Run Silent, Run Deep is the most exciting film about the "silent service" ever made.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #9525 in DVD
• Released on: 1999-05-18
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Black & White, Closed-captioned, DVD, Full Screen, Letterboxed, Silent, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, French
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 93 minutes

Amazon.com
A movie's lasting value can often be measured by its influence in the years and decades following its original release, and on that basis Run Silent, Run Deep is certainly a classic of sorts. It remains one of the seminal World War II submarine pictures, and its intelligent script and tautly executed action are clearly echoed in such later submarine dramas as Das Boot and especially Crimson Tide, which borrows liberally from this 1958 film.

In one of his best and final roles (he appeared in only four films after this), Clark Gable plays a submarine captain without a command, having been saddled with a desk job after his previous ship was destroyed due to his overzealous pursuit of the enemy in dangerous Japanese waters. He finally gets another boat--this time with a vigilant first officer (Burt Lancaster), who stands poised to assume command if Gable puts his crew in unnecessary danger. The tension and mutual respect between these two principled men is superbly written and directed (Robert Wise was just two years away from his triumph with West Side Story), and the crucial inclusion of a strong supporting cast (including Jack Warden and Don Rickles) enhances the movie's compelling authenticity. Based on a novel by former submarine commander Edward L. Beach, Run Silent, Run Deep is rousing entertainment with the added benefit of paying honorable tribute to the men who navigated through the most frightening and claustrophobic channels of the Pacific theater. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews

One of the greatest movies ever made... IMHO ;-)
A suspensful, action packed drama, this film is one of my all time favorites. Performances by both Lancaster and Gable are right on the mark, they (especially Gable) had me believing they were actual naval officers. The scene where Lancaster relieves Gable of command is powerful, here we see two great actors at the peak of their skills. Gable's contempt towards Lancaster for the act is truly inspired (He virtually spits out his disgust here: "A fleet ship of the US Navy, with her fighting power intact, and your first command is to order a retreat", every time I watch this scene it gets better and better!). Denzel Washington and Gene Hackman recreate this scene in "Crimson Tide", but it doesn't match the intensity created by Lancaster and Gable in the scene from RSRD. One neat byproduct of this movie is that after watching it, you will have a pretty detailed understanding of what a WWII Balao class sub looks like, how the chain of command works, and what happens on a typical patrol - you will be educated and entertained at the same time, what a bargain! Nice supporting role by Don Rickles. A great, classic movie for sure, you won't be disappointed! END

- Don't say we didn't have a Captain! -
Commander Richardson (Clark Gable) survived his last assignment as a Captain on a submarine, which was sunk in the Pacific Ocean. A year later Commander Richardson works at a desk, in Pearl Harbor, but this is not what he is meant to do as he wants to be a Submarine Captain again. He sends in a request to return to Area 7, where he once was sunk, as the area has been deemed too cursed since four other subs have been sunk there throughout the last twelve months. Commander Richardson is assigned to a new submarine, however, it was supposed to be Lieutenant Jim Bledsoe's (Burt Lancaster) assignment as he has been on the sub for two years. Despite Lieutenant Bledsoe's dislike of the navy's decision he continues to work hard for Commander Richardson, who is running diving exercises repeatedly without telling anyone why. This causes apprehension among the men on the sub as they are to enter the most feared waters of the Pacific Ocean. Run Silent, Run Deep is an interesting war film that depicts the daily frictions between Captains and the rest of the men onboard subs during the World War II. Wise creates an authentic atmosphere onboard the submarine, despite some underwater shots that obviously were shot in a swimming pool. In the end, Run Silent, Run Deep offers a suspenseful and intriguing cinematic experience.

Run Silent, Run Deep
With a straight-ahead, no-nonsense approach by Robert Wise, strong performances by Clark Gable and Burt Lancaster, and a satisfying number of battle sequences, RUN SILENT, RUN DEEP is a very good, if not great, war movie.
Lancaster plays the newly appointed captain of the submarine, Gable plays a desk bound officer who'd had his ship shot out from under him a year earlier and wrangles a command on Lancaster's sub.
Any movie starring Lancaster and Gable (which gratefully acknowledges the cooperation of the United States Navy) is going to take a potentially explosive chain-of-command conflict less seriously than will its audience. Something has to keep us glued to our seats between the "Dive! Dive!" and "Fire torpedo two" scenes. Where would we be without a grumbling crew - Is the new captain a hero? What's up with all these diving drills? - and a covey of junior officers muttering mutiny?
Without its plot contrivances there'd be a whole lot of placid cooperation where a movie's supposed to be. Besides, Lancaster needs a chance to prove (or disprove) that loyalty and devotion to duty beats a stronger tattoo in a seaman's heart than does the rank call of personal ambition (the assistance of the US Navy in leading us to this insight is gratefully acknowledged.)
Considering this movie's reputation, and the resume of its major contributions, I was a little surprised that the plot was so predictable and the ending so abrupt and seemingly tacked on. The scale-models subs and ships seen in battle scenes are acceptable, quite good for the time, actually, even though they probably won't convince many modern viewers.
Although flawed and dated, RUN SILENT, RUN DEEP remains a very good war movie, and is quite enjoyable.