Product Description

A privately-financed scientist and his colleagues hire an ex-Navy officer (Widmark) to conduct an Alaskan submarine expedition in order to prevent a Red Chinese anti-American plot that may lead to World War III. Mixes deviously plotted schoolboy fiction with submarine spectacle and cold war heroics.Run Time: 103 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE Rating: NR UPC: 024543436645 Manufacturer No: 2243664

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8151 in DVD
• Brand: TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENT
• Released on: 2007-05-22
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: Color, Dubbed, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Original language: English, Spanish
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish
• Dubbed in: French, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .20 pounds
• Running time: 103 minutes

Amazon.com
Two reliable genres--submarine adventure and the threat of World War III--come together in director (and co-writer) Samuel Fuller's Hell and High Water, a 1954 film that remains surprisingly relevant more than half a century later. When an enormous nuclear explosion is traced to somewhere between the tip of northern Japan and the Arctic Circle, followed by the disappearance of a prominent French atomic scientist (Victor Francen), it's clear that something's up. Did the prof defect to the dark (actually, the Red) side? Was he abducted? As it turns out, he's actually part of a group of scientists, businessmen, and other distinguished gentlemen planning to send a sub to check out the scene and determine the extent of the threat. Enter Capt. Adam Jones (the redoubtable Richard Widmark), who agrees to helm the private, very secret mission for a hefty cash reward; enter also the professor's "assistant" (Bella Darvi), herself a skilled scientist who goes along for the ride, thereby quickening the pulse of every able-bodied sailor on board the sub, especially the captain's.

Hell and High Water was filmed in Technicolor and CinemaScope, as studios tried to induce audiences to abandon their TVs in favor of movie theaters; it also earned an Oscar nomination for its special effects, and considering the relatively primitive state of that art at the time, they're not bad. Fuller does a nice job of depicting the cramped, funky confines of our heroes' craft, a vessel of dubious seaworthiness captured from the Japanese during World War II. The plot, involving the Chinese's dastardly plan to incite a nuclear conflagration and blame the U.S., is preposterous; yet if you substitute North Korea or Iran for China, the notion of a rogue nation with atomic capabilities is no less timely now than then. Fuller largely avoids political flag-waving; his main point lies in a speech delivered (more than once) by the French professor: "Each man has his own reason for living… and his own price for dying." Extras include an interesting biography of Widmark from the A&E show of that same name. --Sam Graham

Customer Reviews

A Sam Fuller Classic
Set at the height of the Cold War, this Sam Fuller thriller has Richard Widmark as a former navy sub commander recruited by a private group to stop Red China from getting the bomb. Action packed with a cast that includes Cameron Mitchell, a lot of fun. Sure it's dated. Love it anyway.

Very pleasant to review a classic
It is always a pleasure to review the classic black and white movies with the legends of the big screen. this one is no exception.

A cold war submarine tale from the end of the Korean War
This is a Cold War era about what would happen if the Koreans (this is set during the Korean War, which ended during the year of its release) got a hold of an A-bomb and dropped it in a way to frame the United States. Richard Widmark plays Capt. Adam Jones who is hired for a mysterious mission to trail a freighter in an old Japanese submarine. He hires some of his old Navy crew and takes the famed atomic scientist Prof. Montel (Victor Francen) and his assistant Prof. Denice Gerard (Bella Darvi) on board as the directors of their mission.

They run afoul of Korean defenses including a very good sub battle, an island raid, and the final conflict I will leave to you to experience. Widmark carries most of the dramatic load, the crew provides a bit of pathos and some enjoyable comic relief. Victor Francen is believable as the bearded scientist and Bella Darvi looks pretty enough on screen (but not a real actress).

The special effects were very good for their time, but the Cinemascope cannot be appreciated on your TV no matter how high the quality or its dimensions. However, it is an enjoyable tale and can be enjoyed by the family.

Reviewed by Craig Matteson, Ann Arbor, MI