Run Silent, Run Deep: A Review

 

RUN SILENT, RUN DEEP

This review is part of the Summer Under the Stars Blogathon. Today's star is Clark Gable. It is also part of the Plaza Classic Film Festival.

Underwater menaces plague ships at war. Run Silent, Run Deep is a good and entertaining film about men fighting battles external and internal aboard a submarine.

In 1942, Commander P.J. Richardson (Clark Gable) lost his submarine to the Japanese vessel Akikaze in the dangerous Bungo Straits. While he manages to save his crew, Richardson's loss still haunts him. A year later, he is still assigned to a desk job when he learns that the submarine Nerka is returning to Pearl Harbor. The Nerka is in need of a new captain. Most of the crew expects Executive Officer Jim Bledsoe (Burt Lancaster) to be promoted. Bledsoe didn't count on a superior officer's need to redeem himself and get a second chance to avenge his men and his honor.

Richardson is by-the-book, not dictatorial but obsessed with drills. The crew grumbles about the endless drills. Their irritation grows when Richardson deliberately avoids a Japanese ship. Why drill so much if they are not going to engage the enemy? 

Simple. Richardson is set on going back into the Bungo Straits and take down the Akikaze. To do that, he must ignore orders for him to avoid the straits. Richardson does destroy another ship on his way to pursue the Akikaze, but at a cost. Richardson too faces health issues that may make him incapable of completing his own personal mission. As such, he must relinquish the Nerka to Bledsoe, who will sail back to Pearl Harbor. 

However, an unexpected radio message from none other than Tokyo Rose herself alerts Bledsoe on how the Japanese are having such success in sinking American ships. The Akikaze already thinks that the Nerka has been sunk, so the Americans have an advantage. Will Bledsoe end up finishing what Richardson started? Who will live to see victory, and who will end up buried at sea?

Run Silent, Run Deep is not a slice-of-life about life in a naval submarine. It is meant as a portrait of men at war and men at odds. In this situation, Run Silent, Run Deep director Robert Wise does well with his two main leads. Richardson and Bledsoe are rivals, but they are always professional. Run Silent, Run Deep does well in making clear that for all of his frustrations and dislike, Bledsoe would never contemplate a mutiny or disobey orders.

Clark Gable is appropriately commanding in his role of Richardson. The film does allow him moments of regret, even humor. Both of these are in the early sections of the film. Gable's professionalism is evident when he attempts to take down the Akikaze the first time. He shows Richardson's frustration at being behind the desk. There is a brief scene where Bledsoe first confronts Richardson in a last-ditch effort to request that he give up commanding the Nerka. This scene, while not funny and played perfectly straight, does something interesting. 

It takes place at Richardson's home. As such, we get to see a different side of him. Here, he is the gardener caring for his tree. We also see him advising his wife (Mary LaRoche) to prepare lemonade with a touch of gin. This clues us in that Richardson is fully aware of Bledsoe's resentment about losing the Nerka. It also shows Richardson to be a family man, giving the viewer an idea that he is not a lone wolf seeking validation. Instead, he is a determined man seeking justice.

Lancaster is able to match Gable in quiet intensity. Bledsoe is a serious man, but he too has a moment where he lets down his guard. Again, it is early on, when he is genuinely touched, even amused, at the gift of a jacket with "Captain" on it from the crew.

Run Silent, Run Deep does give us some bits about the type of men aboard the Nerka. It is surprising to see Don Rickles of all people pop up as a crewman. Here, he is sarcastic but with a soft edge, far removed from his Merchant of Venom persona. Jimmie Bates in his small role of naive crewman Jessie is amusing, and we end up caring about him.

The film does not shy away from showing the conflict between the men. However, it does not dwell on them, showing them to be professional and mature (except perhaps for their habit of tapping the backside of a pinup for good luck). 

While the battle scenes do look a little dated, one can roll with the overall effect. The attack on the Nerka is well-filmed and ultimately moving. The film also has an excellent musical score by Franz Waxman. For history buffs, we get some idea of what a Tokyo Rose broadcast would have been like. The film does well to have our enchanting Japanese female voice say that they call her "Tokyo Rose", since no one actually used that name on air. Still, we get to hear that mix of American swing music and attempts at downbeat propaganda.

Run Silent, Run Deep is good for people who enjoy action and war films. Some of the effects are dated. Still, it is well-acted and entertaining. Run Silent, Run Deep is worth diving into.

DECISION: B-