Every year, as part of my Memorial Day observances, I watch war movies. This evening, Eileen and I watched The Enemy Below, starring Robert Mitchum as Murrell and Curt Jurgens as Von Stolberg. Murrell is the captain of a US Navy destroyer and Von Stolberg is his opposite number, aboard a German U-boat.
The first act is a slow, but necessary build, establishing the similarities between the two men. Von Stolberg is carefully established as a German patriot, and not a Nazi, in order to make him more sympathetic. He and his Exec have little use for the Mein Kampf reading Political Officer.
After the groundwork has been laid, the battle of wits begins. It’s stratagem vs. counter-stratagem as the captains try to outsmart and anticipate the other’s move. It’s absolutely riveting. Eileen and I were so engrossed, we barely said a word during the viewing.
The climax was awesome. the U-boat is hanging on by a thread, after repeated depth chargings, so Von Stolberg fires a Hail Mary torpedo spread at the destroyer. One of his fish strikes amidships. The destroyer is taking on water, but still able to fight.
But, Murrell isn’t licked yet. He knows that his foe will check his kill. So, he has the crew set fires on the decks, making the damage look worse than it is. Murrell hopes that this will encourage the U-Boat to surface. He then has all but a skeleton crew abandon ship.
His ploy works. Murrell has his gunners take out the U-Boat’s screw and deck gun and then rams the sub. Von Stolberg’s surviving crewmen abandon ship, and are rescued by the destroyer crew in the lifeboats. In the nail-biting closing minutes of the scene, Murrell helps Von Stolberg escape from his boat, just before the scuttling charges go off, sending both vessels to a watery grave.
This movie won the Oscar for Special Effects in 1958, and deservedly so. The miniature work was spectacular, and the pyrotechnics proved that there’s just no substitute for Practical Effects. I love a good war picture, and The Enemy Below is a good one. It must be at least 35 years since I’d last seen this film, so it was almost like watching it new. If you like war movies, or psychodrama, or both, watch this movie. 8/10
3 replies on “Regarding “The Enemy Below””
Sounds amazing! The story reminds me of the Hunt for Red October.
It’s a really good watch. My wife and I were blown away. They don’t make ’em like this anymore.
I’ve recently started getting into older movies, because I’ve realized that they are often just so much better than modern movies. I particularly liked War Games, It’s a Wonderful Life, and Diehard. Yes, those are old movies for me.