During WWII an American destroyer discovers a German U-boat, and in the ensuing duel the American captain must draw upon all his experience to defeat the equally experienced German commander... Read allDuring WWII an American destroyer discovers a German U-boat, and in the ensuing duel the American captain must draw upon all his experience to defeat the equally experienced German commander.During WWII an American destroyer discovers a German U-boat, and in the ensuing duel the American captain must draw upon all his experience to defeat the equally experienced German commander.
- Won 1 Oscar
- 3 wins & 3 nominations total
- Von Stolberg
- (as Curt Jurgens)
- Lt. Ware
- (as Al Hedison)
- Ellis
- (uncredited)
- American Sailor
- (uncredited)
- QM1 Quiroga
- (uncredited)
- FMB Operator
- (uncredited)
- Chief Engineer
- (uncredited)
- German Soldier
- (uncredited)
- German Sailor
- (uncredited)
- German Sailor
- (uncredited)
- German Sailor
- (uncredited)
- German Sailor
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaOne of the technical consultants working on this movie was Albert Beck, a former German U-boat submariner, who advised on the submarine scenes.
- GoofsWhen the U-boat captain first observes the Destroyer, he describes it to his first lieutenant, including the observation that it has "No tubes." The lieutenant refers to the manual and declares that it is a Buckley Class Destroyer. Buckley Class Destroyers were, in fact, equipped with a triple-mount of torpedo tubes, just aft of the stack.
- Quotes
[last lines]
Von Stolberg: I should have died many times, Captain, but I continue to survive somehow. This time it was your fault.
Captain Murrell: I didn't know. Next time I won't throw you the rope.
Von Stolberg: I think you will.
- Crazy creditsOpening credits prologue: WORLD WAR II THE SOUTH ATLANTIC
- ConnectionsEdited into Sink the Bismarck! (1960)
- SoundtracksSo leben wir alle Tage
(Drinking Song) (uncredited)
Traditional German folksong sung to the tune of the "Dessauer Marsch"
English lyrics by Charles Henderson
Sung by Curd Jürgens and the crew of the U-Boat
Lurking beneath is Curt Jurgens in command of a U-Boat. Jurgens is a career navy man who's already given much for the fatherland, two sons lost. His submarine is on courier duty, not looking in fact for any combat.
But they find each other and The Enemy Below is about the cat and mouse game each of them play in trying to destroy the other.
With twelve years in between the end of World War II and the present it was now possible to portray Germans as three dimensional people, something rarely done during the war years. Jurgens at this time was a very big star on the European continent and was now getting roles that would introduce him to American audiences. He's very good as the professional, but tired U-Boat captain who just wants to get home.
He's matched all the way by Mitchum who's got a lot of doubts now having lost one ship already. The crew has some doubts too, but Mitchum proves worthy of the command he's been given.
The Enemy Below won the Academy Award that year for special effects. No ships in a tank, these are real vessels being used for this film.
Look for good performances by supporting players Theodore Bikel as the Executive Officer of the submarine, David Hedison as the Executive Officer of the destroyer and Russell Collins as the ship's doctor on the destroyer. You might note a small role for Doug McClure at the beginning of his career.
- bkoganbing
- Feb 5, 2006
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- Obračun na Atlantiku
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $1,910,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 38 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
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