NR | 1h 46m | Drama, Romance, War | 1943
Director Archie Mayo shot “Crash Dive,” an intense film about submarine warfare, in 1943, right in the middle of World War II. He filmed it in full Technicolor, giving it a bold, almost showy look. The color looks bright and deliberate, in contrast to what audiences were living through at the time.
Playing Navy men, actors Tyrone Power and Dana Andrews were packed into cramped steel submarine compartments, but circling Anne Baxter when on shore.
Twentieth Century-Fox put real resources behind this production during World War II, with the backing of the U.S. Navy. The studio shaped it as both a morale booster and a recruitment push for military service. “Crash Dive” also spoke to audiences working long hours on the home front.
Power was heading into a real uniform not long after filming wrapped, having already enlisted in the Marine Corps, with his reporting delayed just long enough to finish the film.
Sub Duty and Rival Hearts
Lt. Ward Stewart (Power) gets yanked off PT boat duty and ordered into submarine service at New London, Connecticut. The transfer isn’t exactly thrilling for him, since he’s used to the speed, sunshine, and open air of the highly maneuverable PT boats.
The USS Corsair, the submarine to which Stewart is assigned, feels tight, slow, and built for patience. He reports to Lt. Cmdr. Dewey Connors (Andrews), a man who runs things by the book and expects everyone else to follow his leadership style.
Before the sub deploys, Stewart meets Jean Hewlett (Baxter), a schoolteacher who gets his attention fast. He goes after her with the same direct approach he brings to his naval strategies. What he doesn’t know is that Hewlett already has a romantic connection to Connors.
Once the Corsair moves into the Atlantic, the crew’s job comes into focus. Encounters with enemy forces point to a hidden German operation working off the usual lanes. The sub needs to locate and destroy the operation before it causes real damage.
Stewart pushes for action, willing to take risks if it gets results. Connors keeps things controlled, relying on timing and discipline instead of impulse. That difference is clear, but once the mission begins, both men fall into line and carry out their roles without hesitation.
Whatever sits between them on a more personal level gets pushed aside while they’re under orders. They operate as a unit, focused on the objective, even as that unresolved situation waits for them once the pressure lets up.
A Colorful Wartime Ride
Writers W.R. Burnett and Jo Swerling penned a script that takes a while to find its sea legs. Viewers have to slog through a predictable stretch of romance before the real adventure begins.
However, once the Corsair clears the harbor, Mayo turns the picture into a nautical thriller. Due to cooperation from the U.S. Navy, the production had access to Naval Submarine Base New London. Although the military kept its newest submarines off camera, the crew was still able to capture enough authentic machinery to make the underwater sequences convincing.
Viewers might chuckle when seeing hardened sailors demanding lots of fresh vegetables, butter, and milk upon returning from patrol. Although humorous, that detail highlights the miserable reality that submarine food lacked vital nutrients.
It’s also incredibly refreshing to watch a war picture that refuses to glamorize endless bottles of booze. There are many war films that show military men constantly getting drunk and waking up hungover; this actually compromises their ability to show up on time and execute their duties.
During the film’s final act, the crew operates under immense pressure (literally) while navigating narrow channels in order to elude deadly nets and floating explosives. Mayo effectively captures the grinding boredom of submarine patrols, punctuated by sudden combat action against German vessels.
The men sweat out silent running procedures, where a dropped wrench could spell instant death from depth charges crashing down from above. The cast sells the claustrophobic nightmare of relying entirely on instruments while tons of freezing sea water press in against the hull like a 360-degree vice.
Then, Hollywood steps in and throws strict naval realism overboard with a ninja-like commando raid on a German supply base. Power leads an explosive beach assault, totally ignoring actual military protocol to maximize the film’s entertainment value. However, the raw energy of the sequence completely wins you over, regardless of the inaccuracies.
“Crash Dive” is a fiercely patriotic slice of WWII action that practically dares viewers to chug milk and sink enemy ships for America.
It pushes past the soggy shore romance to show military men setting their differences aside to carry out a shared mission against the Nazi war machine.
“Crash Dive” is available on Amazon, Apple TV, and YouTube.
‘Crash Dive’
Director: Archie Mayo
Starring: Tyrone Power, Anne Baxter, Dana Andrews
Not Rated
Running time: 1 hour, 46 minutes
Release Date: April 28, 1943
Rated: 3 1/2 stars out of 5
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