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Screen legends
Clark Gable and Burt Lancaster star in their only collaboration,
Run Silent, Run Deep. Gable stars as Comdr. "Rich" Richardson.
In the film's beginning, Richardson loses his submarine to
what he believes is a Japanese destroyer. He is placed upon
behind a desk at Pearl Harbor. However, when the number of
subs lost in the same area as Richardson's reaches four, he
is able to secure the command of another submarine and return
to avenge his earlier command's loss. To submarine he commands,
the U.S.S. Nerka, already has a commander. That commander,
Jim Bledsoe (Burt Lancaster), is kept aboard by Richardson
as the Executive Officer. The crew has holds Bledsoe in high
regard and it will be an uphill battle for Richardson to gain
their respect as the new captain.
Richardson
forces the crew to continue with a dive and fire drill that
does not seem important to the crew. Additionally, the crew
considers Area 7 to be a death sentence. Very quickly, his
crew does not like the new captain. The crew does not appreciate
the constant drilling and the fact that the new captain retreated
from the first Japanese submarine they faced. Then, Richardson
and his crew confront a Japanese convoy and everything changes.
At the rear of the convoy is a Japanese destroyer. Upon facing
this destroyer, the crew realizes how valuable the drill they
have been performing is. The drill was actually used to train
them how to hit a boat with a 'bow shot,' something that has
never been documented or considered usable. The bow shot on
the Japanese destroyer brings faith to the crew and respect
to its captain.
Richardson
finally meets up with the Japanese destroyer that sunk his
previous boat. Somehow, the Japanese knew the Nerka was in
the water and Richardson is wounded when the submarine is
nearly lost. Bledsoe takes command and after first wanting
to retreat, decides to sink the Japanese destroyer. There
is more than a Japanese destroyer lurking in the waters. The
Nerka have quite a battle ahead of them.
Run Silent,
Run Deep is very possibly the second best submarine film every
made, behind only Das Boot. The film was filmed and kept as
accurate as possible, using actual submarines and submarine
parts for the sets. A Navy sub commander was also utilized
for authenticity. The underwater miniature scenes are somewhat
lacking at times, but for the age of the film, they are quite
good. Realism is solid, and it is quite entertaining to watch
the crew and their relationship with the two captains onboard
the Nerka. Run Silent, Run Deep succeeds in its accuracy and
in telling a gripping tale of underwater warfare in the Pacific
Theater in World War II.
Packaging:
Does It Dress Well?
MGM has
packed Run Silent, Run Deep in an Amaray keep case with artwork
nearly identical to the VHS edition of years back. The cover
artwork is a colorized shot from the film. Everything else
is standard MGM fare. All information can be easily found
and all appears to be correct. There was one surprise to be
found. Upon opening the Amaray case, a small anti-theft tag
was stuck to the inside, just above the disc housing. This
is different to the approach taken with Compact discs, where
the tag is placed on the outside. Unlike LaserDisc, it is
quite easy to place a DVD in your jacket. Shoplifters beware!
The disc
itself is double-sided, with a different aspect ratio of the
film on each side. At times MGM will use a dual-layered disc
for this purpose, however, it is not the case with Run Silent,
Run Deep. The dual-layered discs have attractive disc artwork
and it appears that the better sellers get this treatment.
MGM also continues to include their 8-page booklet for production
notes. This booklet is rather nice and gives a few photos
and good notes on the film and the history surrounding it.
Video: How Does The Disc Look?
Run Silent,
Run Deep is presented in either an approximate 1.66:1 aspect
ratio or full screen 4:3 pan and scan. Both are in glorious
black & white. The widescreen presentation displays more vertical
information than the pan & scan, though there is not much
difference, as the widescreen is nearly 1.33:1. The black
level is dead on and really aids the great visual quality
of Run Silent, Run Deep. Detail level and clarity of the picture
is spectacular. The greatest accomplishment in MGM's transfer
is the near total lack of dirt, scratches and film grain.
There are shots that are somewhat plagued with these problems,
but the black and white transfer of Run Silent, Run Deep is
extremely clean.
Most of
the scenes take place either in the water or aboard a very
crowded and claustrophobic submarine. The submarine interior
looks very authentic, and the water scenes are solid as well.
Occasionally, the underwater scenes look like they were filmed
in a swimming pool, but for the most part they are solid.
The scenes involving the actual U.S.S. Redfish (star of 20,000
Leagues Under the Sea among other projects) are very well
done. Lancaster's HH&L company has put forth a fine looking
war film for something that is over forty years old.
Audio: How Does the Disc Sound?
The Dolby
Digital mono soundtrack is solid. It does not excel in any
special areas and will not impress anyone. However, the dialogue
is perfectly clear and the sound effects sound very authentic.
The pings of the sonar are sharp and the depth charges give
a bit of a rumble. There are some moments when the soundtrack
does sound flat, but generally it is very good.
The interactive
menus have a wonderful remix of some of the sound effects
from the film. These sound incredibly crisp and are head over
heals better than the sound of the actual film. Listening
to the sound of the main menu makes one think that a remix
could have been done to make this film sound absolutely incredible.
However, such a remix would require money and the video will
probably not sell enough copies to cover such a cost or make
it even sensible to do so. mono with an LFE channel.
Supplements: What Goodies Are There? MGM has
given their bare-bones presentation with this release of Run
Silent, Run Deep. They have supplied French subtitles for
those with a foreign tongue. Unfortunately, there are no foreign
language tracks. Additionally, the theatrical trailer is included.
The film quality of the trailer will show you how truly great
the transfer of the feature is and is worth a look for this
purpose. MGM continues to use paper for their production notes
and gives a nice 8-page booklet that conveys to the reader
many good facts on the film and another Hollywood star in
the film, the U.S.S. Redfish. For a bare-bones presentation,
MGM continues to shine with its basic supplements.
Parting Thoughts
Run Silent,
Run Deep is one of the finest submarine films ever made. Additionally,
it is also the only film to team Hollywood legends Clark Gable
and Burt Lancaster. The film gives a very realistic look at
submarine combat in the Pacific Theater during World War II.
MGM has delivered a very good looking and sounding DVD. Though
supplements are not the strongest, the classic nature of the
film makes it a must have for fans of the genre. A thrilling
and well done story and solid performances make this disc
worth having.
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