ALL SCI-FI

[Pow]

"The Bedford Incident" was released in NYC on November 2, 1965. Screenplay by James Poe and directed by James B. Harris and based upon the novel of the same name by Mark Rascovich.

Synopsis. The American destroyer USS Bedford detects a Soviet submarine during the Cold War.

Captain Eric Finlander (Richard Widmark) mercilessly harasses the sub. Civilian photojournalist Ben Munceford (Sydney Poitier) is on board the ship to do a story about the vessel.

Also on board is NATO naval adviser Commodore Wolfgang Schrepke, a former WWII German submarine commander.

As Captain Findlander continues his ruthless and obsessive pursuit of the Soviet submarine, only Ben & Schrepke will disagree with Finlander.

The crew becomes exhausted and tension rises as the hunt goes on.

I found this to be a very powerful movie. It addresses the insanity of the Cold War politics and military.

Widmark is intense and imposing as the fanatical Finlander. You cross him at your own peril.

Ben (Poitier) is the voice of reason and humanity and fear amidst this reckless course of action.

The superb script and actors make this an enthralling story that never lets up the anxiety.

[Krel]

Either AMC or TCM used to show this quite often. A good movie.

Pow, I think that you could have posted this one in the science fiction category.

David.

[Pow]

David, there isn't really any SF aspect to this Cold War military film that I'm aware of at all.

[Pow]

IMDB

The interior scenes for the Bedford were filmed aboard a British Type 15 frigate, the H.M.S. Troubridge.
That is why we see a lot of British military equipment even though this is supposed to be an American ship in the movie.

Woody Allen was offered the part of Merlin Queffle (Wally Cox), but turned it down.

The name of the captain of the Bedford, Erik Finlander, is an obvious reference to the nation of Findland, which has had a long and troubled history with its neighbor to the east, USSR/Russia.