Seas Beneath (1931) - film review

In the summer of 1918, U.S. Navy Commander Bob Kingsley is given a special assignment:  to pilot what appears to be an ordinary schooner into an area off the coast of Gibraltar that is patrolled by German U-boats.  The boat is not what it seems; it is equipped with a powerful gun that is intended to sink enemy submarines.  Whilst his crew enjoy a few hours’ shore leave, Kingsley amuses himself with an attractive young woman named Anna-Marie, not realising that she is a German informant.   One of Kingsley’s young officers, Ensign Cabot, also flirts with a local Spanish woman, but when she gets him drunk he reveals details about his mission.  Baron Ernst von Steuben, the commander of the German submarine U-172, soon realises that Kingsley’s boat is an American naval vessel in disguise and gives the order for it to be destroyed...

Rarely seen and often overlooked, Seas Beneath is one of the few films from John Ford’s early career at Fox Studios to have survived intact.  One of the first maritime war films, this ambitious production would influence later films in the genre and presages Ford’s subsequent action films, particularly his westerns.  Whilst the film is dated - mainly by its painfully long static shots and some clunky editing - it is a compelling piece which clearly bears the hallmark of its director, notably Ford’s respect for character and the use of stark images, rather than reams of dialogue, to express a point, such as the brutality of warfare.  In common with many of Ford’s films of this period, the influence of German expressionism can be felt, particularly in the nocturnal location sequences.

George O’Brien is appropriately cast as the tough but likeable naval commander, bringing both realism and humanity to the film.  Marion Lessing is less impressive and soon becomes grating as her lack of acting talent is revealed.  The supporting roles are generally well-played, with a realism that is particularly appropriate for a serious war film of this kind.  (That said, Ford does occasionally take time out to slip in a bit of comedy, something that adds to the film’s authenticity and charm.)

The languorous pace of the film is made up for by the exciting naval skirmish at the end of the film, which is classic Ford, a suitably dramatic conclusion in which the resourcefulness and courage of men working as a team prevail against ridiculous odds.  Whilst it may not be one of Ford’s masterpieces, Seas Beneath offers a tantalising glimpse of the director’s potential, potential which would be amply fulfilled over the next two decades of his long career.

© James Travers 2010

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