User reviews

This movie is better than the Maltin movie book rates it. Ladd does well with a poorly written role, Niall MacGinnis and Stanley Baker are fine too. The weak link is a plot that doesn't make sense and Joan Tetzel as a not very interesting love interest.

But a couple of other features push the movie up a notch. The beautiful color shots of whales being caught and slaughtered (in 1954! On a British ship!) are things you won't see elsewhere. I had no idea we were still killing whales on this scale at that time. Some scenes are right out of Moby Dick.

Another surprise is the role of a feisty whaling woman (played by Jill Bennett) captaining a whale catching vessel. You don't often see women in such action roles, even today.

And as others have noted, the mix of studio and arctic shots is pretty darn smooth. Much better than "Ice Station Zebra" for example. I was surprised and impressed.

So if you're an Alan Ladd fan, go ahead and catch this one. Or if you're curious about how they caught whales in the mid-twentieth century, this is better than any documentary.

6 you say after reading all the other,very negative comments. Yes 6,I watched this this afternoon on UK channel 4,I watched it because I have never heard of it before and I like some of the work of the director Mark Robson. It is not an undiscovered classic but it was quite enjoyable and interesting for what it says about society at the time it was made. The film features some beautiful old aeroplanes,Constellations I think. There is a flight to South Africa,it looks beautiful,very rich.you don't see many black people in the background,the characters don't see to meet any Afrikaners,that is dutch speaking south Africans either. The scenes at the docks main feature British working class types. The action then moves to the whaling fleet,studio shots are mixed with film of real whaling operations. Few people in those days cared much about the whales and parts of the film are like a promo film for the whaling industry. Everybody looks macho except the women who just look nice,Jill Bennett plays a cute little Norwegian whaling skipper and everybody has a great time killing whales. I like Alan Ladd in this film,I like Alan Ladd in every film,he plays more or less the same part in each film,ordinary guy pushed into extraordinary situations. I won't give away the plot but the film looks great,I know that the look of the film looks tacky now but I like the bright colours and the fight scenes,its Tuesday afternoon and I am waiting for the gas man,I do not expect too much. Slagging off this film with 2005 eyes is stupid,it is just a piece of fun,sit back and marvel at the radios the size of fridges and the whaling ships which no longer exist. I am from Edinburgh Scotland and we used to send whalers to that part of the world,hope some of the old fellows who used to go south were watching this and recognised the old boats. How many films did Alan Ladd make where he was an ex soldier/sailor/airman down on his luck?

This is an odd Alan Ladd film from his years appearing in a few British productions. Most of these British films are pretty dull (such as THE BLACK KNIGHT and THE RED BERET), though this one is just a little bit better--but not so much that you should rush out to find a copy. In some ways it's very much like most of his films, as the pugnacious near-midget acts tough and beats up all his diminutive enemies (as Hollywood had a habit of co-starring him with other short actors). However, it is a bit different due to the locale of the film and the oddness of the plot.

Ladd is on his way to South Africa just to beat someone up. Sure, the guy deserves it but to travel 7,764 miles (more or less) just to do it seemed odd, as he COULD have paid some locals to do it instead (and for a lot less money)! On the way to clobber this crook, Ladd sits next to a lady on the plane and is instantly smitten with her. Later, after applying this butt-kicking, he meets up with her again and finds out that she's on her way towards Antarctica to discover how and why her father (a ship's captain) was killed. The official story is that he either killed himself or it was an accident but she doggedly is determined to find the real cause. Considering that Ladd is not doing anything (i.e., there is no one in the country he needs to beat up), he signs aboard as a first-mate and goes with her.

The rest of the film is set either at sea or on the ice--a definite change of pace for Ladd. But the biggest change is just how odd the plot becomes and all the bizarre and rather difficult to anticipate action. It's not really bad, but it's so weird and difficult to believe that it's not all that good either. Still, for fans of Ladd, it's worth seeing and others might see it as just another time-passer.

By the way, those who are members of PETA and soft-hearted souls should NOT watch the film as there is a lot of whale killing in the film and it's pretty graphic. Seeing it, it shows just how much sensibilities have changed in the last half century.

In the 21st century, this film is remarkable and valuable for one thing- as an archive of mid 20th century whaling, when the industrial killing was at its height. You will never again see so many blue whales together at one time. Pity they're all dead, next to the factory ship ready for processing. The whaling fleet was British (yes, we did that!). As a marine biologist I had seen many scenes of harpooning, but I had never seen the scenes of flensing and the industrial moving of such huge objects. I have never had a better illustration of the mass of a blue whale than when I saw it turned on the deck of the factory ship. Also, the blackboard chalking up what were presumably genuine daily scores for each whaleship was amazing. The attitudes of the leading characters at the successful capture of a blue whale were also stunning to see. If you have an interest in the whaling debate, see this film. I doubt there is a better film record of industrial whaling anywhere.

Hell Below Zero finds Alan Ladd as an American flying to Capetown to see about some mining investments. He meets Joan Tetzel on the plane and is intrigued by her. She's going there to investigate her father's death for herself, she doesn't like the initial verdict of suicide.

Ladd's investment has gone up in smoke and after he metes out a justified beat down to Peter Dyneley. He looks up Joan Tetzel at the Capetown equivalent of the Merchant Seaman's Hall. She's now half owner of a whaling vessel with Basil Sydney and his son, Stanley Baker and she's not happy with their explanation of things. On a flip of a coin since apparently Ladd has nothing else to do, he signs on their vessel as the first mate.

Though the personal story takes a melodramatic turn, I have got to hand it to the folks at Shepperton Studios. Other than using some establishing color cinematography to depict Capetown, the Ocean, the whaling, and the Antarctic, the film was shot in the United Kingdom. But you would never realize it, that's how good the sets are. There is a film Bear Island with Richard Widmark and Donald Sutherland that is also a polar location and that was done in North Labrador to simulate the Arctic. You can't tell the two apart, viewed side by side during the Antarctic sequences.

Best performance in the film however is Jill Esmond as a female Norwegian whaling ship captain, a part that is obviously a lesbian. Filmed today Jill's character would be quite open about her sexual orientation.

This is one of three British made films that Alan Ladd did for Columbia release in the USA during the Fifties. Hell Below Zero is easily the best of the three because of its production values. Very similar to the studio recreation of the Himalayas in Black Narcissus.

Ladd plays one of the role model characters for Han Solo, as an adventurer who'll do anything to pick up a chick.

Except he's sort of a cross between Skwalker and Solo, thus making him more three dimensional than the character torn asunder into two characters.

Here, he goes into the South Seas near Antarctica, in a grand story of whaling. There is intrigue, as a woman believes her father, a whaling captain, was murdered by her fiancé.

The fiancé is evil incarnate, and it's very obvious early. Which make the scene where Ladd and MacGinnis ask him to save them, very ludicrous. It makes their characters look very stupid. Knowing they are witnesses against him in a murder, they divulge to the evil fiancé, Stanley Baker, that their ship is stuck in ice, and only Baker's icebreaker ship can free them. Knowing this, one would think that Ladd would be smart enough to tell the radio operator to send a message that Ladd and MacGinnis fell overboard, probably with some others, and are not among the survivors, in which case they would be rescued. However, they stupidly set themselves up, as well as the others, for a ramming job.

Along the way, revelations come a few at a time. And it woks well here.

What works even better is the use of the minor characters. MacGinnis and Bennett lead the way as some very interesting characters. Perhaps the least interesting are the "lackeys" who are willing to help Baker commit murder, knowing they are expendable witnesses. More and more revelations about Baker's evil persona come as the plot unfolds. He truly is evil incarnate.

The whaling scenes, and the scenes with the crews, along with the afore mentioned supporting characters, are what make this a top movie, as is usually what makes a top movie.

The action scenes are a bit of a cross between the old style realism of stumbling and shoving, and the modern ignorant comical choreography that probably works well in a Japanese kung fu movie, because the Japanese kung fu movie is based on personification, but looks stupid when dealing with dramatic characters in an action adventure. We see more "cause and effect" than the actual fighting, which really looks the best in adventure films, because it involves no "staged" look. The chips fall where they fall. In fact, at the end, when they are in the bitter cold, the two main characters probably shoot their guns "too well" for characters whose fingers are probably frozen, and whose guns have frozen mechanisms. It would be amazing if they did hit anything.

I have some nit picks with the movie. I'd like to have seen some of the characters survive, ones we know will die with pathos, but their deaths are not contrived. They are in one of the most dangerous occupations in one of the most dangerous areas of the world, even today.

This is a good film We care about the characters, and the adventure is great. If you don't enjoy this, then then there's no way you could enjoy 99% of the movies made since 1970, with characters we could care nothing about, and with dull, stupidly staged action sequences. This is a real film.

The second of three potboilers Alan Ladd made in Britain for Warwick Productions for tax reasons.

John Wilcox's rich Technicolor photography provides the novelty of seeing a good cast comprised mainly of Brits (among them at least two - Joseph Tomelty & Niall MacGinnis - Irish and two - Stanley Baker playing a Nazi & Glyn Houston - Welsh, further enlivened by Jill Bennett as a Danish - of all things! - ship's captain) in colour snarling and scrapping on studio sets that anticipate 'Ice Station Zebra' between authentic footage shot under the supervision of Anthony Bushell in the actual Antarctic.

Hell Below Zero is one of three British movies Alan Ladd (Shane) appeared in. The Black Night was one of the others. I enjoyed this.

A man signs on a whaling ship and one of the reasons for this is to help a woman find her Dad's killer. The expedition takes them to the frozen wastes of the Antarctic, where they track the killer down on a rival whaling ship. Not surprisingly, Ladd also falls in love with the woman.

There is some good photography in this movie, which is shot well in colour. I first thought is was black and white when I purchased it.

The rest of the cast includes Joan Tetzel as the love interest, Stanley Baker (Zulu) as the murderer and Basil Sydney.

Hell Below Zero is a good way to spend 90 minutes one afternoon or evening. Very good.

Rating: 3 stars out of 5.

HELL BELOW ZERO is a tough adventure starring Alan Ladd, although the real star of the show are the icy Antarctic locations. It's something of a murder mystery in which Ladd becomes involved with a woman who believes her father, the captain of a whaling ship, was murdered by a rival. The two end up travelling to the Antarctic themselves in order to solve the mystery.

This is a pretty well paced little film with some exemplary fight scenes to enjoy; that early bust-up in the hotel room is a fitting introduction to Ladd's character and great fun. The stuff that takes place on the whaling ship is also highly suspenseful, benefiting from two solid performances: a young Stanley Baker as Ladd's rival, and the excellent Niall MacGinnis as the drunken ship's doctor.

What follows is a solid adaptation of the novel by Hammond Innes, featuring men fighting both the inhospitable locations and traitorous murderers. Ladd is a serviceable rather than remarkable lead, but the quality supporting cast make up for him. The one thing that blighted HELL BELOW ZERO, for me, was the whaling sequence featuring real-life footage of whales being harpooned over and over again while characters celebrate the massacre. It's pretty sickening stuff, although thankfully it only occurs in a single part of the movie.

A run of the mill romantic thriller. Alan Ladd is some kind of Superman beating up the baddies, winning the girls, captaining ships and even killing whales. The whaling scenes are remarkable for their real life depiction of this gruesome activity. The Hammond Innes book the plot is based on was much better. For a better Innes-based film watch Campbell's Kingdom with Dirk Bogarde.

Mark Robson must have remembered he directed in 1943 the absolutely remarkable "ghost ship " ,one of his VaL Lewton productions,all of which worth seeking out.

that's why the second third is arguably the best : a delightful villain (Stanley Baker,who else?),a mystery , a disturbing atmosphere in the depths of the ship;Robson can make the best of the hold and of the engine room.

More than the bland heroine ,Gerda is for the time a very modern character that should have been more developed ;it's her that should have accompanied Ladd in the final chase,not the frail clueless girl.

The last third seems a bit botched anyway ,but it's an entertaining adventures movie.

First Mark Robson was a good director with some films, and painfully bad (in my estimation) with such films as ' Earthquake '. He was good at bringing out the best in his actors, and seemed to value entertainment based on his actors to bring life to his films. The underrated charm of ' The Little Hut ' is a good example and so is ' Peyton Place ', and he managed to treat adult subject matter probably knowing that most adults are full of prejudices and had to be dealt with cautiously. In ' Hell Below Zero ' he brought out the child in the adult psyche, and despite the controversial subject matter of whaling he manages an adventure film with a great deal of professionalism. Alan Ladd investigates the death of of a head of a whaling company, and Stanley Baker is on hand to play an appropriate villain. Ladd seems to enjoy himself by fighting as many men as possible, in that realistic/unrealistic fashion that appears to be painless and so bearable for young, immature minds to watch. I quite like the film for its pace, its romantic idea that black is black and white is white both in social situations and human character. Despite my lacking any belief in this way of looking at things it can be very enjoyable as fantasy, and ' Hello Below Zero ' is as exciting as its crowd seducing posters, and as naive cinema it is excellent. Just a warning about scenes of bloody whale flesh, and the killing of whales.

A failed businessman signs on as first mate on a whaling ship to help the recently deceased co-owner's daughter find out who killed her father. An enjoyable enough action movie that's spoiled by its habit of pausing the plot for scenes of whalers triumphantly harpooning their prey before hacking them to pieces. Alan Ladd wears his shirt collar up to show just how cool and laid back he is while Stanley Baker glowers and broods as a closet Nazi who was once engaged to Ladd's love interest Joan Tetzel. Pinewood Studios unconvincingly stands in for the Antarctic.

This British-made adventure represents an early teaming for two of the men who helped create the James Bond series, producer Albert Broccoli and writer Richard Maibaum. Apart from character names and the Arctic setting, the story doesn't really have much to do with the Hammond Innes novel on which it is (allegedly) based; the film actually ends more or less where the novel begins.

Nevertheless, this is gutsy, vital stuff with some vigorous action scenes and excellent location work. A young Stanley Baker makes a smooth, dangerous villain and the always-excellent Niall MacGinnis is on hand as a drunken doctor who comes to the aid of Alan Ladd's stoical, if slightly dull, hero.

After reading the book by Hammond Innes called, "The White South", I was not disappointed with this film. The book was very graphic and, as with most Hammond Innes books, there was a lot of narrative. However, most of the story was quite faithful to the authors work, and Alan Ladd was very good, inasmuch as his quiet, unassuming performance represented the type of hero that every young cinema goer would like to have been.

However, I have to say that the showdown between Duncan Craig (Alan Ladd) and Erik Bland (Stanley Baker) was given a different ending. In the book, Duncan Craig does not win the fight with Bland. Although, Bland does end up meeting a form of poetic justice. Having been to the Antarctic myself, I found that the way Bland met his end in the film was quite disturbing - it was too realistic.

But the way that Duncan Craig was rescued in the book was quite touching, inasmuch as he was rescued by a man almost forty years older than himself - and was more experienced, which suggested that you should never undervalue the skills of an older person.

I have wanted to see this film since I was a child, and missed its rerun at the local cinema, and I have only just managed to catch up with it on Film 4 this afternoon.

It had been on Film 4 several months ago but, as when I was a child, I missed it again. So, I tried to find the film on-line, and also looked for it on YouTube, but could not track it down. As a matter of fact, I could not even find a trailer for it.

I surmised that because of the un-politically correct scenes of whaling would not be accepted on social media now. A film showing scenes of a whale being harpooned and the actors cheering like someone had scored a goal at a football match, would definitely not have been made for audiences to watch today. At one point, I think even Alan Ladd looked uncomfortable with it.

I would advise anyone who has seen this film to read the book, as it is easier to picture the characters if you know which actor or actress some of the characters were played by.

To end with, I would like to say something about the music score. The haunting music suggesting eager excitement, blended against the background of forlorn danger, gave the film the right atmosphere for an Antarctic adventure story.

The story of a whale factory captain who has allegedly committed suicide but to the disbelief of his daughter who is going to travel to the Antartic to prove otherwise. Not a bad start but then Alan Ladd enters and it goes downhill from there.

It's not all bad. Stanley Baker plays the bad guy well and the climax is worth waiting for...just. On the way you will endure some graphic scenes of a whaling operation in action. This was probably far more palatable in 1953 than it is now. Also there is a fight scene that really reminded me of the 60's Batman TV series - but perhaps naffer.

Approach with caution.....and not at all if you like whales.