GeneralB

This movie is a cold war tale of an American destroyer hunting a Soviet submarine. The tension builds up wonderfully throughout the film and eventually explodes, both on personnel and greater levels. Tension is present between the skilled but hard nosed captain(Richard Widmark) and a reporter sent aboard(Sidney Poitier). The captain also faces off against the ship's new doctor. Widmark and Poitier both give simply outstanding performances. This film is about them, not explosions or battle scenes. The supporting cast also gives fine performances, including Martin Balsam as the doctor and Eric Portman as a German submarine commander on board as an advisor. It has been said that this film inspired the recent production "Crimson Tide"(which I believe is much less impressive), and after watching you can see why. In turn, I think it is also possible that the producers and writers of "The Bedford Incident" were influenced by "Dr Strangelove" which came out the previous year. While this a drama, not a black comedy, there are some parallels.

This is an odd comedy that can be quite humorous and entertaining. It contains a lot of neat and strange touches. I've seen this film on a number of occasions and it was an enjoyable experience each time. Hard to believe that's Antonio Banderas in there, but it is!

This film pokes fun at Hitler through a mixture of slapstick and satire. The film does not copy Hitler and the Nazis exactly; instead the dictator is named Hynkel, and instead of a swastika there is a double cross. It is worth watching in part to see how contemporary artists treated Hitler back in 1940, when he was a threat, not a part of history, Charlie Chaplin gives a double performance as Hynkel and the barber, something alluded to in the beginning. Chaplin's Hitler is funny and pathetic, not scary and imposing. It is interesting to compare this performance with the versions of Saddam Hussein presented in modern films(like say "Hot Shots"); again a dictator is portrayed as a pathetic, comical figure with a high-pitched voice. One of the best scenes, I think, is where Hynkel plays with a large globe. I found it strange seeing Chaplin in a movie with sound, something I had not seen before watching this film.