Yul Brynner credited as playing...
Captain Mueller
- Captain Mueller: You're not very subtle, Mr Keil. But I must admire your courage.
- Robert Crain: You're the one with courage, Mueller. It takes real courage to see your son turn into a merciless fanatic and still believe in your mildewed concepts of the Fatherland. I envy you. I wish I had so much to believe in.
- Captain Mueller: When we reach Bordeaux, this report will be lost. And with luck, perhaps you will find a way to lose yourself there, too... I'm sorry. It's the most I can do.
- Esther Levy: Do you want to sleep with me? Or are you just doing this because you're kind-hearted?
- Captain Mueller: Young lady, even this kind of impudence will not stop me from treating you simply as another member of the human race.
- Captain Mueller: I have misjudged you, Mr. Keil. I never for one moment thought that you might try to save my life. You gentlemen of the SS don't usually display the humanity of a sand crab.
- Milkereit: [Saying out loud the message being relayed by the signal lamp from the submarine] We'll continue to observe radio silence until after transfer of prisoners.
- Captain Mueller: [caught unawares] *What* transfer of prisoners?
- Milkereit: Shall I send a reply, sir?
- Captain Mueller: Yes. Tell them Captain Mueller just jumped overboard.
- Captain Mueller: [Angrily storming into Adm. Wendel's office] Admiral Wendel, in the Merchant Navy the captain chooses his own crew.
- Captain Mueller: [Glaring at Kruse] What are you doing here?
- Captain Mueller: [Pulls a list of names out of his pocket] I'll be damned if I'll ship with these! Two murderers. Two more, "Assault with deadly weapons." This one... "Theft of government property."
- Admiral: Another, an outright political enemy. It's also a good way to send these bastards to Germany, for the punishment they deserve.
- Captain Mueller: I'm sorry, I cannot accept them.
- Kruse: But they are only a handful, Captain...
- Captain Mueller: l don't want a handful of maggots in my soup!
- Robert Crain: [in the officer's mess: Crain, Capt. Mueller and Kruse are dining] It's a long voyage, and I hope that we could find some common interest.
- Robert Crain: [motions to a nearby chess board] Do you play the chess, sir?
- Captain Mueller: [curtly] I do.
- Robert Crain: Well, then, we perhaps could have a game?
- Captain Mueller: [curtly] Mr Keil, I have neither the time, nor the desire to play chess with you.
- Robert Crain: [slightly taken aback] Captain Mueller... I'm not accustomed to unfriendliness, hmm? And, I quite frankly... I was really not prepared for it. Do you have some particular quarrel with SS, Captain?
- Captain Mueller: I'm sure that you SS gentlemen are very valuable on dry land. But on this ship I have a job to do.
- Robert Crain: But how does my being on board this ship affect your job?
- Captain Mueller: My crew. Word's gotten around that you're aboard, and they're scared to death.
- Robert Crain: [chuckles] This is ridiculous.
- Captain Mueller: Ridiculous or not, I shall have to ask you to confine yourself to your cabin, the deck, and the salon. I don't want you to interfere with their work or mine.
- Robert Crain: Do you mean... am I to understand that I will not be free to, to walk around the ship?
- Captain Mueller: Yes, just that. The Admiralty described you as a passenger. So you will have all the privileges and the restrictions of a passenger.
- Robert Crain: They failed to describe the captain as not only foolish but ill-mannered.
- Captain Mueller: Well, that's their blunder.
- Robert Crain: Captain Mueller, I don't have to put up with this sort of rudeness and I would like to suggest that you show a little more respect for me, for my authority, and for the organization that I represent.
- Captain Mueller: I am the master of this ship. You're under MY authority here.
- Robert Crain: [stands up, pulls a notepad out of his pocket] Mr. Kruse, you will attest that the captain is not only insulting, but uncooperative. I will make a full report of this when we reach Bordeaux, hmm?
- Captain Mueller: Bordeaux? The only report I care about - IF we reach Bordeaux - is that Captain Mueller brought the "Ingo" on a 15,000 mile journey through enemy waters with a precious cargo, successfully. Even if he didn't play chess on the way.
- Robert Crain: I hoped that our relations would be pleasant but I see that they won't. Good night.
- [turns and leaves]
- Kruse: Captain! Captain, there's a destroyer. Heading straight for us.
- Captain Mueller: [Both men peer at it through their binoculars] American. Benson class.
- Kruse: Four guns, 10 torpedo tubes... Makes 36 knots.
- Captain Mueller: [slight sarcasm] Good. Send them a citation.