Ice Station Zebra

Oh what happened to those saturday evenings with great films? This was one such film, a great cast, riveting from start to finish, its not totally clear as to what is really going on at "Ice Station Zebra" and the 3 chaps on the sub may or may not be who they say they are (brown, borgnine or mcgoohan). All becomes clear as you continue to watch, so dont expect me to spoil it all for you. A great "spy" type thriller with good action scenes and dialogue that fits the film. One of the 1st films which does not have a female actress anywhere in the cast, so its to be hoped no one tries to remake it....really great entertainment....catch this!

Oh sorry - did I say "splendid" twice?? Well, that sums up what I feel about this film. Particularly "splendid" in my humble opinion was the portrayal of David Jones by the wonderful Patrick McGoohan, who is my favourite actor, so OK I'm a little biased here - but he really stood out for me. I love the way he seemed genuinely shaken after the "sabotage" act on the sub - drinking whisky-laden coffee with trembling hands. And of course Number 6's dry sense of humour, and heroic deeds.

And everyone else was pretty good too :) I know some of the scenery was obviously fake, but the sense of space across the ice flow, and the scenes of the sub trying to emerge from the ice were pretty impressive.

Anyway, I bought this yesterday on DVD and it was £16 well spent.

9/10.

I've seen my share of movies, and Patrick McGoohan's performance in this one is my favorite of all time. Rock Hudson-led American sub ventures to remote arctic weather station on what is thought to be a rescue mission. Innocent trip develops into search and struggle for film that threatens the survival of the free world. Hudson's characteristic bluster fits sub captain role to a "T", and we finally get to see McGoohan in action as a British spy in a full-length film. McGoohan's chilling explanation to Hudson of the true purpose of the mission, which comes well into the film, is the crowning moment of the cold-war/spy movie genre ("and that is when the lights began to burn in the Kremlin...."). McGoohan is awesome throughout, although Hudson nearly upstages him in the finale if such a thing is possible. Good supporting cast includes the always-welcome Jim Brown. Deserves a DVD!! 10 out of 10

After re-discovering Patrick McGoohan, I decided to give this film a try. I had heard the title mentioned for years, but had no clue what it was about.

The overall look of the film was rather impressive. I appreciated most of the technical aspects. You really feel like you would NOT want to be stationed on(in?) a submarine! The special effects weren't bad for 1968. The soundtrack is good as well.

When you have Borgnine and Jim Brown in a movie, you automatically think in terms of "The Dirty Dozen". They both did better in that film...

I have never been at all impressed with Rock Hudson, and found his acting to be rather wooden here. He does a good job with the regulation "sub speak", but, for example, in the post-flooding scene with McGoohan, he is very obviously not as impressive an actor as the Englishman (ok ok, McGoohan was born in the US to Irish parents, but they moved back to Ireland, then to England).

In fact, I (and so many others) feel McGoohan steals the movie. Of course, he had many years experience playing "secret agents", so this film may have been a cake-walk for him... just speak a bit more and trade in a black & white blazer for a warm parka! (He did, in fact have to take time off from filming "The Prisoner" to make Zebra.) His character's comments regarding bullet velocity in cold climates is a fan-favorite, along with "the coffee cup" and post-flood explanation. I swear the other actors were just standing there, watching his performance, forgetting the cameras were rolling.

In short, if you like submarines, spies, and mild action, you should like Zebra.

Spectacular film about Cold War filmed mostly in study that won two Academy Award nominations : Cinematography and special visual effects. Captain James Ferraday (this was Rock Hudson's favourite film of his own, and also of Howard Hughes ; Charlton Heston was originally offered the role but turned it down, saying there was no characterization in the script) , Commander of the nuclear submarine called USS Tigershark, is assigned to the polar ice region on a rescue mission when an emergency signal is heard from a research station, Ice Station Zebra (in real life, there was no "Ice Station Zebra", but there was an "Ice Station Alpha" which was situated in a Arctic's Ice Island). On board there is a civilian and possibly a spy named David Jones (Laurence Harvey was originally cast in Patrick McGoohan's role) , whose orders are dark . Ferraday doesn't like being kept in the secret but Jones is strongly secretive and doesn't give much away . Along the way, they collect two additional passengers, a Russian veteran named Boris Vaslov (the recently deceased Ernest Borgnine) , likely also a spy, and an African-American Marine Captain (Jim Brown) . Based on the novel (1963) by Alistair MacLean, Scottish author of Best-seller novels such as "The Guns of Navarone" . It's one of two Alistair MacLean filmed adaptations released in 1968, the other was ¨Where Eagles Dare¨. Changes made from the Alistair MacLean source novel of the same name for this film included the name of the nuclear submarine, the Dolphin, which was re-named the USS Tigerfish and the names of two characters: Submarine Commander Swanson became Commander Ferraday and spy Dr. Carpenter became David Jones .

It is one of the most thrilling and exciting films set on the years of the Cold War. Great superproduction with all-star-cast , impressive scenes , shimmer photography and a vibrant sound , the time has increased its documentary value. The acting of the interesting characters is believable and convincing, especially by Patrick McGoohan and the Russian Colonel well played by Alf Kjellin . Special appearance by Lloyd Nolan and film debut for Ron Masak .The film's story has similarities with the real life events, reported in the media in April 1959, of the Discoverer II experimental Corona satellite capsule that went missing and was recovered by Soviet intelligence agents after it crashed near Spitsbergen in the Arctic Ocean ; Spitsbergen is in Norway's Svalbard archipelago of islands which is where both Alistair MacLean 's novel and the film of Bear Island is set. The screenplay has eloquent dialogue, continuous tension and surprising twists that keep the viewer's attention .The soundtrack by singer and French composer Michel Legrand -"The Umbrellas of Cherbourg"- , is full of vibrant sound , brings a solemn score, cutting edge, played by an orchestra of wind . Colorful cinematography in glimmer color by Daniel Fapp. Unique and innovative underwater camera equipment was developed for this movie by 2nd unit cameraman and cinematographer 'John M Stephens', a former U.S.A. Navy diver, who is billed in the credits for additional arctic photography , the camera system enabled the first ever filming of a continuous submarine dive and this technical innovation produced some outstanding photography for the picture.

The visual effects, despite its quality, not 'see that snow is artificial, that the landscape of the polar station is mounted on set ; his picture is the first of two movies based on an Alistair MacLean novel set in rugged icy and snowy terrain , the second would be Bear Island about eleven years later. John Sturges' filmmaking is absorbent and entertaining , a good job , It's one of two filmed Alistair MacLean adaptations directed by Sturges , the other was ¨The Satan Bug¨ made and released about three years earlier . The production shoot for ¨Ice Station Zebra¨ went for nineteen weeks, from Spring 1967 until October 1967. Rating : Very good , wholesome seeing .