The Bedford Incident (1965)

Studio: Sony Pictures Home Ent Release Date: 05/27/2008 Run time: 102 minutes Rating: Nr Product Description

PSYCHOLOGICAL WARFARE IN THE NORTH ATLANTIC!!

It's during the height of the Cold War and a U.S. Naval destroyer, The Bedford, is racing through the icy waters of the North Atlantic as it tracks a Russian sub below. So the film opens and then a Navy helicopter comes into the picture keeping pace overhead with the destroyer. Two men, a black photojournalist, Ben Munceford (Poitier), and a Navy medical doctor, Liet. Cmdr. Chester Potter (Martin Balsam) are lowered onto the deck. Both men will come to wish they had not left the helicopter as they are introduced to Captain Eric Finlander (Widmark), the destroyer's skipper. Finlander is obsessed with pursuing and confronting this sub which has violated territorial waters. He knows he is pushing the sub beyond its limits to stay submerged and something will have to give sooner rather than later. As Mumceford, who is doing a feature on Finlander (he stood up to the Navy after a 'Cuba' affair and was subsequently passed over for Admiral) and Potter observe the Captain and the crew, they can see that not only is the sub reaching the breaking point of being submerged but The Bedford's crew of over 200 sailors is also being pushed physically and psychologically to the limit by constantly being called to 'GQ' (full alert) with very little rest. The tension and friction build to the breaking point on the ship as they continue to pursue relentlessly the cornered sub. This is a little known but powerful drama about the Cold War. One wonders how many of these incidents happened or nearly happened in real life. How many Cuban Missile Crises and Bedford Incidents have there been that brought the world to the brink of nuclear disaster? Poitier and Widmark are at the top of their game. Just a footnote - Wally Cox does an outstanding job playing the 'Radar' of the ship. [...]

August 7, 2008

A Cold War Nightmare

James Harris' terrific cold war thriller with Richard Widmark as angry, driven captain of a destroyer in the North Atlantic playing a deadly game of cat and mouse with a Russian nuclear submarine. Sidney Poitier as a reporter and James McArthur as a junior officer driven to the brink. The ending is a shocker. "Fire One!" July 15, 2008

Terse, Elegant Time Capsule of Cold War Tension

I recall seeing "Bedford" on network television many years ago, but wanted to have this in my nuclear apocalypse library (which also includes Fail Safe and Dr. Strangelove). It's a highly intelligent film with excellent characterizations; some critics here have accused it of being overly talky (and a few, heaven forbid, have even called it "dull") but I was riveted throughout. Sure, there are aspects of this film that are a bit dated but as the nuclear-armed U.S. and soon-to-be nuclearized Iranian navies face off today, the hazards depicted in this film remain real and highly relevant. This DVD was very well-produced and the B&W white print was excellent. April 28, 2008

must see

Having served in the Navy under exactly the same conditions, I think that everyone should see this movie. True, it's ostensibly about a madman...but I think it's message is that not all men are mad even if forced to do the unthinkable. February 8, 2008

ABANDON SHIP?

Highly underrated Cold War drama that plays out like a chess game across the screen. Captain ( Widmark) is totally obsessed with proving that a Russian nuclear submarine has violated International waters and will stop at nothing to keep the sub "pinned down". Reporter /photographer Potier witnesses the abusive treatment of the crew and is questioning the captain's sanity when the final, inevitable climax occurs suddenly,starkly. Cox gives an excellent performance as the ship radar man. MacArthur is no Disney-like character in this one either. Balsam is a cipher only because he's cast that way. One hopes that "games" such as these really aren't being played out now. Also,perhaps the movie's title is not alluring enough. In any event, it's a film well worth your time and money. December 8, 2007

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