Ice Station Zebra

"An American nuclear sub... A sky full of Russian paratroopers... A race for the secret of Ice Station Zebra!"

1968 2h 29m EN

😐

6.4

MID

★6.4TMDB · 200

ThrillerAdventure

Synopsis

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A top-secret Soviet spy satellite -- using stolen Western technology -- malfunctions and then goes into a descent that lands it near an isolated Arctic research encampment called Ice Station Zebra, belonging to the British, which starts sending out distress signals before falling silent. The atomic submarine Tigerfish, commanded by Cmdr. James Ferraday, is dispatched to save them.

“An American nuclear sub... A sky full of Russian paratroopers... A race for the secret of Ice Station Zebra!”

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Cast

Rock Hudson
Cdr. James Ferraday
Ernest Borgnine
Boris Vaslov
Patrick McGoohan
David Jones
Jim Brown
Capt. Leslie Anders
Tony Bill
Lt. Russell Walker
Alf Kjellin
Col. Ostrovsky
Gerald S. O'Loughlin
Lt. Cdr. Bob Raeburn
Ted Hartley
Lt. Jonathan Hansen

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: John Sturges
Writers: Douglas Heyes, W.R. Burnett, Harry Julian Fink
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 57% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

58 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by John Sturges, shot by Daniel L. Fapp. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Michel Legrand. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Ferris Webster shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Rock Hudson and Ernest Borgnine and Patrick McGoohan carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "An American nuclear sub... A sky full of Russian paratroopers... A race for the secret of Ice Station Zebra!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0063121 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

John Sturges directs. Daniel L. Fapp behind the camera. Michel Legrand scores. Ferris Webster cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 57% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
258 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Directed by John Sturges, shot by Daniel L. Fapp. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Michel Legrand. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Ferris Webster shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Rock Hudson and Ernest Borgnine and Patrick McGoohan carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "An American nuclear sub... A sky full of Russian paratroopers... A race for the secret of Ice Station Zebra!".
8IMDB entry: tt0063121 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 8 themes, including "based on novel or book", "submarine", "espionage", "cold war".
10Released under 10 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Daniel L. Fapp
Original score: Michel Legrand
Editing: Ferris Webster
Makeup / hair: Peter R.J. Deyell
Stunt coordinator: Bob Herron
Runtime: 149 min · 2h 29m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $8,000,000
Box office: $4,600,000
Return: 57% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): G
IMDB: Ice Station Zebra (1968)

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John Sturges

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2023-06-03
★ 6/10
Rock Hudson captains an American nuclear submarine in this stolid adaptation of the Alistair McLean novel about international satellite espionage. A hammy Patrick McGoohan and Ernest Borgnine join the crew as the submarine heads to a British weather station in the Arctic that has stopped responding to communications and our adventure picks up as we try to discover the spy in their midst who tries to sabotage the submarine and the mission. Despite the millions spent on the effects and some Oscar-nominated underwater photography, it's terribly wooden and slow. By the time the end does come, I had kind of given up as the plots and sub-plots were all tripping over each other. At almost 2½ hours, it's way too long too.

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