Hell and High Water

"29 men and one woman ... in the captive world of a submarine !"

1954 1h 43m EN

😐

6.0

MID

★6.0TMDB · 67

AdventureDramaAction

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A privately-financed scientist and his colleagues hire an ex-Navy officer to conduct an Alaskan submarine expedition in order to prevent a Red Chinese anti-American plot that may lead to World War III. Mixes deviously plotted schoolboy fiction with submarine spectacle and cold war heroics.

“29 men and one woman ... in the captive world of a submarine !”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Cast

Richard Widmark
Capt. Adam Jones
Bella Darvi
Denise Montel
Victor Francen
Prof. Montel
Cameron Mitchell
'Ski' Brodski
Gene Evans
Chief Holter
David Wayne
Tugboat Walker
Stephen Bekassy
Neuman
Richard Loo
Hakada Fujimori

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Samuel Fuller
Writers: Samuel Fuller, Jesse Lasky Jr., David Hempstead
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

Shot for just $1.9M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

72 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Samuel Fuller, shot by Joseph MacDonald. 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 Alfred Newman. 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 James B. Clark 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

Richard Widmark and Bella Darvi and Victor Francen carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "29 men and one woman ... in the captive world of a submarine !".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0047073 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Samuel Fuller directs. Joseph MacDonald behind the camera. Alfred Newman scores. James B. Clark cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $1.9M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
272 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Directed by Samuel Fuller, shot by Joseph MacDonald. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Alfred Newman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor James B. Clark shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Richard Widmark and Bella Darvi and Victor Francen carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "29 men and one woman ... in the captive world of a submarine !".
8IMDB entry: tt0047073 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 67 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Joseph MacDonald
Original score: Alfred Newman
Editing: James B. Clark
Runtime: 103 min · 1h 43m
Status: Released
Budget: $1,870,000
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Hell and High Water (1954)

Also by

Samuel Fuller

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2022-11-21
★ 7/10
Richard Widmark is on quite good form here, as the veteran naval officer hired by a group of scientists to take a ramshackle old submarine from Japan to investigate some mysterious goings-on on an island under Chinese control, and where they think atomic experiments may be taking place. Setting sail with "Prof. Montel" (Victor Francen) and his assistant "Denise" (Bella Darvi) it soon becomes clear that their scarcely functioning vessel is not going to be the captain's only concern as they have to dodge enemy patrols and reach their target. I like submarine films, and this one isn't bad. Samuel Fuller takes a while to get us underway, but once he does the trip is quite exciting despite the odd romantic interlude. The ending is a bit daft, but the whole film still holds up quite well as a decent adventure with quite a fun underwater duel, an unique rendition of "Don't Fence Me In" and a suitably rousing score, too.

Production companies