The Bedford Incident (1965)

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

I wanted to but couldn't!

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

THE BEDFORD INCIDENT is a Cold War thriller like no other. It's set on an American destroyer sailing off the coast of Greenland and looks at the psychology of the dedicated, over-zealous captain leading the mission to hunt a Russian submarine. Richard Widmark has a long career of playing officers in war pictures but this is his most developed part, a study of a man for whom winning means everything.Sidney Poitier plays a writer who acts as the eyes and ears of the audience. What a refreshing change to see no mention made of his race; he's just an ordinary guy and it's a sign of the times that he was accepted as such by the men on the warship. Martin Balsam has a good role too as the ship's doctor with his own cross to bear.For the most part, THE BEDFORD INCIDENT is quite a slow-paced story with plenty of dialogue and just a few suspense sequences to keep the viewer absorbed. However, things begin to gel together more and more as the film goes on, leading to a wildly impressive climax that'll have your jaw dropping. It puts the rest of the movie into a different perspective, that's for sure. Watch out for a youthful Donald Sutherland playing one of the ship's medics.

Sidney Poitier's role here as the journalist doesn't have the usual racial component attached to it. Unfortunately, this is not a very good film, even with Richard Widmark and Martin Balsam headlining it.Widmark plays a tyrannical captain of an American vessel searching for Soviet submarines in a post-war submarine. Widmark, as always, gives it his all playing a Captain Bligh or Queeg like figure. The man acts as if we're at war and he will hold the crew, not only to the highest standards, he is ready to blame them for anything that may go amiss.The film begins where Balsam and Poitier come on board the ship as the doctor and journalist, respectively.The film falls into the problem of being scenery stagnant. All of the action is on deck and you never see anything else. There is an interesting interview between Poitier and Widmark, where the former reveals his real reason for wanting to interview the Captain.The film's tragic ending can easily be predicted as it essentially goes nowhere.

I met this movie again after having seen it possibly more then 20 years ago now on DVD and in original English version. From the very start when 3 medics take maximum effort to analyze a piece of cabbage fished from the sea to the very end a highly claustrophobic atmosphere is created dominated by the Ahab-like Captain subordinating everything under his cold professionalism and determination to fight his cold war to the maximum heat allowed. The chase of the submarine certainly has many similar aspects of the chase for Moby Dick up to the awful end. Towering performances by Eric Portman, Richard Widmark and Sidney Poitier, strong support by Martin Balsam, Wally Cox and James Mcarthur. 9/10.

The Cold War is one of the world's most frightening conflicts ever as it nearly extinguished humanity. During this time, suspicious nations rattled atomic sabers at one another and secret agencies scurried about disseminating Ideological propaganda and psychological warfare, but for the most part the only thing accomplished was that Americans spent billions threatening a distant enemy who ultimately became our friend. One exceptional film which appear during this era, was " The Bedford Incident." It is the story of an American reporter Ben Munceford (Sidney Poitier) who seeks out a controversial naval officer, because he believes him to be a rare individual. That particular man is Captain Eric Finlander. (Richard Widmark) a no-nonsense commander who is determined to do his duty, even if it means destroying a stray Russian Submarine, armed with nuclear missiles. While Munceford is trying to fathom the Captain, he notices everyone under Finlander's command is being subjected to increasing pressure, enormous stress and intolerable strain to remain on high alert as if war could be initiated at any time. From an audience point of view, the tension on board the Bedford, mirrors the terrifying state of fear in the world. Helping the audience analyze the situation is Lieut. Cmdr. Chester Potter (Martin Balsam) a naval Doctor who warns the Captain of mounting psychological dangers of his crew. One such officer is Ensign Ralston (James MacArthur) who the doctor warns is wound 'too tight' to be on duty. Another is Seaman Merlin Queffle (Wally Cox) who believes he controls the ship. This is a remarkable film, for it's characters, it's drama and eventually it's inevitable ending. It's a reminder, the fears we create are as real as our nightmares. ****