The Frogmen (1951)

Good movie but grossly overrated

After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

This Second World War drama follows a US Navy Underwater Demolition Team as it takes part in preparations for the invasion of Japanese occupied islands and comes to terms with the replacement of a popular leader who was killed in action. Form the way they talk it is clear that there former CO was very much one of the men but his replacement, Lt. Cmdr. John Lawrence, is very much a by the book officer. The men's opinion of him gets even worse when he orders his boat back to the ship after their second boat is destroyed leaving the survivors to wait for the rescue boat; is reasoning may have been militarily correct but it was unpopular enough to have three men request a transfer. It isn't long before everyman in the team wants out. Luckily for him an opportunity arises for him to demonstrate his courage and win the respect of his men before he must lead them on a top secret mission to attack Japanese submarine pens.This is a solid film with decent action, a good cast and an interesting story to tell. It may be a fictional story but it nicely demonstrates the sort of work the Underwater Demolition Teams would have done without being gung-ho about it. The cast did a fin job; most notably Richard Widmark who put in a nicely understated performance as Lt. Cmdr. Lawrence; a character who wanted to do the right thing and respected his men even when he knew they didn't have such an opinion of him. The action looked believable; the underwater scenes especially so. The fact that it was filmed in black and white somehow gives it a more realistic feel... presumably because the vast majority of archive footage of the war was in black and white! The tension in the unit was there to add to the drama and it did so in a believable way; the men might not have liked Lawrence but they didn't do anything unrealistic about it; just griped a bit and got on with the job. We don't see much of the Japanese but when we do it was refreshing to see them depicted as ordinary soldiers sharing a cigarette rather than as 'the evil enemy'. If you enjoy films about the second World War I'd certainly recommend this as it shows the sort of operations not usually depicted in films in a fascinating way.

A standard World War II film about a U.S. Navy underwater demolition team, "The Frogmen" stars a solid group of handsome 1950's leading men. Although the movie offers nothing unexpected and blazes no new trails, the standard here is lofty. All aspects are highly professional, and the story is engrossing and ultimately moving. The characters are stock: the tough leader, the older confidante, the easy-going second-in-command, the guy from Brooklyn. However, when such stalwart actors as Richard Widmark, Gary Merrill, Dana Andrews, Jeffrey Hunter, and Harvey Lembeck fill the roles, the results are sterling. No prima donnas here; the actors work as an ensemble, much as the demolition team rises above differences to coalesce during the film.Tough by-the-book Widmark takes over for a well-liked now-dead predecessor and familiar tensions rise among the team. Each member turns in his resignation, a risky stunt misfires, a Japanese sub attack creates a tight situation, a daring climactic mission: great fodder for fans of these World War II films; produced while memories of the war were still fresh, they retain an authenticity and immediacy hard to recreate decades later. The underwater scenes are excellent, and the team's exploits create enough suspense and action to keep viewers engrossed. The fine black-and-white cinematography by Norbert Brodine was Oscar nominated, as was Oscar Millard's story. "The Frogmen" is a standard war film, but the standard is a high one to reach.

Interesting story of underwater demolition teams exploring the landing beaches around Okinawa in World War II. The cast has some well-known names too, though some were just getting started. Don't blink or you miss Robert Wagner and Jack Warden.If the story of their work is engaging -- and it is -- the group dynamics aren't, nor does anything in the dialog particularly sparkle. Richard Widmark takes over a UDT team after the death of the commander they idolized. He does things by the book. He's resented by the crew who continually compare him to their previous leader and who believe he's an inept and unfeeling poltroon.Widmark is understandably unhappy and broods a bit. Standing against him in the crew are the chief, Dana Andrews, and the usual motley cast of World War II movies -- the Brooklyn wise guy, the family man. The combat scenes are handled well enough. SCUBA gear was still a novelty at the time. The production had the cooperation of the U. S. Navy, and why not? It's basically a promotional film. The large ship on which the team is berthed in an APD, a fast transport. Proper protocol is usually followed. When a man receives an order on the radio, he doesn't say, "Roger. Over and out." He says the correct, "Wilco, out." There are some exceptions though. Two or three times, Widmark shouts to the coxswain, "Full speed ahead!" That belongs in a comic book. At least nobody wears caps indoors or salutes without them, as they do in the far more lavishly funded "Crimson Tide." By the end, of course, after a final dangerous mission and the tense disarming of a dud torpedo, in both of which enterprises Widmark plays an important part, the team comes together as a group.The plot is lifted from "Twelve O'Clock High," also a Twentieth-Century Fox Production, and the dialog is by the notorious Oscar Millard. He was the guy responsible for the speeches in John Wayne's classic "The Conqueror." There, Wayne had to say things like, "She is much wummin." And, "Yew're beautiful in yewr wrath." I saw "The Frogmen" as a kid and all of us kids were excited by it. The frogmen rolling one by one off the speeding landing craft into a tethered rubber raft and then over the side with a great white splash of impact. It was all new to us, as it was to the rest of the audience. Some of us tried playing "Frogman" in Lake Hopatcong but it's hard to roll off a speeding boat when the boat is a ten-foot-long rowboat moving at the pace of an unskilled swimmer doing the breast stroke. I didn't enjoy it quite so much this time around, but then I don't enjoy ANYTHING quite as much these days.

After watching and enjoying this film, I checked out the trivia section for this film and found that many of the events in this film are based on the real life unit they were named for in the film--including the banner on the beach scene. At first I thought this scene totally ridiculous and didn't fit the film--seeing it REALLY happened is amazing! This is an interesting war film even if it didn't get made until well after the war. Most people never think about the need for naval demolitions crews, yet their incredibly dangerous job is shown in this film. How dangerous it was and how they actually performed it was truly interesting for history buffs like myself. Seeing them often diving with no real equipment such as snorkels or tanks (these were only used late in the film) and simply free-diving to set demolition charges is pretty amazing. What was more amazing was seeing how they picked up these guys on the fly, so to speak.Apart from the technical aspects of the film, the plot itself is somewhat formulaic but interesting. Richard Widmark plays the typical hard-as-nails commanding officer and naturally the men miss their old C.O. since he was "one of the boys" (see THE FLYING LEATHERNECKS and TWELVE O'CLOCK HIGH and you'll see what I mean). The whole "loneliness at the top" angle has been done many times before, though this one was played a bit better. Having such pros as Dana Andrews, Jeffrey Hunter and Gary Merrill on hand sure didn't hurt! What did hurt, however, with the formula was that, at times, it made the men seem like whiners.Overall, rather exciting and well worth seeing despite its roots in Hollywood formula and a fitting tribute to some incredibly brave men.