The Bedford Incident ***** (1965, Richard Widmark, Sidney Poitier, James MacArthur, Eric Portman, Wally Cox, Martin Balsam) – Classic Movie Review 7,078

The 1965 Cold War thriller film The Bedford Incident stars Richard Widmark as skipper of the American guided missile destroyer USS Bedford, who obsessively hunts a Soviet submarine.

Producer-director James B Harris’s 1965 British-American Cold War thriller film The Bedford Incident stars Richard Widmark in one of his most satisfying roles as US Naval destroyer commander Captain Eric Finlander, skipper of the American destroyer USS Bedford, who obsessively hunts a Soviet submarine violating territorial waters, while smart-aleck newsman Ben Munceford (Sidney Poitier), granted permission to interview him, gets in the way.

James Poe’s smart, crackling dialogue in his screenplay based on the 1963 novel by Mark Rascovich, and the first-class playing by the two stars and their fellow actors combine to set the seal of quality on this really taut, intense, claustrophobic nuclear thriller, powerfully directed without any slack by Harris. The Bedford Incident is great stuff and essential viewing, a Sixties highspot for this popular kind of movie.

The plot is remarkably similar to the one in Crimson Tide (1995).

Note the early appearance by Donald Sutherland as Hospitalman Nerney (Sick Bay) as well as Edward Bishop [Ed Bishop] as Lieutenant Hacker (Communications).

It was mostly shot at Shepperton Studios in the UK.

The exterior and interior live-action images of the fictitious American guided missile destroyer USS Bedford are from British frigates. Model-makers created a miniature replica based on the US Navy Farragut class.

James B Harris, Stanley Kubrick’s producer, had fallen out when Kubrick decided to make Dr Strangelove as a satirical black comedy instead of a dramatic thriller. But Harris still wanted to make a serious nuclear confrontation film, and produced The Bedford Incident with star Widmark. It was released less than two years after Dr Strangelove. 

It had its London premiere on 14 October 1965.

The cast are Richard Widmark as Captain Eric Finlander, Sidney Poitier as Ben Munceford, James MacArthur as Ensign Ralston, Martin Balsam as Lieutenant Commander Chester Potter MD, Wally Cox as Seaman Merlin Queffle, Eric Portman as Commodore Wolfgang Schrepke Deutsche Marine, Phil Brown as Chief Hospitalman McKinley (Sick Bay), Michael Kane as Commander Allison, Executive Officer (Bridge), Donald Sutherland as Hospitalman Nerney (Sick Bay), Garry Cockrell as Lieutenant Bascombe (C.I.C.), Brian Davies as Lieutenant Beckman (Communications), Edward Bishop as Lieutenant Hacker (Communications), Warren Stanhope, Colin Maitland as Seaman Jones (Bridge), Roy Stephens as Seaman 2nd Class (C.I.C.), and George Rubicek as Lieutenant Berger (C.I.C.).

The Bedford Incident is directed by James B Harris, runs 102 minutes, is made by Bedford Productions, released by Columbia, is written by James Poe, based on the novel by Mark Rascovich, is shot in black and white by Gilbert Taylor, is produced by James B Harris and Richard Widmark, and is scored by Gerald Schurrmann.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 7,078

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