A few years ago, I posted on submarine movie
clichés. Having watched seventeen sub
movies in the last few weeks in preparation for my Submarine Movies Tournament,
I think it makes sense to reassess the cliché hypothesis. Here is the list of possible clichés I
considered:
1. There is command dysfunction aboard the boat. Usually this is a power struggle between the
skipper and his exec.
2. The sub has to go below crush depth. Usually this is to escape depth charges. It is accompanied by leaks, rivets blowing,
and/or creaking noises.
3. Someone is left on deck when the sub is forced to
crash dive. Most likely this is the
captain.
4. The sub is sent on a special mission. This usually interrupts the crew’s leave.
5. The sub lands a shore party. Usually to blow stuff up.
6. To stop an intense depth charging, the sub releases
oil, debris, and/or corpses to fool the tormentors into giving up.
7. The captain is an Ahab-type who is obsessed with a
great white whale of an objective.
Usually it is revenge for losing a previous boat.
8. if it’s an American sub, there is a black mess mate on
board.
9. The sub is depth charged at least once. Usually the depth charges are very accurate.
10. The sub goes through a submarine net and/or a
minefield. Usually it gets through the
net by following an enemy ship. Usually
it gets through the mine field by blind-ass luck. If it goes through a mine field, usually a
mine cable scrapes against the side of the boat.
11. An emergency repair, medical operation, or unexploded
bomb causes a crisis. Usually the
emergency repair requires the sacrifice of someone.
12. If it’s an American sub in the Pacific in WWII, they
listen to Tokyo Rose.
13. The sub sinks a destroyer with a bow shot.
14. There is a love triangle between two of the crew and a woman on shore.
Here are the movies that I examined:
A. Sub Command
B. We Dive at
Dawn
C. Torpedo Run
D. Operation
Petticoat
E. Destination
Tokyo
F. Run Silent,
Run Deep
G. Above Us the
Waves
H. Operation
Pacific
I. Up Periscope
J. Hellcats of
the Navy
K. Crash Dive
L. Hell and
High Water
M. Das Boot
N. The Hunt for
Red October
O. Crimson Tide
P. U-571
Q. The Enemy
Below
Here are the results for each cliche:
1. C, F, I, J, K, O, P
= 7
2. M, P, Q = 3
3. A, F, H, I, J, P
= 6
4. A, B, E, I, J, K, L, N, P = 9
5. A, B, E, I, J, K, L
= 7
6. B, D, F, I, K, P
= 6
7. C, F = 2
8. A, F, I, K, P, Q
= 6
9. A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, M, P, Q = 14
10. A, B, C, E, G, J
= 6
11. E, I, J, M, P
= 5
12. D, E, F = 3
13. E, F, I, J, P
= 5
14. H, K = 2
Here are the results for each movie:
A. 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10 = 6
B. 4, 5, 6, 9, 10 = 5
C. 1, 7, 9, 10
= 4
D. 6, 9, 12
= 3
E. 4, 5, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 = 7
F. 1, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, 13 = 8
G. 9, 10
= 2
H. 3, 9
= 2
I. 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, 13 = 9
J. 1, 3, 4, 5, 9, 10, 11, 13 = 8
K. 1, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 14 = 7
L. 4, 5
= 2
M. 2, 9, 11
= 3
N. 4
= 1
O. 1
= 1
P. 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 11, 13 = 9
Q. 2, 8, 9
= 3
CONCLUSIONS:
1. The most common cliché found in sub movies is
the depth charging. The second most
common is the sub is sent on a special operation.
2. Possible clichés that can be removed from the
list are going below hull crush depth, the captain being an Ahab, and the love
triangle.
3. The most cliché-ridden movies are “Up
Periscope” and “U-571” with “U-571” being the worst offender because it came
late in the subgenre.
4. The most admirably cliché-resistant movie is
“Das Boot”. The other films that have a
low number of clichés are not standard sub movies.
