The Bedford Incident (1965)

Director:

James B. Harris

Writers:

James Poe (screenplay)
Mark Rascovich (novel)

Release Date:

January 1966 (Austria)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

The cold war just got hotter.

Plot:

An American destroyer captain is determined to confront a Soviet submarine caught violating territorial waters. Perhaps too determined.

Plot Keywords:

Destroyer | Submarine | Reporter | Confrontation | Crew

Awards:

Nominated for BAFTA Film Award.

Cast

Richard Widmark	...	Captain Eric Finlander U.S.N.
Sidney Poitier	...	Ben Munceford
James MacArthur	...	Ensign Ralston (as James Macarthur)
Martin Balsam	...	Lieut. Cmdr. Chester Potter, M.D., U.S.N.
Wally Cox	...	Seaman Merlin Queffle
Eric Portman	...	Commodore Wolfgang Schrepke Deutsche Marine
Michael Kane	...	Commander Allison Executive Officer - Bridge
Colin Maitland	...	Seaman Jones - Bridge
Paul Tamarin	...	Seaman 2nd Class - Bridge
Frank Lieberman	...	Seaman 1st Class - Bridge
James Caffrey	...	Seaman 1st Class - Bridge
Burnell Tucker	...	Seaman 1st Class - Bridge
Michael Graham	...	Lieutenant Krindlemeyer U.S.N. - Bridge
Bill Edwards	...	Lieutenant Hazelwood U.S.N. - Bridge
Stephen von Schreiber	...	Seaman 2nd Class - Bridge (as Stephen Von Schreiber)
Ronald Rubin	...	Seaman 1st Class - Bridge
Eugene Leonard	...	Seaman 2nd Class - Bridge
Gary Cockrell	...	Lieutenant Bascombe U.S.N. - C.I.C.
Roy Stephens	...	Seaman 2nd Class - C.I.C.
George Roubicek	...	Lieutenant Berger U.S.N. - C.I.C.
John McCarthy	...	Seaman 1st Class - C.I.C.
Shane Rimmer	...	Seaman 1st Class - C.I.C.
Glenn Beck	...	Seaman 2nd Class - C.I.C. (as Glen Beck)
Brian Davies	...	Lieutenant Beckman U.S.N. - Communications
Ed Bishop	...	Lieutenant Hacker U.S.N. - Communications (as Edward Bishop)
Paul Carson	...	Seaman 1st Class - Communications
Laurence Herder	...	Petty Officer - Communications
Phil Brown	...	Chief Hospitalman James McKinley - Sick Bay
Donald Sutherland	...	Hospitalman Nerney - Sick Bay
Warren Stanhope	...	Hospitalman Strauss - Sick Bay

Directed by
James B. Harris

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
James Poe		screenplay
Mark Rascovich		novel

Produced by
Denis O'Dell	....	associate producer
James B. Harris	....	producer (uncredited)
Richard Widmark	....	producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Gerard Schurmann

Cinematography by
Gilbert Taylor

Film Editing by
John Jympson

Casting by
James Liggat

Art Direction by
Arthur Lawson

Makeup Department
Eric Allwright	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Victor Peck	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Clive Reed	....	assistant director

Art Department
Lionel Couch	....	associate art director

Sound Department
Leslie Hammond	....	sound recordist
Bob Jones	....	sound recordist (as Robert Jones)
Winston Ryder	....	sound editor

Camera and Electrical Department
Derek V. Browne	....	camera operator (as Derek Browne)

Editorial Department
Roy Benson	....	assistant editor
Pamela Tomling	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Gerard Schurmann	....	conductor

Other crew
Lieutenant Commander Ian Cox	....	technical advisor (as Lieut. Commander Ian Cox, D.S.O., R.N. Rtd.)
Phyllis Crocker	....	continuity
Captain J.D. Ferguson	....	technical advisor (as Capt. J.D. Ferguson, U.S.N. Rtd.)

Production Companies

• Bedford Productions Ltd. (uncredited)
• Columbia Pictures Corporation (presents)

Distributors

• Columbia Pictures (1965) (USA) (theatrical)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1967) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Columbia Films (1966) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Columbia-Bavaria Filmgesellschaft m.b.H. (1966) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (USA) (VHS)
• RCA/Columbia Pictures Video Ltd. (1987) (UK) (VHS)

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

Russian | English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Netherlands:AL | West Germany:12 (f) | UK:PG (video rating) (1987) | Finland:S | Norway:16 | Sweden:11 | UK:A (original rating) | Australia:G

Filming Locations:

Shepperton Studios, Shepperton, Surrey, England, UK

Company:

Bedford Productions Ltd.

Trivia:

"Novosibirsk", the Russian submarine's escort ship (misspelled on its hull), is the name of an actual city in Russia. In English, the name translates to "New Siberia." This large city is located east of the Ural Mountains, in southern Siberia.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Gary Cockrell is credited under that spelling in the opening credits but as "Gary Cockerell" in the closing credits.

Quotes:

Ben Munceford: I've heard a lot about you, Commodore, but I never expected I'd meet you.
Commodore Schrepke: Is that so?
Ben Munceford: Not aboard an American destroyer.
Commodore Schrepke: (Is) that so surprising in these times?
Ben Munceford: I guess not, if one can make the switch mentally. But I, uh... I still connect you with... Hitler's navy.
Commodore Schrepke: Your pardon: Admiral Dönitz's navy, sir.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "American Masters: Sidney Poitier: One Bright Light" (2000)

FailSafe on a Surface vessel.

Along the same lines as FailSafe this is a tense Cold War drama with a cat and mouse game going on between an iron willed Navy Captain and an essentially unseen Soviet submarine. Great performances all around are what make this a good film. Richard Widmark is great as the somewhat tyrannical ships skipper who has his crew drilled, trained and poised for all out war up to the breaking point. Sidney Poitier as always does another superb job as the journalist aboard to do a story of a Navy deployment and gets more than what was expected. Despite the fact that an individual like the Poitier character would not enjoy that much freedom aboard a US Naval vessel this motion picture is quite realistic. Martin Balsam and James MacArthur also put in outstanding performances with Balsam as a newly arrived unappreciated ships doctor and MacArthur as an Ensign who is dogged endlessly by his commanding officer.