Ice Station Zebra (1968)

Director:

John Sturges

Writers:

Alistair MacLean (novel)
Douglas Heyes (screenplay)

Release Date:

23 October 1968 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

It's a race for the secret ... or TOTAL DESTRUCTION

Plot:

Commander James Ferraday, USN, has new orders: get David Jones, a British civilian, Captain Anders, a tough Marine with a platoon of troops...

Plot Keywords:

U Boat | Rescue Mission | All Male Cast | Cinerama | Cold War

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars.

Cast

Rock Hudson	...	Cdr. James Ferraday
Ernest Borgnine	...	Boris Vaslov
Patrick McGoohan	...	David Jones
Jim Brown	...	Capt. Leslie Anders
Tony Bill	...	Lt. Russell Walker
Lloyd Nolan	...	Admiral Garvey
Alf Kjellin	...	Col. Ostrovsky
Gerald S. O'Loughlin	...	Lt. Cdr. Bob Raeburn
Ted Hartley	...	Lt. Jonathan Hansen
Murray Rose	...	Lt. George Mills
Ron Masak	...	Paul Zabrinczski
Sherwood Price	...	Lt. Edgar Hackett
Lee Stanley	...	Lt. Mitgang
Joseph Bernard	...	Dr. Jack Benning
John Orchard	...	Survivor

Runtime:

148 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track

Certification:

Canada:G (Manitoba) (original rating) | Canada:G (Nova Scotia/Quebec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba) (video rating) (1991) | Australia:PG | West Germany:12 (f) | Iceland:16 | USA:TV-PG | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Finland:K-12 | Norway:11 | Norway:12 (1970) | Sweden:11 | USA:G | Singapore:PG | UK:U

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company:

Filmways Pictures

Trivia:

Patrick McGoohan was filming his famous TV series "The Prisoner" (1967) at the time he appeared in this movie. In order to allow him to take time off from his TV series, the episode "Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling" was written in which McGoohan's character, Number Six, has his mind transferred into the body of another man.

Goofs:

Continuity: After the sub spends several minutes at an impossible angle, the dishes in the wardroom are neatly on the shelves.

Quotes:

Cmdr. Ferraday: There's one thing that cannot happen on board a submarine by accident... is both ends of a torpedo tube open to the sea at the same time!
David Jones: You cross-connect the hydraulic manifold to the outside door mechanism so that the indicator reads shut when the door is actually open. The same sort of electrical cross on these two panels, and the open position reads green when it should flash red. Then you plug up the inlet to the test cock with chewing gum, sealing wax, anything... just so that it shows a dribble. And then you open the tube, and Good Night.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Day the Earth Froze (#5.22)" (1993)

What? No Women?

If this film were not remarkable for anything else, it would be for the complete absence of the fair sex. Mr. McGoohan made this movie in the middle of his creative 'burn' that created 'The Prisoner'. It has been suggested he only made this "Hollywood" movie in order to obtain a fat fee that could fund his personal TV project.

Whatever the motivations, this was a superb performance by McGoohan. He bent his 'John Drake' persona into a more cynical 'Secret Agent', prefiguring the 'Smileys People' generation. David Jones still retained that sense of duty and honour that 'Danger Man' had possessed but suggested the slippery slope that McGoohan would later expose in the character of 'Nelson Brenner' in 'Columbo's' "Identity Crisis".

Escaping from the apostrophes, this reviewer was also impressed by the restraint of Rock Hudson. Perhaps he enjoyed the break from playing the romantic hero! Ernest Borgnine played the treacherous Russian, but at least his character was permitted to retain the dignity of being a liar-with-a-cause.

All in all, an excellent movie, dense with dialogue at times, but none the worse for that. Some of the special effects look like 'Thunderbirds' nowadays but it really doesn't matter as they are only window-dressing for the characterisations of the actors.