Watch Submarine X-1 For Free

Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay

An action-packed slog

It is not only a funny movie, but it allows a great amount of joy for anyone who watches it.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

SUBMARINE X-1 is a very old fashioned WW2 thriller that was somewhat surprisingly made in 1968. Remember this was the era of free love and all-star cast adventures in the DIRTY DOZEN and WHERE EAGLES DARE mould, films that haven't really dated when watched even today. Not so SUBMARINE X-1, which looks and feels like a B-movie from the early 1950s, a comparison not helped by the dodgy use of black and white stock footage.The real problem with this one, though, is the story, which is exceptionally dull. A young James Caan plays the Canadian commander of a British submarine crew tasked with raiding the Nazis in Norway. The film has no real understanding of the distances between Britain and Norway and sees the characters zipping back and forth as if it's just across the Channel.It's one of those movies, like THUNDERBALL, let down by endless murky underwater footage, which simply isn't very interesting, and a general clichéd air which robs it of vitality. The supporting cast seem disinterested as does the director, who couldn't make this would-be thriller any less exciting if he tried.

For some reason i.e. a patronizing view that US cinema audiences would never watch a film unless it had an American star in it, several British film studios in the 50's and 60's billed American actors in the leading role of what were essentially British War Movies. These include such as 'Bridge on the River Kwai' -William Holden ', 'Sailor of the King' -Jeff Hunter '633 Squadron' – Cliff Robertson, 'Cockle shell heroes'- Jose Ferrer, The Great Escape' -McQueen, Bronson, Coburn etc. all top Billed. Most Played Canadians. Submarine X-1 does the same.It is essentially a navalised version of '633 Squadron'. The parallel is startling. A Canadian Officer leads a diverse group of heroes on a suicide mission, to Norway in both cases, to destroy a strategic target. This entails hazardous and relentless training in Northern Scotland with the new weapons, against a increasingly tighter deadline and unsympathetic top brass.The Germans do their best to stop the mission by sending respectively air raids and a commando raid to the bases concerned. The missions go ahead nevertheless with the unit adjutant getting to go on the mission at the last moment when a trained member drops out. After many tense (?)setbacks the mission is competed but only with the destruction of majority of the attacking force.Both films suffered from very poor special effects but at least 633 had footage of real Mosquito's possibly its only redeeming feature. Submarine X-1 does not have this. There is no humour or even a romantic interlude and very little tension. As stated elsewhere what tension there is, was contrived i.e. the mutinous attitude of some of the men which not developed and in the minefield sequence. It is ironic that production values were good enough to provide a realistic sub interior and authentic German Paratrooper uniforms and weaponry. Stock footage was of the correct type of aircraft, even if they would have never been able to reach their supposed targets. So I think the potential was there to make a half decent film but no one bothered.The commando raid scene was confused and filmed too dark The final mission with frogmen hopping in and out of subs like they were buses was incoherent.The Previous film depicting this true mission ' Above us the waves' with John Mills is far better.

This war movie is loosely based on a real World War II mission, Operation Source , which was staged during September 1943 and being written by prestigious Edmund H. North . Operation Source involved a number of secret attacks on a number of German battleships, in northern Norway using X-class mini submarines . This film's 'Submarine X-1' title refers to the X class submarine which was a real World War II midget submarine class built for the Royal Navy during the 1943-44 period , the mini-subs were also known as X-Craft . After losing a submarine and fifty crew in a battle with a German ship during WWII, a Royal Navy officer , Lt. Commander Richard Bolton (James Caan received top first billing amongst a cast of characters who are predominantly English) , a Canadian , gets a second chance in a daring raid with midget subs . The film begins with Commander Bolton and a few surviving crew members of his 50-man submarine Gauntlet swimming ashore after unsuccessfully attacking German battleship Lindendorf . After a review, Captain Bolton is cleared of any wrong doing and placed in charge of a small group of experimental X class submarines . His own men (Nick Tate , Paul Young , Norman Bowler , William Dysart , among others) may prove a bigger obstacle than any of his stiff-upper-lip officers . His mission is to quickly train crews to man the submarines and sink the Lindendorf (the real life World War II German battleship was 'Tirpitz') while it is hidden away in a Norwegian Fiord . The submarines have been tracking the movement of the German ships . Two of the submarines are lost while attempting to cut through submarine nets at the entrance to the fjord . As Bolton is forced to make hasty preparations for his attack before their submarine base can be destroyed ..Submarine X-1 is a 1969 British World War II war film loosely based on the Operation Source attack on the German battleship Tirpitz in 1943 , it was also the subject of an earlier movie, Above Us the Waves (1955) by Ralph Thomas with John Mills . It's a fictionalized recounting of the Submarines X1 with a sustained and predictable story ,although partially based on true deeds . Lots of underwater scenes and stock WWII , especially when German paratroopers dropping from planes to earth . Passable acting by James Caan as a commander whose mission is put in charge of the submarines to quickly train crews and sink the Lindendorf while it is hidden away in a Norwegian Fiord . The film progresses with Commander Bolton training the crews of the three submarine , even though the crew lacks faith in his command abilities . He must overcome tensions with some of his former crew members , while keeping their activities hidden from outsiders and German airplanes . The highlights of the movie are the violent as well as exciting fights of the crews who successfully fend off an attack by German commandos, who discover their base . And thrilling scenes at the end when the surviving submarine penetrates the submarine nets in the fjord and places explosives under the German battleship . Atmospheric cinematography by Paul Beeson , Walt Disney's usual cameraman, though an alright remastering is necessary . Being filmed on location , shooting was filmed in Scotland . Good and enjoyable musical score by Ron Goodwin . The film was produced by Oakmont production , a company exclusively dedicated to warfare films (Hell boats , Mosquito Squadron , Thousand plane raid, Last escape) . The motion picture was middlingly realized by William A Graham who displays enough some spectacular underwater images to keep things interesting . Apparently, director William A. Graham worked on the film's original screen story with writer/producer John C. Champion but is uncredited for such . William A Graham directed various TV series and episodes as ¨The fugitive¨, ¨The Virginian¨, ¨Breaking point¨ and occasionally for cinema as ¨Return to the Blue Lagoon¨, ¨Waterhole¨ , ¨Guyana tragedy ¨ , ¨House of Garibaldi Street¨ and film-making several Westerns as ¨Montana¨ (90) ¨Billy the Kid¨ (89) , ¨Last days of Frank and Jesse James¨ (86) and ¨Harry Tracy , the last of the Wild Bunch¨.

I agree this is a poorly made movie with practically no plot or decent storyline. However I haven't seen many other movies with so many muscular young men in black rubber suits (darn it!) I have looked long and hard, though! If I could find a movie with as many helmets as rubber suits, I would be in my element.