Myriam Nys
Alistair MacLean's output was prolific but uneven. In my humble opinion, "Ice Station Zebra" is amongst his best work. Both a spy thriller and an adventure novel, "Zebra" is tense, gripping, suspenseful and clever. Its depictions of a freezing and hostile environment are in a class of their own and there's a continual vein of dark, sardonic wit. In fact the book ends with one of the best jokes in spy fiction, on the very last page. So this is a pretty good book. The movie, however, is very, very bad, both as an adaptation and as a piece of cinema in its own right. For reasons known only to God, the various makers of the movie decided to gut the book and replace the plot with one of their own invention. In the process much of the dialogue was lost, as was much of the purpose, much of the logic and much of the wit. The result is unpleasant, in a weirdly overserious and overstuffed way. It's pretty much the cinematic equivalent of a "turducken" : the meat of a chicken stuffed inside a duck, with the duck then stuffed inside a turkey. And the movie, which is longer than average, keeps on going and going and going, like an automated toy out of an ad for a battery.In case you're wondering why I'm still throwing this monstruosity 3 stars : a) how many times do you see the inside of a technologically advanced submarine and b) you get to admire the late Rock Hudson, who, just like Niagara Falls, the Everglades or the snow leopard, was an outstanding masterwork of nature.
grantss
During the height of the Cold War, the US nuclear submarine USS Tigerfish, captained by Commander James Farraday, is sent on a secret mission to a location near the North Pole. Their mission, ostensibly, is to rescue survivors from Ice Station Zebra, a British weather research station, but it is quite clear that it is more than that. The presence of the shadowy, enigmatic Mr. Jones, a British civilian who has control over the mission, makes it clear that something larger is afoot. Then the submarine is sabotaged - there is clearly a Russian spy on board.Enthralling, suspenseful Cold War thriller, directed by John Sturges and based on the Alistair MacLean novel. Sturges sets the scene and builds the tension well. Some great scenes involving the operation of the submarine, which will appeal to military buffs. Quite accurate in the military aspect - great detail from Sturges.Can be a bit clumsy at times though. Some plot developments aren't entirely watertight.Interesting ending, though maybe a touch predictable.Still, overall, a good action- and tension-filled ride.
Leofwine_draca
DAS BOOT meets THE THING is how I would describe this Alistair MacLean thriller in retrospect. It's one of the tentpole movies of the 1960s, a larger-than-life thriller that makes full use of Cold War tensions in its tale of a desperate race to the North Pole to grab a MacGuffin that the other side can't be allowed to get its hands upon.ICE STATION ZEBRA is an unashamedly old-fashioned film, brought to life by the sterling direction of surehand John Sturges (who'd previously completed, so memorably, THE GREAT ESCAPE and THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN). The running time is lengthy and there's barely any action, but there is plenty of suspense and a handful of exciting set-pieces that don't disappointment. I'd previously watched the hammier MacLean adaptation BEAR ISLAND previously, but it wasn't anywhere near as assured - or, indeed, well made - as this film.The late, much missed Rock Hudson grabs the main role of the submarine commander and proves to be a likable and realistic hero. Ernest Borgnine is a delight, as always, and Patrick McGoohan is excellent as well. It was a pleasure to see Jim Brown in an early role in his career, but the real star of the thing is the submarine, which is brought to expert life. The only thing you can really criticise about ICE STATION ZEBRA is that some of the miniature effects are a bit shonky - the model planes flying in front of the back screen projection are appalling - but poor effects have never tempered my enjoyment of a movie. This one's a delight.
David Conrad
Most submarine movies are pretty heavy on jargon, and "Ice Station Zebra" is especially so. The first half hour is almost excruciatingly slow-paced and technical, but there are two good reasons for that decision. One reason is narrative: when the action finally begins it comes as a jolt, and the suddenness of the transition creates the atmosphere of tension and unpredictability that is required for the second act. The other reason has to do with the film's production. The studio borrowed a real submarine from the Navy, allowing director John Sturges to stage difficult underwater scenes without relying on unrealistic miniatures or grainy stock footage. Shots of the submarine gliding beneath vast icebergs are eerily beautiful, and they justify the amount of time the script spends getting the characters from point A to point B. The espionage plot may be nothing special, but it is at least evocative of the late 1960s. Ernest Borgnine, Jim Brown, and Patrick McGoohan deliver in strongly- characterized roles.
AD
