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:

Marine | Ice | Nuclear | Submarine | Spy

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars.

US TV Schedule:

Wed. Dec. 30

2:15 AM

TCM

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

Also Known As:

Base artica Zebra (Italy) [it]
Destination zebra: Station polaire (Canada: French title) [fr]
Destination: Zebra, station polaire (France) [fr]
Eisstation Zebra (West Germany) [de]
Estación polar Cebra (Spain) [es]
Estación polar Zebra (Spain) (DVD title) [es]
Jääasema Zebra (Finland) [fi]
Kutup harekâti (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Ledena stanica Zebra (Serbia) [sr]
Missão no Árctico (Portugal) [pt]
Mystiki vasis Zebra (Greece) [el]
Polarstation Zebra svarar ej (Sweden) [sv]
S.O.S. nordpolen (Denmark) [da]
Zebra station polaire (Canada: French title) [fr]

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) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Iceland:16 | Australia:PG | USA:TV-PG | West Germany:12 (f) | Brazil:Livre | Netherlands:6 | 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:

The submarine used in this movie was the USS Ronquil (SS-396). Her hull number was repainted to 509. The first nuclear powered United States Submarine was the USS Nautilus (SSN-571).

Goofs:

Continuity: The shots of the submarine when it is surfaced (during the start) and submerged (later) indicate two different submarines. When the submarine is surfaced you can see holes at the front hull from which water rushes out.. yet these holes are missing in the close-up shot underwater.

Quotes:

Cmdr. Ferraday: It wasn't sealing wax. It wasn't chewing gum. It was epoxy glue. And all of a sudden you know a whole damn lot about submarines.
David Jones: I know how to wreck them, and I know how to lie, steal, kidnap, counterfeit, suborn and kill. That's my job. I do it with great pride.

Movie Connections:

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

"My First Name Is Captain"

The very first film Rock Hudson did after finishing his contractual obligations at Universal Studios was no cheapie. Ice Station Zebra was spared no expense by MGM in bringing the Alistair McLean Cold War novel to the screen. Unfortunately this and some other ill conceived projects are what brought MGM to bankruptcy in the next decade.

Though it got only so-so reviews and didn't have the box office that MGM wanted and needed, Ice Station Zebra has stood up well and is really best seen on the big screen. Even a letter boxed version doesn't do the vast polar landscapes justice nor the underwater shots neither. The film was nominated for special effects and color cinematography.

Watching Rock Hudson in command of the U.S.S. Tigerfish was like watching James T. Kirk in charge of the Enterprise. I wouldn't be surprised if Hudson took a few cues from William Shatner in his performance.

Hudson has an Enterprise like mission and later on leads an away team on a polar icecap where a Russian spy satellite has been busy photographing all of the U.S. missile launching sites. The film is wanted by both sides and both sides send teams to get it.

It's a curious bunch that Hudson has to deal with on his team. A Russian defector scientist Ernest Borgnine, British agent Patrick McGoohan (wasn't that ever natural casting) and spit and polish Marine captain Jim Brown. They've all got varying agendas and one in his crew is a double agent.

The highlight of the film is the standoff with Hudson and Russian colonel Alf Kjellin. They are an evenly matched pair, I would not like to be playing poker with.

Ice Station Zebra is far better than the reviews it got at the time. Even with the Cold War over, it's still an exciting and suspense filled film.