Commander Sturm is consumed by Sturm und Drang, a powerful man of impotent fidelity whose marriage vows aren’t a promise of partnership but primacy. Charles Laughton dominates the film with his ethereal madness, his soft glib words and manners belie his imperium, an excellent performance that evokes both contempt and compassion towards the physically and emotionally damaged Commander. Tallulah Bankhead as Diana, his aggrieved wife whose virtue is questioned by both her husband and his cohorts, imbues her with a fierce strength and loyalty even when pushed towards her brief affair. The third part of this illicit triptych is Lt. Sempter, played by a monotone Gary Cooper, whose mannequin-like expressiveness and dull performance is embarrassing, reciting his simple lines without inflection. It seems as if even the Director Marion Gering knew this was problematic and attempted to restrict his lines to small phrases and inane uttering. Carey Grant appears as Lt. Jaeckel in the First Act as Diana’s potential affair, but he is quickly subdued by his jealous Commander; they should have flipped Grant and Cooper’s roles because Grant is wonderful!
Interesting plot: Sturm commands a submarine which is docked in a North African coastal town, a man who is the life of the party and respected by all. He fosters rumors that his beautiful wife is unfaithful though in reality she is loyal and monogamous, until his abusiveness births this self-fulfilling prophecy. It should be understood that her infidelity is superficial and not actual: it is an element of his madness that keeps her close yet also pushes her away. Diana is even reluctant to dance with a young Lt. Jaeckel (an allusion to Jaeckel & Hyde, perhaps?) and is censured by her husband for failing to do so! In modern domestic violence terms, this is called gaslighting and makes her feel like her perceptions are skewed and immoral. She struggles not to become the very person that haunts her husband’s violent fantasy. Driven away by Sturm’s voyeuristic demands, in a psychological stupor she stumbles through a raging crowd of revelers until she is picked up by a handsome man and they share a moment of physical bliss together under the desert stars. This is her first and only act of adultery, yet the film takes pains to depict it as a final act of physiological survival not mere animal lust or revenge. Of course, this one-night stand is soon revealed to be Lt. Sempter, a replacement for the previous Lt. Jaeckel who was rumored to have easy access to her virtue. Diana keeps the new Lt. at arm’s length but they are both betrayed by the scent of cheap perfume.
The Final Act is thrilling as the now cuckolded commander sets sail with his wife, who came aboard the submarine to warn Sempter, and becomes trapped in his room. Sturm orders the boat to dive and facilitates a collision with a steamship to kill them all! Holy shit, suicide by submarine! Here is a damaged man so possessed by jealousy that he attempts to murder not only himself, his wife and her lover, but his entire crew and potentially that of a passenger ship! In a wonderful climax, Sempter proves his leadership under pressure (about 57.7 psia) as the frightened and mutinous men (and woman) follow his instructions and escape through torpedo tubes and the conning tower. We get to see a step-by-step orderliness to their actions that seems like a training film! It builds towards the watery climax where Sturm, laughing and screaming until his lungs fill with seawater, is silenced forever. The story ends with a coda as Diana and Sempter meet once again and, on cue (a pool cue, mind you), share a taxi ride towards a brighter future.
The acting (except Cooper) and the direction are first rate, but what truly elevates the film from the murky celluloid depths of Lethe is DP Charles Lang’s cinematography. Check him out, 18 Academy Award nomination in his career and a few wins for good measure! His use of low-angle and deep shadow is amazing and when the story shifts to the claustrophobic confines of the submarine, he gets his camera in places that seem impossible. In one scene, his extreme sweaty close-up of Laughton as he spouts condemnation towards his spouse is shocking in its abruptness and framing, key lighting making this seem more like a horror film than a melodrama. Bottom line, this film doesn’t deserve to remain at the bottom of the sea and should be reevaluated as one of the truly great Pre-code classics!
Final Grade: (B+)