The Bedford Incident (1965)
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86% of critics liked it
(14 reviews) -
72% of users liked it
(1,154 ratings)
The Bedford Incident was an attempt by Columbia Pictures -- which had previously made Dr. Strangelove and released Fail-Safe -- to tap the well of public anxiety surrounding nuclear weapons and the Cold War one more time. Reporter Ben Munceford (Sidney Poitier) is allowed aboard a navy ship on… More The Bedford Incident was an attempt by Columbia Pictures -- which had previously made Dr. Strangelove and released Fail-Safe -- to tap the well of public anxiety surrounding nuclear weapons and the Cold War one more time. Reporter Ben Munceford (Sidney Poitier) is allowed aboard a navy ship on patrol near the Arctic Circle, under the command of Captain Eric Finlander (Richard Widmark). His job is to observe the ship in action and do an article on Finlander, a hard-as-nails sailor and a dedicated anti-Communist with a patriotic zeal that's extraordinary even in a man of his rank and position. Finlander's main problem, however -- when he's not sparring with the reporter -- is tracking and hunting a Soviet sub that he knows is patroling the same waters. What alarms Munceford (and the audience) is that Finlander acts like there is an actual "hot" war going on; he drives his men mercilessly, up to and past the breaking point, trying to hunt down the submarine and force it to surface, and nothing -- not the questions of the reporter, the angry protests of the newly-arrived medical officer (Martin Balsam), or the quietly voiced concerns of retired U-Boat commander Commodore Shrepke (Eric Portman), aboard as an observer, can get him to relent. Then, when it looks like Finlander has been proved right and has gotten away with his provocation of the "enemy," a mistake by one over-tired young officer (James MacArthur) suddenly unleashes all of the destructive power with which Finlander has been flirting. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi
- Directed By
- James B. Harris
- Genres
- Drama, Action & Adventure, Art House & International, Mystery & Suspense, Classics
- In Theaters
- Jan 1, 1965 Wide
- On DVD
- Sep 23, 2003
- Studio
- Sony Pictures Entertainment
Critic Reviews
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Variety Staff, Variety
Poitier does an excellent job in both the light and serious aspects of his role, and manages to leave a personal stamp on his scenes.
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, Time Out
Harris, Stanley Kubrick's former producer, here came up with his own Dr Strangelove variant, muting the black humour but just as incisively diagnosing nuclear insanity.
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Bosley Crowther, New York Times
The whole thing transcends plausibility -- for a moderately wised-up viewer, at least -- because of its gross exaggeration of a highly improbable episode.
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Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
A serviceable but not very exceptional cold-war thriller.
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, TV Guide's Movie Guide
Taut and suspenseful.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
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Cast
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Richard Widmark
as Capt. Eric Finland
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Sidney Poitier
as Ben Munceford
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James MacArthur
as Ensign Ralston
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Martin Balsam
as Lt. Cmdr. Chester Potter
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Wally Cox
as Seaman Merlin Queffle
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Eric Portman
as Cmdr. Wolfgang Schrepke
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Mike Kane
as Commander Allison Executive Officer
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Gary Cockrell
as Lt. Bascombe
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Phil Brown
as Chief Pharmacist Mate McKinley
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Brian Davies
as Lt. Beckman
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Ed Bishop
as Lieutenant Hacker
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George Roubicek
as Lieutenant Berger USN
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Michael Graham Cox
as Lieutenant Krindlemeyer USN
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Bill Edwards
as Lieutenant Hazelwood USN
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Laurence Herder
as Petty Officer
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Warren Stanhope
as Pharmacist's Mate Strauss
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Donald Sutherland
as Hospitalman Nerny
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Colin Maitland
as Seaman Jones
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Paul Tamarin
as Seaman 2nd Class
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Burnell Tucker
as Seaman 1st Class
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Roy Stephens
as Seaman 2nd Class
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Shane Rimmer
as Seaman 1st Class
- Michael Kane