Movie Description
Run Silent, Run Deep is a 1958 American black-and-white war film starring Clark Gable and Burt Lancaster, based on the 1955 novel of the same name by Commander (later Captain) Edward L. Beach Jr. The picture was directed by Robert Wise and produced by Harold Hecht. The title refers to "silent running", a submarine stealth tactic. The story describes World War II submarine warfare in the Pacific Ocean, and deals with themes of vengeance, endurance, courage, loyalty, and honor and how these can be tested during wartime.
In addition to Gable and Lancaster playing the leads, the film also features Jack Warden and was the film debut of Don Rickles. United Artists appropriately promoted Run Silent, Run Deep as a combination of the obsessiveness of Moby Dick's Captain Ahab and the shipboard rivalry found in Mutiny on the Bounty.
Although based on a novel of the same name, and having many of the same characters, the plot of the film diverges from that of the book. Captain Beach, the author of the book, did not think highly of the film; he later said that the film company bought only the book title and was not interested in producing an accurate depiction of the theme and plot of his novel.