Crash Dive (1943)

(On TV, July 2020) At first glance, Hollywood made many movies like Crash Dive during WW2—heroic dramas about men in combat, puffing up just about every branch of the armed forces. But there are two crucial differences here, and one interesting element worth mentioning. The first and most obvious difference between Crash Dive and many other propaganda films is that it’s filmed in colour—lending a quasi-documentary quality to the results when the camera focuses on the submarines where much of the plot takes place. The second difference is a much-bigger emphasis placed on the romantic narrative: compared to other war movies where combat against the enemy was enough of a narrative, Crash Dive spends a lot of time in a romantic triangle between a woman and two men (one the commanding officer to the other). Finally, one element worth mentioning is a supporting role for Ben Carter at a time (and in a war movie genre) that did not usually have roles for black actors. The blend of wartime action and romance is interesting, but it doesn’t make for a particularly cohesive film. Crash Dive is not bad, but its message is on the nose, and the addition of a romantic narrative reinforces the impression that there are many movies just like it, except set elsewhere than in submarines.