The Bedford is equipped with “more computers than IBM” to track the undetermined craft. Donald Sutherland plays an onboard scientist who can even analyze whether the garbage left in a ship’s wake contains debris from Russian cuisine. Peppered red cabbage sauteed in butter and a weather balloon is all it takes to uncover a Soviet sub outside its jurisdiction.
The captain is under orders from the Fleet Commander to avoid contact, but if global war is declared, he would only have minutes to sink a submarine before it could launch ICBMs. It’s a lot to handle.
When War Hawks Go Nuclear
The Bedford Incident follows the tradition of The Enemy Below, and Star Trek’s “Balance of Terror.” The submarine standoff is a perfect analogy to psychologically submerged themes. The Bedford Incident is a dark reflection of The Caine Mutiny. Humphrey Bogart’s Capt. Philip Queeg is in pursuit of excellence and personally traumatized by substandard performance. His crew turns on him, labeling him a coward. The Bedford’s Finlander is a career Navy officer also breaking under the pressure of command, but tugging a willing and zealous crew along for the ride.
The Caine Mutiny was produced by Columbia Pictures with the full cooperation of the U.S. Navy, so the ultimate villain turns out to be Thomas Keefer (Fred MacMurray). He undermines Queeg, provokes the mutiny, and is exposed as a cowardly, selfish opportunist.
The Bedford Incident, distributed by Columbia Pictures but filmed at Shepperton Studios in the U.K., was made without Navy cooperation. It reflected the changing attitudes toward the military. It was co-produced by Widmark, who infused his Capt. Finlander with elements of Senator Barry Goldwater, the 1964 Republican presidential candidate voted most likely to start a nuclear war in the infamous “Daisy Girl” commercial. Commodore Wolfgang Schrepke (Eric Portman), a former Nazi U-boat commander onboard as a NATO attaché, says Finlander is “frightening.”
Finlander has earned recommendations, commendations, Naval Crosses, Stars, Hearts, and the utmost respect of the men under him. He commands nothing less than total obedience and expects nothing more than peak performance. These sailors would die for their commander. Some of the men turned down promising and lucrative civilian positions to serve specifically on his crew. They signed up for battle. They are there to see action.