''Hell Below Zero'' is a 1954 British-American

adventure film The adventure film is a broad genre of film. Some early genre studies found it no different than the Western film or argued that adventure could encompass all Hollywood genres. Commonality was found among historians Brian Taves and Ian Cameron in ...

directed by Mark Robson and starring

Alan Ladd Alan Walbridge Ladd (September 3, 1913 – January 29, 1964) was an American actor and film producer. Ladd found success in film in the 1940s and early 1950s, particularly in films noir and Westerns. He was often paired with Veronica Lake in ...

, Joan Tetzel, Basil Sydney and Stanley Baker. It was written by Alec Coppel and Max Trell based on the 1949 novel '' The White South'' by

Hammond Innes Ralph Hammond Innes (15 July 1913 – 10 June 1998) was a British novelist who wrote over 30 novels, as well as works for children and travel books. Biography Innes was born in Horsham, Sussex, and educated at Feltonfleet School, Cobham, Surrey ...

, and presents interesting footage of

whaling Whaling is the hunting of whales for their products such as meat and blubber, which can be turned into a type of oil that was important in the Industrial Revolution. Whaling was practiced as an organized industry as early as 875 AD. By the 16t ...

fleets in action. It was the second of Ladd's films for Warwick Films.

Plot

Captain Nordahl, an associate in a Norwegian whaling company, Bland-Nordahl, is on a

factory ship A factory ship, also known as a fish processing vessel, is a large ocean-going vessel with extensive on-board facilities for processing and freezing caught fish or whales. Modern factory ships are automated and enlarged versions of the earlier ...

''Southern Harvester'' in

Antarctic The Antarctic (, ; commonly ) is the polar regions of Earth, polar region of Earth that surrounds the South Pole, lying within the Antarctic Circle. It is antipodes, diametrically opposite of the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antar ...

waters, when he is lost overboard. Duncan Craig, an American, meets Judie Nordahl, the captain's daughter on his way to South Africa, where he gets even with a business partner who cheated him. With little money left and a desire to see Judie again, Craig signs on to be a mate on the ship taking Judie to Antarctica. On arrival in Antarctic waters, Craig finds suspicious evidence that seems to implicate skipper Erik Bland, the new captain of the factory ship, in a conspiracy. Another murder follows and the film concludes with a dramatic showdown on the ice.

Cast

as Duncan Craig * Joan Tetzel as Judie Nordhal * Basil Sydney as Bland * Stanley Baker as Erik Bland * Joseph Tomelty as Capt. McPhee *

Niall MacGinnis Patrick Niall MacGinnis (29 March 1913 – 6 January 1977) was an Irish actor and physician. On screen, he was well-known for his character roles with a "poetic timbre", though he occasionally played leading parts like the title character in ...

as Dr. Howe * Jill Bennett as Gerda Petersen * Peter Dyneley as Miller * Susan Rayne as Kathleen * Philo Hauser as Sandeborg * Ivan Craig as Larsen * Paddy Ryan as Manders * Cyril Chamberlain as Factory Ship Radio Operator * Paul Homer as Kista Dan Radio Operator * Edward Hardwicke as Ulvik * John Witty as Martens * Brandon Toomey as Christiansen * Genine Graham as Stewardess * Basil Cunard as Office Manager * Fred Griffiths as Drunken Sailor * John Warren as Hotel Receptionist * Philip Ray as Capt. Petersen * Paul Connell as Svensen * Glyn Houston as Borg

Production

The movie was based on a 1949 British novel ''The White South'' by Hammond Innes. Film rights were obtained by Warwick Productions who had a deal with Columbia Pictures to make films in Britain. The movie was the second in a two-picture deal Ladd made with Warwick Films, following '' The Red Beret''. (He also made ''The Black Knight'' for Warwick.) Ladd's fee was $200,000 against 10% of the profits. During production the film was also known as ''White South'' and ''White Mantle''. Director Mark Robson wanted Eugene Pallette to play a role but Pallette was unhappy with the size of the part in the script. Shooting took place at Pinewood Studios near

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

"The Future Programme", ''Kinematograph Weekly'', 31 May 1956 p 14 in addition to location footage shot in Antarctic waters. Albert Broccoli accompanied a

second unit A second unit is a discrete team of filmmakers tasked with filming shots or sequences of a production, separate from the main or "first" unit. The second unit will often shoot simultaneously with the other unit or units, allowing the filming s ...

crew down there for over three months. The film's sets were designed by the

art director Art director is a title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, live-action and animated film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supe ...

Alex Vetchinsky. According to one report the film had a budget of approximately $1 million. Records revealed the final budget was £247,512 plus the fees of Ladd, Broccoli and Allen, screenwriter Maibaum and the director.Chapman, J. (2022). The Money Behind the Screen: A History of British Film Finance, 1945-1985. Edinburgh University Press p 358 The makers of a sound documentary called ''Hell Below Zero'' sued the filmmakers for $1.5 million in damages.

Release

The film was launched in Britain with what ''Variety'' called "slambang, saturation technique" of marketing.

Reception

Critical

''Variety'' called the film "a vigorous action drama which should play sturdy dividends at the box office."

Box office

According to ''Kinematograph Weekly'' the film was a "money maker" at the British box office in 1954. ''Variety'' estimated its North American rentals at $1.7 million.

References

External links

* * * {{Irving Allen 1954 films British adventure films 1954 adventure films Columbia Pictures films Films about whaling Films based on British novels Films based on works by Hammond Innes Films directed by Mark Robson Films scored by Clifton Parker Films shot at Pinewood Studios Films set in Antarctica Films with screenplays by Richard Maibaum 1950s English-language films American adventure films 1950s American films 1950s British films Films with screenplays by Alec Coppel English-language adventure films