Terrell-4 If you want to learn how to skin a whale, and if you like Alan Ladd, Hell Below Zero is what you've been looking for. It's the story of Duncan Craig (Ladd) who winds up in South Africa to straighten out his partner in a would-be gold mine. Craig has lost a bundle, there is no gold mine, and he straightens out his partner, now former partner, with his fists. On the flight down from London he met Judy Nordhal (Joan Tetzel), a young woman whose father, a partner in a big whaling operation and skipper of a mother ship, has been reported missing overboard during a storm in the Antarctic seas. She has been accompanied by John Bland (Basil Sydney), the very British co-partner, whose son, Erik Bland (Stanley Baker), was second in command when Judy's father went missing. At one time Judy and Erik had been engaged, but that is now over. Judy and John Bland plan to go to the mother ship and hold an inquiry. Duncan, in order to be with Judy, has managed to become second in command on the ship taking them to the mother ship. They can smell the mother ship before they see her. "That's the smell of money," John Bland points out to Duncan. Soon we're on the mother ship, the big whale processing plant which picks up and cuts apart the whales the smaller catcher ships harpoon. The flotilla also includes an ice-breaker. Up to now we've had the time to settle in with Alan Ladd into one of his competent adventure movies. We've gotten to know the main characters, except for Erik. We've seen for ourselves how cold and stormy are the Antarctic waters. We've been given a short and visual course on the importance of whaling and on how whales are caught and turned into oil and dog food. Now, however, with all on board the mother ship, we learn that it was highly unlikely Judy's father just lost his footing during a gale. We discover that a seaman is being held for no apparent cause in the brig, deep in the shadowy bowels of the ship. We see the true nature of Eric Bland. We take part in an exhilarating chase on a catcher ship after whales and the harpooning of several of them, using a gun that blasts out harpoons which carry explosive charges. (Remember this; one of these big harpoons comes in handy later.) We find ourselves in fist fights (Ladd usually wins); there's a brutal murder; and then we're stuck on a freezing Antarctic ice shelf, our catcher ship carrying Craig and Judy rammed by the ice breaker captained by Erik. It all comes down to a vicious fight on the snow between Duncan Craig and Erik Bland, with both using heavy, sharp pick axes. The movie's not bad, at least if you close your eyes during the whale murdering...I mean, whaling scenes. The movie is a solid Alan Ladd adventure, made at a time when the whale population was on no one's radar except whaling ships. Take the movie as something of its time and don't judge it entirely by today's sensitivities. Hell Below Zero was based on the adventure novel The White South by Hammond Innes (real name: Ralph Hammond-Innes). He was a successful writer of adventure novels that combined detailed descriptions of interesting places with solid story lines. They feature decent, honorable heros who turn out to be more resourceful than we might expect. Hammond- Innes and his wife would typically go journeying for six months, then he'd write a novel featuring the place they'd been to. He was a first-class travel writer and a superior adventure writer. He had a long career but probably is largely forgotten now. In my opinion, he still is readable. Over the years I've gone through most of his books at least twice. If you're interested in sampling his work, try Air Bridge, The Wreck of the Mary Deare, Campbell's Kingdom, The Land God Gave to Cain or The Doomed Oasis. Summer reading, perhaps, but good summer reading.

wes-connors This is no whale of a film. I'll accept, for the moment, "Hell Below Zero" is a reflection of the times and pass on commenting about the whaling industry. The movie is just too, too dull. The silent "Down to the Sea in Ships" had a easier-to-get-involved-in storyline… I guess I just couldn't drum up the needed sympathy for the characters Mr. Ladd and Ms. Tetzel portray. I was rooting for Stanley Baker at the end. He was better than the leads. The snowy ending is a pick-up in excitement, and nicely photographed; but, Mr. Baker, sadly, loses in his effort to end the dullness. *** Hell Below Zero (1954) Mark Robson ~ Alan Ladd, Joan Tetzel, Stanley Baker

MartinHafer This is an odd Alan Ladd film from his years appearing in a few British productions. Most of these British films are pretty dull (such as THE BLACK KNIGHT and THE RED BERET), though this one is just a little bit better--but not so much that you should rush out to find a copy. In some ways it's very much like most of his films, as the pugnacious near-midget acts tough and beats up all his diminutive enemies (as Hollywood had a habit of co-starring him with other short actors). However, it is a bit different due to the locale of the film and the oddness of the plot.Ladd is on his way to South Africa just to beat someone up. Sure, the guy deserves it but to travel 7,764 miles (more or less) just to do it seemed odd, as he COULD have paid some locals to do it instead (and for a lot less money)! On the way to clobber this crook, Ladd sits next to a lady on the plane and is instantly smitten with her. Later, after applying this butt-kicking, he meets up with her again and finds out that she's on her way towards Antarctica to discover how and why her father (a ship's captain) was killed. The official story is that he either killed himself or it was an accident but she doggedly is determined to find the real cause. Considering that Ladd is not doing anything (i.e., there is no one in the country he needs to beat up), he signs aboard as a first-mate and goes with her.The rest of the film is set either at sea or on the ice--a definite change of pace for Ladd. But the biggest change is just how odd the plot becomes and all the bizarre and rather difficult to anticipate action. It's not really bad, but it's so weird and difficult to believe that it's not all that good either. Still, for fans of Ladd, it's worth seeing and others might see it as just another time-passer.By the way, those who are members of PETA and soft-hearted souls should NOT watch the film as there is a lot of whale killing in the film and it's pretty graphic. Seeing it, it shows just how much sensibilities have changed in the last half century.

ed-387 In the 21st century, this film is remarkable and valuable for one thing- as an archive of mid 20th century whaling, when the industrial killing was at its height. You will never again see so many blue whales together at one time. Pity they're all dead, next to the factory ship ready for processing. The whaling fleet was British (yes, we did that!). As a marine biologist I had seen many scenes of harpooning, but I had never seen the scenes of flensing and the industrial moving of such huge objects. I have never had a better illustration of the mass of a blue whale than when I saw it turned on the deck of the factory ship. Also, the blackboard chalking up what were presumably genuine daily scores for each whaleship was amazing. The attitudes of the leading characters at the successful capture of a blue whale were also stunning to see. If you have an interest in the whaling debate, see this film. I doubt there is a better film record of industrial whaling anywhere.