Ice Stripes

I've mentioned that Ms. Spenser likes horror movies. Did I mention she likes Arctic movies too? She also likes Patrick McGoohan - we've been watching The Prisoner. That's how she found out about Ice Station Zebra (1968), and she asked me to queue it up.

It starts with a group of Soviets and a group of Americans watching a satellite re-enter the atmosphere and land in the Arctic, where one man goes to pick it up, while another lurks. It cuts to star submarine captain Rock Hudson meeting Admiral Lloyd Nolan incognito in a pub in Scotland. He gets secret orders to rescue the crew of a weather station near the North Pole. The satellite is not discussed.

Before they take off, they take on a mysterious team member, Patrick McGoohan. He gives his name as "Jones" and refuses politely to give any other information. He is tense and sweaty and almost kills his roommate when he is woken up suddenly. After they are underway, a helicopter delivers two others: Russian spy (working for the West) Ernest Borgnine. He is as cheerful and talkative as McGoohan is tightlipped. The other is the supremely bad-ass Jim Brown, who will be commanding the squad of Marines on board. 

Soon, they are in Arctic waters. There is some great scenes of a (model) sub under the ice, all blue light and icy canyons. Hudson tries to break through the ice but can't find a thin enough spot. This is about the only characterization he gets - he is a steady commander, but sometimes finds himself helpless against the elements. 

He tries to torpedo the ice, but there is sabotage. When they finally get to the surface, they have to hike to the station, and there is one of those crevasse scenes. One of the roped-together crew falls in, pulling another one in, while another tries to hold them up, then falls in until there are like seven people down there. Then the ice starts shifting and closing in on them... Very tense. I think one of my friends saw this when I was a kid and told me all about this scene.

Actually, this movie has a lot of tension. McGoohan being all twitchy is fun, and contrasts nicely with his always cool No. 6. Borgnine is pretty hard to buy as a Russian, but his chatty, inoffensive style of spycraft is fun. Jim Brown doesn't get enough to do, but does it all very well. The sub sets are pretty cool, especially when it's full of sailors, marines, and spies. The real and model exterior shots are all cool as well.

This was directed by John Sturges (The Great Escape), based on the book by Alistair MacLean (Where Eagles Dare). If those credentials sound good, you'll like this. But, hey, you probably have already seen this.