Out of step with the public mood when it was released in 1968, ice station zebra has held up decently as a guys movie. John sturges adventure of cold war supremacy pits an american nuclear submarine crew against their soviet counterparts in a race to retrieve a russian satellite lost under a polar ice cap. Christopher mcquarrie set for ice station zebra remake. The atomic submarine dolphin has impossible orders. Commander james ferraday, captain of the nuclear submarine uss tigershark, is dispatched to the polar ice region on a rescue mission when an emergency. A topsecret soviet spy satellite using stolen western technology malfunctions and then goes into a descent that lands it near an isolated arctic research encampment called ice station zebra, belonging to the british, which starts sending out distress signals before falling silent. Ice station zebra 1968 not having read the 1963 novel, i have no idea how this story was meant to be concluded. After a sabotage attempt that almost sinks the ship, mcgoohans spy sits shivering and frustrated. In 1968 it was loosely adapted into a film of the same name. If this had been a routine saturdayafternoon thriller, it might have been fun. The submarine thriller is the better part of the book. However, mcquarrie will not only direct the ice station zebra remake a story about an american sub racing against the russians in order to make it to a secret base in the arctic circle but.
The screenplay is by alistair maclean, douglas heyes, harry julian fink, and w. Ice station zebra is a 1968 metrocolor cold war era suspense and espionage. Ice station zebra was adapted in 1968, directed by john sturges and starring rock hudson, patrick mcgoohan and ernest borgnine. Intricately plotted, richly detailed, it rewards the determined reader. Collect bonus rewards from our many partners, including amc, stubs, cinemark connections, regal crown club when you link accounts. Review of the 1968 movie ice station zebra, based on the alistair maclean novel. Having watched ice station zebra recently on tcm, something caught my eye for the first time. The plot involves a american naval hero rock hudson, a. A dissolving segue shows a teletype machine churning out a news story hailing. The special effects are cool, the story is good and. The russians put our camera made by our german scientists and your film made by your german scientists into their satellite made by their german scientists. As a germ phobic and fervent anticommunist, with an interest in hightech machinery, ice station zebra was ideal escapist fare for hughes. That would account for the fact that the plot doesnt hold together. As a result, mcgoohan had to leave filming of the prisoner in late 1967 for several weeks, in order to appear in ice station zebra.
At the most basic level, the movie imitates the films plot. The time is the late 60s, deep in the chill of the cold war. May 06, 20 however, mcquarrie will not only direct the ice station zebra remake a story about an american sub racing against the russians in order to make it to a secret base in the arctic circle but. How to recreate howard hughes legendary movie screening room. Lots of movies like to cover up glaring plot holes with asskicking fights, huge explosions, and even huger explosions. Ice station zebra 1968 imdb ice station zebra fullmoviehd ice station zebra wikipedia ice station zebra 1968 youtube ice station zebra youtube i.
Still, as an actionadventure picture, ice station zebra fits most of the criteria, with a good solid central performance from rock hudson. The 1968 mgm movie based on the alistair mclean novel was. Ulysses night without end where eagles dare puppet on a chain the black shrike fear is the key the guns of navarone caravan to vaccares. Ice station zebra 1968 rotten tomatoes movie trailers. Ice station zebra movie is currently in development. It might have been complex, and then they edited it down. The russians put our camera made by our german scientists and your film made by your german scientists into. I dont usually like military submarine type movies, but i actually enjoyed this one. The major plot resolution of ice station zebra, which comes some two hours into the film, is the rescue of a downed spacecraft containing sensitive information at the north pole by american military forces. It marked a return to macleans classic arctic setting. Also sign me up for fanmail to get updates on all things movies. Intricately plotted, richly detailed, it rewards the determined reader with an elaborate, satisfying tale. Both have parallels to reallife events that took place in 1959. Not long afterwards, the world is shocked to learn that drift ice staton zebra, a scientific weather station at the north pole, has met with disaster.
Christopher mcquarrie will write and direct a remake of the cold war thriller. Christopher mcquarrie to write and direct ice station zebra. An american navy commander leads an international crew on a mission to rescue a troubled a weather station in north pole. The cast includes rock hudson, ernest borgnine, patrick mcgoohan, and jim brown hudson plays a u. Patrick mcgoohan committed himself to appearing in ice station zebra whilst he was filming his famous tv series the prisoner. At the height of the cold war a russian operative is aboard the us nuclear submarine tigerfish and may. The ice station set looks a too studiobound and phone. Soon, a hooded figure fights his way through the ice storm and retrieves the capsule, unaware that, hidden nearby, another figure is watching his every move.
Ice station zebra is a 1963 thriller novel written by scottish author alistair maclean. I recently watched it for the first time in years and i still enjoyed it. But its been stretched out to roadshow length and loaded down with lots of gimmicks to conceal the thinness of the story. The nuclearpowered tigerfish ssn509 was portrayed in the movie by the. The plot has parallels to events from april 1959 concerning a missing. Ice station zebra seems to be headed into exactly the same waters, and the excitement comes to its highest point in a scene where the tigerfish has trouble breaking up through the ice. Ice station zebra 1968 movie mistakes, goofs and bloopers. James ferraday rock hudson, is dispatched with orders to get to ice station zebra carrying three passengers, a englishman going by the name of david jones patrick mcgoohan, a soviet turncoat named boris vaslov ernest borgnine, and an american marine officer, captain anders jim brown. Christopher mcquarrie to write and direct ice station.
The idea of a nuclear powered submarine sailing under the north pole was novel. Donald sutherland and shirley douglas in ice station zebra 1968 patrick mcgoohan in. The overture presents the elegant, sweeping main theme reprised in the entre acte and thru the ice associated with the submarine tigerfish at sea but this is followed by the music accompanying the fall of the soviet satellite, laced with strange oscillations and dense, driving passages for the bass strings. Ice station zebra does not have the nonstop action pace of modern thrillers. Ice station zebra is one of the most expensive adventure movies ever made, because after the picture was castwith gregory peck as the submarine commanderthe producer, martin ransohoff, became dissatisfied with the paddy chayevsky script and shelved the film until a new one was prepared.
The race for the prize via nuclear submarine before it can be located and captured by soviet agents is what drives the movie, even though. The 1968 mgm movie based on the alistair mclean novel was about an american naval. Ice station zebra is a 1968 metrocolor cold war era suspense and espionage film directed by john sturges and starring rock hudson, patrick mcgoohan, ernest borgnine, and jim brown. Usn nuclear sub uss tigerfish must rush to the north pole to rescue the staff of drift ice station zebra weather station. Ice station zebra is a movie so flat and conventional that its three moments of interest are an embarrassment. Christopher mcquarrie will write and direct a remake of the cold war thriller ice station zebra. Mar 11, 2009 ice station zebra 1968 not having read the 1963 novel, i have no idea how this story was meant to be concluded. Boeing b17 flying fortress to an abandoned soviet ice station. We asked you to cut through all that bullshit to bring us the dirt on some of our most favorite movies. A topsecret soviet spy satellite using stolen western technology malfunctions and then goes into a descent that lands it near an isolated arctic research encampment called. What it does have, to an exceptional degree, is vivid characterization, enjoyable writing, and a sustained buildup of tension that enables the reader to miss the occasional hole in the plot.
Carpenter tracks down a killer, who has sabotaged a research station in the arctic. As observers in both russia and the usa watch closely, an orbiting spy satellite reenters the atmosphere, parachuting down to a soft landing in the desolate arctic wastes. Based on an alistair maclean novel, the film is half submarine picture and half spy puzzler, short on action but long on military chatter and espionage gamesmanship. Overlong, itll most likely try the patience of audiences now accustomed to a bit more bang for. Released 1968, ice station zebra stars rock hudson, ernest borgnine, patrick mcgoohan, jim brown the g movie has a runtime of about 2 hr 28 min, and received a score of out of 100 on. Ice station zebra is a 1968 cold war espionage thriller directed by john sturges, adapted from the 1963 novel by alistair maclean which, in turn, fictionalized a real event.
Get your swag on with discounted movies to stream at home, exclusive movie gear, access to advanced screenings and discounts galore. With rock hudson, ernest borgnine, patrick mcgoohan, jim brown. Ice station zebra is a 1968 dramatic action thriller directed by john sturges, and based on a 1963 novel of the same name by alistair maclean. Home page about maclean macleans life and writing alistair maclean. Having received a distress call from the station after a russian spy satellite landed in the area, both the americans and soviets are in a race to find it. The color cinematography was what most impressed at the time. Enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing ice station zebra near you. Navy submarine captain who is ordered to take his nuclear attack submarine from its base in.
However, as is well known, the prisoner went massively overbudget and seriously behind schedule. Ice station zebra 1968 stream and watch online moviefone. Plus you really needed some unexpected plot developments to keep things interesting, but instead, it plays it bythenumbers. The films director christopher mcquarrie last directed mission. Everything you need to know about ice station zebra movie. Ice station zebra 1968 is a cold war adventure, thriller movie starring rock hudson and ernest borgnine. The ice station zebra souvenir booklet plot synopsis, these usually confined to initial statement of the premise, manages to tell everything up to the last ten. Ice station zebra, a hightech research lab in the arctic, sends out a desperate distress signal. A straightforward book, part submarine technothriller and part murder mystery. After completing this novel, whose plot line parallels reallife events during the cold war, maclean retired from writing for three years. May 06, 20 a look at the ice station zebra behindthescenes crew and production team. Jan 19, 2005 the major plot resolution of ice station zebra, which comes some two hours into the film, is the rescue of a downed spacecraft containing sensitive information at the north pole by american military forces.
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