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Ice Station Zebra
1968
A nuclear submarine's mission is to retrieve a space capsule that has crashed to earth at the North Pole. Based on Alistair MacLean's best-selling novel. Read more
| Starring | Rock Hudson, Ernest Borgnine, Patrick McGoohan, Jim Brown |
|---|---|
| Director | John Sturges |
| Genres | Action/Adventure, Thriller |
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Ice Station Zebra
A nuclear submarine's mission is to retrieve a space capsule that has crashed to earth at the North Pole. Based on Alistair MacLean's best-selling novel.
| Starring | Rock Hudson, Ernest Borgnine, Patrick McGoohan, Jim Brown |
|---|---|
| Director | John Sturges |
| Studio | WARNER HOME VIDEO |
| Run time | DVD: 2 hrs 19 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Action/Adventure, Thriller |
| Language | DVD: English |
| Released | DVD: 02 May 2005 Production year: 1968 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (3)
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For a time, the action in this Cold War thriller, based on the Alistair MacLean novel, is as frozen stiff as the title, as a far-off polar outpost becomes a magnet for Russian and American forces out to recover some satellite photographs. Then it thaws into activity, mainly because Patrick McGoohan, as a British agent, arrives on the scene to stir Rock Hudson out of his cryogenic slumber. McGoohan is very welcome, Ernest Borgnine overacts unrestrainedly, and the then popular though now rather clichéd MacLean original is given a steady treatment by director John Sturges, who also filmed another MacLean title, The Satan Bug, to slightly better effect.
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A passable yarn about a race for a Russian satellite that comes down near the North Pole, blighted by some heavy-handed... read more on Time Out
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Most helpful member's review
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2 out of 3 people found this review helpful
You say Zebra, I say Zeebra
Very much a Sunday afternoon film, this is the kind of big, inflexible entertainment that begs the adjective 'sturdy'. It works because of the worthwhile combination of slightly unimaginative but utterly reliable professionals - the page-turning novelist Alistair MacLean, and the crisp, muscular action director John Sturges. None of MacLean's novels are classics, and few of Sturges' films are unalloyed masterpieces ('The Great Escape' or 'The Magnificent Seven' succeed through stellar casts and incomparable music from Elmer Bernstein rather than the solid direction). However, all of MacLean's books are good fun, and all of Sturges' films are workmanlike but entertaining.
This is no exception - Rock Hudson is the tough sub commander, Patrick MacGoohan is the agreeably hammy spy, and Ernest Borgnine is the comedy Russian. Basically, you have to guess which of these guys is going to turn out to be the villain, during an incident-packed journey to the Arctic crash site of a satellite. There are few surprises, and most of the expected submarine movie cliches. But while it's about 20 minutes too long, it's tense enough once everyone's aboard, and the special effects are excellent for the era. 'Ice Station Zebra' won't change your life, but it will keep you watching. -
Most recent members' review
View all -
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful
You say Zebra, I say Zeebra
Very much a Sunday afternoon film, this is the kind of big, inflexible entertainment that begs the adjective 'sturdy'. It works because of the worthwhile combination of slightly unimaginative but utterly reliable professionals - the page-turning novelist Alistair MacLean, and the crisp, muscular action director John Sturges. None of MacLean's novels are classics, and few of Sturges' films are unalloyed masterpieces ('The Great Escape' or 'The Magnificent Seven' succeed through stellar casts and incomparable music from Elmer Bernstein rather than the solid direction). However, all of MacLean's books are good fun, and all of Sturges' films are workmanlike but entertaining.
This is no exception - Rock Hudson is the tough sub commander, Patrick MacGoohan is the agreeably hammy spy, and Ernest Borgnine is the comedy Russian. Basically, you have to guess which of these guys is going to turn out to be the villain, during an incident-packed journey to the Arctic crash site of a satellite. There are few surprises, and most of the expected submarine movie cliches. But while it's about 20 minutes too long, it's tense enough once everyone's aboard, and the special effects are excellent for the era. 'Ice Station Zebra' won't change your life, but it will keep you watching. -
News and features
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This Sporting Life: What Happens When Sports Heroes Act Up?
- 10 Jun 2009
This Sporting Life: What Happens When Sports Heroes Act Up? Eric Cantona and Ken Loach. These are not names you would immediately put together. One is a multi-millionaire (surely?) ex footballer, revered by millons of fans; and French. The other is a proud socialist from middle-England (Nuneaton), who has rejected the big money offers; his films are admired but by a relatively small number of committed film buffs. What's more, Ken Loach is a dedicated supporter of Bath FC. I'm guessing there... Read more
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A nuclear submarine's mission is to retrieve a space capsule that has crashed to earth at the North Pole. Based on Alistair MacLean's best-selling novel. ... -