Rating: 
Summary: Interesting study of cold war psychology
Review: One of my all time favourites this. The Bedford incident is, of course, a little reminisant of Dr. Strangelove (Hardly surprising considering Harris co-produced the earlier film) but does without the wonderfully black humour that laced Kubrick's masterpiece, which all cold-war films are invariably, and inevitably judged by. Instead, it relies upon good old traditional suspence -and it works brilliantly, especially as Harris was clearly going all-out for authenticity. The frighteningly realistic tracking of a Soviet submarine, and the ghastly consequences of pushing too hard hit far too close for comfort. I suspect we'll never know just how close. The cast is first rate -Widmark as the Bedford's obsessive, slightly maverick captain turns in one of his all time greatest performances in this sadly forgotten work, as does Poitier as a journalist unfortunate enough to be along for the ride. Tense, claustraphobic and utterly bleak, it will forever be judged by, and remain in, the shadow of its better known cousin -an unfortunate circumstace, for while Kubrick's is ultimately the more effective film, The Bedford Incident at least earned the right to stand alongside it with honour. It's a genuine classic, and well worth watching.
Rating: 
Summary: "If he fires one, I'll fire one"...
Review: Prophetic words from this mid 60's cold war drama. Richard Widmark stars as Captain Eric Finlander, the commander of the USS Bedford, a sub-chasing destroyer on patrol in the Denmark Strait. The Captain runs the tightest of ships, stands no nonsense, and keeps his men on a sharp edge. Recent arrivals on board his ship, are Ben Munceford, a reporter on assignment (Sidney Poitier) and the ship's new medical officer, Lt. Commander Chester Potter (Martin Balsam). The Bedford's current assignment, is to track the movements of a Russian submarine, code named "Big Red". After reporting that "Big Red" has violated international law, Finlander is ordered to just track the sub, and maintain surveillance, and not initiate a confrontation. A restrained Finlander grows restless, as the Russian sub runs under the ice. Another guest aboard the Bedford is Commodore Schrepke (Eric Portman), current West German Navy Officer, and a former German U-boat man. An expert on the subject of submarines, Findlander turns to him for analysis and advice. "Big Red" must surface sometime to take on air, and the Bedford trails, waiting. While negotiating through treacherous ice filled waters, the sub apparently hits something underwater, and disappears from the Bedford's sonar. This is the sets the stage for the film's memorable conclusion. Widmark commands attention as Finlander, a man who believes that he knows the proper way to deal with the enemy. Given this chance, he refuses to back off from teaching the Russians a lesson. Poitier, is solid as a reporter, who must constantly monitor his actions, so as to remain in the Captain's favor. Balsam, is amusing as an ex-civilian doctor, just returned to active duty. Attempting to implement his ideas into the ship's routine, and hitting a brick wall. James MacArthur plays a rattled ensign, and Wally Cox is a sonar operator, the only man Finlander shows any affection for. Cox's voice may be recognizable as that of the cartoon character "Underdog". As an interesting character study, and a look at the tenor of the times, "The Bedford Incident" is recommended viewing.
Rating:
Summary: A Navy Dog's movie...very realistic for the 60's
Review: Remembering my short,2 year period on a Navy ship I remember the captain refusing to dip the flag for a Russian ship passing by as this captain did. Finlander mentons that the ship is aluminum and as many may remember the Falklands war, the british aluminum ships that were hit by French antiship missles, burned very fast and the ships sunk quickly. The movie makes mention it... "this is an aluminum ship, if we are hit we dont stand a chance". The captain of my ship was pretty hard on junior officers on the bridge and in CIC and heard him frequently chewing them out. The state of electronic warfare was pretty basic then (transisters were new) and the Captain was always demanding answers and it got hectic at times. I loved the realism of this movie. It was better than hunt for red october in my mind. If you like military thrillers you will love this! It is a classic! Just like a '56 chevy coupe!
Rating: 
Summary: Cold War classic
Review: Richard Widmark is the tyrannical and obssessed Captain Finlander, commander of the USN destroyer "Bedford" in this cold war classic. In the coldest battle ground of the cold war (the frigid waters of the North Atlantic, where even the air seems to turn to ice), Finlander leads his crew in a battle of wits with a Soviet submarine. The Bedford has the firepower to deep-six the Russian submarine with ease, but politics restrict him to hunting it. (The sub is a diesel-electric - unlike a nuclear boat, it's submerged speed is very low, and it requires frequent trips at or near the surface to recharge its batteries and refresh its air supply, limitations that put the boat at the mercy of a determined enemy) Finlander thinks of his crew as an extension of his will, itself geared towards the hunt of the Red sub. Complicating this is Munceford (frequent Widmark foil, Sidney Poitier; I recall his character's name to be "Mumford"), a civilian photographer, LCdr Potter (Martin Balsam) the new ship's doctor and Commodore Wolfgang Schrepke (Eric Portman) a U-Boat ace of the last war who advises Finlander on the finer aspects of hunting submarines. Mumford, who caused Finlander enough problems in the book despite his being a hack there, notices the strain that the hunt is having on Finlander's crew. Potter is a worse distraction - the ship already has its medics - and the new doctor only quantifies the effects of the hunt on the crew. Schrepke is perhaps the greatest danger, because his advice is the kind that Finlander cannot disregard as easily as that from others. There's a climax and it's distinct from the one in the book - I can't say it's better (though each I think works out best for its version). This is a great cold-war thriller, and proof positive that Hollywood was able to look at the absurdities of the Cold War prior to 1989. At the same time, it's still a 1960's movie which makes it look even more authentic - this stems from the bleak B/W film, the arctic setting and the choice of casting (from Martin Balsam to Wally Cox as the ship's sonar officer). A true classic.
Rating:
Summary: great performance, good film
Review: Similar to some other films of the cold war genre ("Seven Days in May", "Fail-Safe"), this has a decidedly anti-war/anti-military slant, where in this case the two people who are most "in control" are a journalist, played by Sidney Poitier, and an ex-Nazi naval commander (well played by Eric Portman).
This is Richard Widmark's show though, who with his craggy looks and fierce eyes makes the most of his part as Eric Finlander, captain of the U.S.S. Bedford, patrolling the icy waters of the North Atlantic, looking for Soviet submarines. Finlander is a loose cannon, bypassed for promotion, and irrationally hard on his crew.
Others in the cast of note are James MacArthur, very good as a young ensign, Martin Balsam as the ship's doctor, Wally Cox, Michael Kane, and in a small part, Donald Sutherland, recognizable more by his unique voice than his face.
The sound is fantastic; from the first few minutes, with its combination of excellent modernistic score by Gerard Schurmann, howling wind, and circling helicopter, it captures one's attention, and keeps the tension going in this fine sea thriller. It also has some stylish b&w cinematography by Gilbert Taylor, with terrific contrast of light and shadow.
Entertaining and well paced, with every minute of Widmark's screen time riveting, this taut drama is well worth spending 102 minutes of your time on.
Rating:
Summary: absolutely riveting psychological thriller re: the military
Review: The Bedford Incident is a first-rate 1960's cold-war thriller. the emphasis is on tension and psychogical conflicts and mind-sets, not l990's big-budget style war scenes, as a u.s. destroyer captain trails a soviet submarine on the prowl in the chilly north atlantic. adding to the war of nerves , a visiting american journalist (sidney poitier, doing well) is unwittingly thrust into disputes among the ship's officers as events take a dangerous course. richard widmark excels as the aggressive capt. finlander, and don't miss wally cox portraying the ship's star sonarman who cracks under the pressure. the ending will take your breath away.
Rating:
Summary: absolutely riveting psychological thriller re: the military
Review: The Bedford Incident is a first-rate 1960's cold-war thriller. Tthe emphasis is on tension and psychogical conflicts and mind-sets, not l990's big-budget style war scenes, as a u.s. destroyer captain trails a soviet submarine on the prowl in the chilly north atlantic. Aadding to the war of nerves , a visiting american journalist (sidney poitier, doing well) is unwittingly thrust into disputes among the ship's officers as events take a dangerous course. Rrichard widmark excels as the aggressive capt. finlander, and don't miss wally cox portraying the ship's star sonarman who cracks under the pressure. Tthe ending will take your breath away.
Rating:
Summary: Explosive!
Review: This film has a wonderful set. The icebergs are incredible. Eric Portman gives an excellent performance. Sidney Poitier is sadly miscast. Richard Widmark is way over the top, and very tiresome to watch. Donald Sutherland's performance deserves more attention.
Rating:
Summary: How to fall into the apocalypse
Review: This film is probably not a masterpiece but it is an excellent film showing how the cold war worked and nowadays how any war may work. The captain of a military surveillance ship hunting soviet submarines manages to get one in his grip, in Greenland territorial waters. He is advised to wait first and he finally gets the OK to force the submarine to the surface when this one is in international waters. He should stop. He does not. And he becomes agressive. This leads to the destruction of the submarine and of the ship but with torpedoes that may be nuclear. The policy of walking along the brink of confrontation leads to confrontation sooner or later because some men will never accept to back down and step back. And we cannot foresee the consequences of any direct confrontation because of modern weaponry. That has not changed with the end of the cold war. In fact today there are more countries having atom bombs and missiles than ever and the situation is even more dangerous than before. Dr Jacques COULARDEAU
Rating:
Summary: A hard-hitting Cold War drama. Rivetting.
Review: This is a fascinating Cold War drama. Richard Widmark turns in a stellar performance as Captain Eric Finlander, captain of the USS Bedford, an American ship of war sent out to monitor Soviet submarine movements off Greenland. Sidney Portier is a news correspondent monitoring life on the Bedford. He quickly learns that Finlander runs the Bedford with an iron hand, and that he has turned the crew into fanatical sailors. For the first two thirds of its length the movie is standard destroyer versus submarine fare, in a Cold War context rather than WW2. It is rather well done, too. Things then become even more interesting. The ending packs quite a punch. Good movie. Recommended. Hopefully this one will become available on DVD before too long, because it is one movie I would very much like to have in my collection. If you like Cold War drama, well-acted and fast-paced, so will you like this movie.
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