The realm of submarine films, particularly those set during the Second World War, requires immense technical expertise and substantial resources, delivered either through a high budget or cooperation with powerful navies. Consequently, it was Hollywood that predominantly dominated this genre. However, a few European filmmakers managed to break into this territory, most notably Wolfgang Petersen with Das Boot, widely considered the finest submarine film ever made.
An earlier example is provided by the French director René Clément with his 1947 film The Damned. The plot unfolds in the closing days of the Second World War. Dr. Guilbert (played by Henri Vidal), a physician, returns to his home in Royan, a French Atlantic port city recently liberated by the Allies from German occupation. Unaware of impending events, Guilbert resumes his practice. In Oslo, meanwhile, a German submarine is tasked with transporting a group of high-ranking Nazi officials and European fascist collaborators to South America.
As the submarine navigates treacherous waters, it encounters Allied destroyers, and a collision with depth charges damages the vessel. While the damage appears negligible, Hilde Garosi (played by Florence Marly), the mistress of General von Hauser (played by Kurt Kronefeld), is injured and requires immediate medical attention. With Royan now under Allied control, the submarine captain (played by Jean Didier) dispatches a team to abduct Dr. Guilbert and bring him on board. Soon, Guilbert realises that his only hope for survival lies in either escaping the submarine or winning over the increasingly paranoid crew, who are questioning their orders as news of the war's impending end reaches them.
The Damned, like Clément’s directorial debut Battle of the Rails, deals with the war, but it is actually more of a psychological thriller than a war film in the strictest sense. Clément, as in his debut, employs a semi-documentarian style, but he also puts greater financial and technical resources, like the captured German U-boat, to good use, resulting in a more polished look.
Most impressive is the use of the famed Victorine Studios in Nice, where production designer Paul Bertrand built the interior of the submarine. This set is put to excellent use, creating a claustrophobic and paranoid atmosphere that, together with Clément’s superb direction and use of long dolly shots, fuels the plot and the characters’ actions.
One of the most striking aspects of The Damned is its exploration of the moral dilemmas faced by individuals in the face of overwhelming circumstances. Guilbert, a man of conscience, finds himself trapped in a predicament where he must either collude with the Nazis or risk being killed. The film also delves into the dynamics of power and loyalty, as the crew members grapple with their own sense of morality and their duty to follow a cause they sense is being lost.
An interesting aspect of the film is its portrayal of the Nazis and their ilk seeking shelter in South America, a theme prevalent in Hollywood and Western cinemas immediately following the war, reflecting public concern that the Nazi evil was not completely defeated and that it might rise again in the future.
The Damned boasts a formidable cast, although Henri Vidal, despite playing the protagonist, is overshadowed by the supporting players. They include the Italian actor Fosco Giachetti as the fascist Italian aristocrat Garosi (Hilde’s cuckolded husband), the Czech actress Florence Marly as the icy blonde who serves as the film’s version of a femme fatale, Paul Bernard as the French collaborationist propagandist Couturier suddenly realising that the new fascist order he had supported is irrevocably collapsing, Marcel Dalio as an opportunistic South American businessman trying to rid himself of his Nazi partners, and Jo Dest as the fanatical SS General Forster. It is, however, Michel Auclair as Forster’s young enforcer Wily Morus who steals the show, portraying a complex relationship with his superior as something more than strictly professional.
The Damned had its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, where it received the Grand Prix for Adventure or Crime Films. While this was a solid achievement for French cinema at the time, the film might disappoint modern viewers unaccustomed to the technical limitations of the era. Problems include the protagonist's narration, which serves as weak commentary on what the audience has already noticed. Additionally, the over-melodramatic, action-packed ending, which uses war documentary stock footage in a way inconsistent with the rest of the film, makes it look somewhat cheap or too rough around the edges.
Another issue for modern audiences is that the film was made immediately after the war, aimed at viewers (especially the French) who did not need reminding of relatively obscure details, such as the Germans maintaining isolated fortified garrisons on the Atlantic Coast right up until the capitulation. Despite these issues, The Damned remains a compelling and thought-provoking film that deserves a place in the canon of submarine genre films.
RATING: 6/10 (++)
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