Under Ten Flags (1960) User Reviews

Well depicted odyssey about captain Rogge and the cruise of Atlantis posing as a merchant ship

[ma-cortes · 7/10 · 4 March 2011]

However incredible they may seem the events narrated in this picture actually occurred and starred by Bernhard Rogge (Van Heflin), captain of the German raider at that time called Atlantis . It deals with the sensational 665-Day chase of the Killer-Ship Atlantis captained by Bernhard Rogge pursued by the British staff commanded by Admiral Russell (Charles Laughton ) ; including an intrigue upon secret agent (Alex Nicol) robbing documents by means of a dangerous mission .

This interesting war movie contains suspense , thrills, sea battles and historical events . It's an European co-production lavishly and mostly produced by the great Italian producer Dino De Laurentiis . Exceptional cast formed by European actors as Italian as Gian Maria Volonte , Eleonora Rossi Drago ,Folco Lulli , Corrado Pani , American as Van Heflin ,Alex Nicol ,Walter Barnes , French as Mylene Demongeot , British as Charles Laughton , Cecil Parker , Ralph Truman , and German as John Ericson ,Peter Carsten , Gerard Herter , Helmut Schmid , Diete Eppler . Very good musical score by the classic Nino Rota , with tunes similarly composed to the subsequent The Godfather . Atmospheric cinematography by Aldo Tonti , though is necessary a fine remastering and contains several stock-shots . The motion picture is well directed by Duilio Coletti .

The picture is based upon events which actually occurred during a series of naval actions in 1940-41 and carried out by Bernhard Rogge (1899-1982) exceptionally played by Van Hefiln . Rogge was one of many German officers who were forced to apply for a German Blood Certificate, that would allow their racial background to be overlooked (he had a Jewish grandparent).He was awarded a Japanese ornate Samurai sword and the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for his actions as the commander of the Hilfskreuzer (auxiliary cruiser) Atlantis . Rogge became a Vizeadmiral (vice-admiral) by the end of World War II, and eventually became a Konteradmiral (rear-admiral) of the West German Bundesmarine. Rogge also was one of the few German officers of flag rank who was not arrested by the Allies after the war. This was due to the way he had exercised his command of Atlantis.The skipper of the British vessel, City of Baghdad, which the Atlantis sunk in July 1941, stated, "His treatment of prisoners left respect, instead of hatred". Admiral Karl Dönitz, who was prosecuted for war crimes at the Nuremberg Trials, cited his own support of Rogge in an effort to clear himself of the charge of being antisemitic. Rogge was later a German officer for Nato in the territorial Allied Naval Forces .

A cracking good story all the better for being based on real events.

[keith_g · 8/10 · 15 March 2005]

A thoroughly enjoyable movie with real ships and lots of original wartime footage, which make it a refreshing change from some of the slick but unconvincing modern offerings. More than a few of the usual, expected stereotypes are depicted, but the plot chunters along at a cracking pace, interspersing furious naval action with some well-observed 'stiff upper lip' screenplay, some nerve-wracking espionage work and any number of amusing little character studies.

Honour, death, determination, courage, childbirth, duplicity, fear and humour are dealt with in turn and all acted out in a thoroughly workmanlike manner. Van Heflin is superb as the captain of the German ship and the unutterably delectable Mylene Demongeot is stunning as a perky nymphette who, obviously fearing her looks would fade before the end of the film, seemed desperate to hook a guy (any guy) before the end credits! As might be expected, the entirely dependable Charles Laughton did a sterling job of playing Charles Laughton - in a Sailor Suit! Without exception the rest of the supporting cast were top notch - all the way down to the brave little kids being winched aboard ship in a cargo net!!

As it is based on true events, this movie is all the more worth watching by anyone who enjoys naval warfare stories and is heartily recommended!

An 8 out of 10 without hesitation for me....

Great for history teachers....

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 24 April 2012]

"Under Ten Flags" may not be the most exciting war film ever made. It lacks the scope or star power of films like "The Guns of Navarone" or "The Eagle Has Landed". However, it more than makes up for it because unlike most war films, it's historically accurate--at least in all the major details. As a retired history teacher, I really, really appreciate that--as too many films play fast and loose with the facts. In this case, it's interesting enough that it didn't need a lot of embellishment.

The film is about a German ship that harassed British shipping in the Atlantic. It was able to do this so successfully because the ship appeared to be just another merchant ship. And, the title of the film is a comment about how the ship could quickly be changed to look like a boat from many different friendly nations. So, again and again, when British naval ships neared, the German craft changed appearances to make it seem quite innocuous. But, with torpedoes, guns and a crack crew, this was a very lethal ship. The problem for the British is that they needed to find it.

As for the captain of this German ship (played by Van Heflin), he was an interesting fellow. He was, foremost, a professional and not a Nazi party man. This made for many interesting moments in the film, as he tried to fight cleanly--in a manner that minimized deaths--especially to civilians. The contrast of this and some of his blood-thirsty Nazi crew was profound...and real.

Overall, a very interesting film because it was so unusual, thoughtful and well written. Well worth your time--especially if you want to see what WWII was really like.

By the way, being the history buff, I notice little details too--such as the striking blonde who is dressed and coiffed circa 1960--not WWII.

Waging A Civilized War

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 10 December 2011]

Under Ten Flags is a film about the destruction of the German surface raider Atlantis during the years of World War II before American entry. Based on a true story the captain is played by Van Heflin who is a master at camouflaging his ship as an ordinary merchant vessel and then springing a big surprise on Allied commerce. His ship carries at least ten flags for each occasion including the swastika rolled down when the moment is right to strike.

Heflin seems to take his cues from the famous sea raider of World War I, Count Felix Von Luckner who operated exactly that way in the previous conflict. That's not easy to do the same during this war with Germany's new masters, still Heflin has a code he lives by. He's also got at least one confirmed Nazi in his crew, John Ericson a young Aryan true believer. He can't believe that Heflin actually treats the prisoners he takes like human beings including a Jewish husband and wife who gives birth to a baby daughter on the ship. Ericson vows to report such subversive behavior to the proper authorities in Berlin.

This film is very similar to Sink The Bismarck and the guy trying to put Heflin and his raider out of business is Admiral Charles Laughton in London. It's all a matter of cracking the German code and the action also is in occupied Paris where they've got the code in the German embassy.

Laughton wants to take Heflin down but he's absolutely enthralled by Heflin's skill and daring. Beyond that Laughton's part as the British admiral is rather ill defined. Usually I enjoy watching Laughton in anything and I like him here as well, but he's not given all that much to work with and the film clearly belongs to Heflin.

Who delivers a very good performance as a civilized man trying to stay civilized in barbaric times and having barbaric people run his country. Under Ten Flags for some reason seems to have disappeared and I count myself lucky to have gotten a copy of the film to review it. I think fans of war films will consider themselves lucky to see Under Ten Flags.

A gem worth seeing

[mikeolliffe · 7/10 · 8 September 2012]

I agree with most of the positive reviews here. This is an interesting and entertaining film.

On the negative side, Charles Laughton seemed to be channeling Winston Churchill. This is somewhat confusing as Churchill was head of the admiralty at one time.

I have no objections whatsoever to seeing the wondrous Mylene D., but were shorts THAT short in the 1940s??? It seems very obvious that she was added to the movie as 'sex appeal' (either that, or she was the producer's girl friend).

And did they have invisible-to-the-naked eye rays as protective devices for valuable items back then? I've never seen a film from that time period with that particular gimmick. Under Ten Flags was actually made in 1960, but use of the rays for that purpose seems to be a more modern invention (than the film's time setting.) These are mere quibbles. See it.

Not All That Bad

[sogs · 6/10 · 15 October 2006]

I don't see this film in as nearly a bad light as some of the other commentator's here. There is good performances from Van Heflin and Laughton is always a joy to watch. There are certainly some obvious Italian extras thrown into this movie but whats bad about that? I for one can give the thumbs up for the female actors. Great bodies on them even though its in black and white! Stock footage is used in abundance for the sinking of the ships but the actual guns firing and being uncovered on the German vessel looks like the real deal to me. So sure, its not a masterpiece but give it a chance and I am sure you will find it a time passer.

Early German undercover Naval operation of WW II

[SimonJack · 7/10 · 22 May 2023]

This is an interesting film about the early years of World War II and Germany's efforts to hinder shipping supplies for Allied countries. It's the story of the sea raiders project of the German Navy. "Under Ten Flags" is about Atlantis and her captain, Bernhard Rogge. Atlantis was the first of 10 auxiliary cruisers to be converted into commerce raiders. They were sort of pirate ships. But, while they did board and take some supplies from commercial ships they captured, their purpose was mainly to sink and destroy commercial ships and their cargoes, from any nations.

As the movie shows, this raider was a deadly foe that was able to be camouflaged as a commercial vessel itself. The film title comes from the flags of the various nations it carried. It flew different ones to mask its true identity. And, it could quickly be readied for combat or assault on commercial vessels. Besides heavy deck guns, also camouflaged, it had a torpedo section below the water line.

Van Heflin plays Captain Bernhard Rogge, who was a career naval officer of service before the rise of the Nazi Party to power in Germany. The film shows the contrast between Rogge as a traditional sea captain who abides by the historical codes of the sea, and a young Nazi officer who thinks nothing of humanity but everything for German national conquest

The Atlantic was under direct orders and communication with German headquarters in Berlin. The ship's actual German name was Schiff 16. To the British Royal Navy it was officially known as Raider-C. It operated from the end of March, 1940, to its sinking by the British cruiser, Devonshire, on November 22, 1941. But, over those 602 days, Atlantis hindered British war efforts and hounded sea commerce, mostly in the South Atlantic. It sank or captured 22 merchant ships. And, it traveled more than 100,000 miles..

This film is a good portrayal of the conflict and differences between those who abide by maritime codes, and those who don't. In this case, of course, the ruthless, unhumanitarian mindset and actions of German Nazis. Yet, much comes to mind that this film doesn't treat or explain. For instance, while the two instances shown of bordering other ships explains how Atlantis got some of its supplies, it begs the bigger questions of fuel and other supplies. Where, when and how does it take on fuel? The scene of taking on and unloading the many passengers from the East Indian ship shows Rogge's handling of some passengers and survivors. But, what about all those who would be rescued from the sea after they used torpedoes to sink some of the 22 ships? And, how would they feed and care for so many passengers, and where were they dropping them off?

With a film such as this, one has to just assume those things happened, as the story is supposed to be based on true events. But it would have been nice and much better to at least have had a 10-minute segment that showed them dropping off passengers at a small port somewhere, and another showing them docking at a clandestine small port to take on fuel.

The German sea operations with Captain Rogge, are interrupted a few times with scenes at the British Admiralty where Charles Laughton plays Admiral Russell. His operation is to discover the source of all the commercial shipping losses in the South Atlantic, then, to find and sink the German ship doing the dastardly deeds, once that is discovered.

There is one other oddity about this film. That has to do with Captain Rogge's tirade against the Indian ship captain who opened fire on the Atlantis after hoisting a white flag. Rogge gives him a talking to and threatens maritime sanctions against the man. That was somewhat puzzling to me where the Atlantis misrepresented itself as a commercial ship of varying nations by the flags it carried - ergo, the title of the movie, and its camouflage. Is deceit such as that acceptable under maritime laws and traditions?

This isn't along the vein of the typical wartime combat films - on sea or land. But it does have some fairly good scenes on the sea. "Under Ten Flags" seems mostly a story about the commercial raider ships employed by Germany early in WW II, with a special tribute, of sorts, to Bernhard Rogge. Indeed, the epilogue on screen at the end of the credits, gives just such a wrap-up. "This picture is based upon events which actually occurred during a series of Naval cations in 1940-41. Bernhard Rogge, Captain of the German raider at that time, is now, as a German officer, a Commander for NATO n the Territorial Allied Naval Forces."

That was 1960, when this film came out, early in the Cold War. Rogge was in the West German Navy, and a part of NATO, along with Great Britain, France, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal, Canada and the United States. East Germany was a member of the Soviet Bloc of the U. S. S. R.

It's like "The Enemy Below", but without the sub.

[opet · 9/10 · 22 December 2005]

Sadly, this movie has not been commercially available for many years. It is story about a rarely mentioned weapon of WWII, the German Surface Raider. They were ordinary merchant ships lined with amour plating and medium-sized navel guns. Unlike the famous U-boats which could hide beneath the sea, Surface Raiders relied on disguise to blend in with normal shipping traffic until they could find a lone ship they could surprise and sink.

This is the story of the hunt to find and destroy the best of them, the ship Atlantis. It is a story of bravery and ingenuity on both sides as the British Admiralty is caught up in a vast game of hide-n-seek with a clever adversary.

I choose to write this review largely because I have, over the years read a few rather poor opinions expressed about it. I can't wait for it to reappear somewhere, someday. My only explanation as to why someone who is a fan of naval war films would not thoroughly enjoy this one is the fact that the last three times I saw it over fifteen years ago the reels of the movie were in the wrong order! (I swear). That dampens the suspense considerably and gives it a very muddled, confused look. But even mixed up it beats a lot of movies I've seen.

"No such thing as a clean war."

[brogmiller · 6/10 · 27 July 2021]

Based upon the diaries of Admiral Bernhard Rogge this film is, alas, something of a disappointment. Although 'capably' directed by Duilio Coletti with superb cinematography and score by his compatriots Aldo Tonti and Nino Rota, it is weakened by a poor screenplay.

There is some distinctly dodgy dubbing going on and many characters are underwritten. Both Eleonora Rossi Drago as the token Jewess and Mylene Demongeot as the obligatory eye candy have utterly thankless roles whilst at the other end of the spectrum we have Charles Laughton's hammy turn as Admiral Russell. This is an actor who has very often given performances that are touched by genius but here he is all bluff and bluster and rattles off his lines as though he has a plane to catch.

What holds the film together is Van Heflin as Rogge. His is by far the best written role and Mr. Heflin's performance is one of strength and compassion. A consummate professional whose like we will never see again.

One would have to say that despite the presence of Mr. Heflin and some effective moments, we have seen this sort of thing done so much better.

This ship is sinking

[farne · 4/10 · 21 April 2005]

There were a number of good films made about the Second World War at sea in the 1950s and 60s. Sadly, this isn't one of them. Starring Van Heflin as probably the nicest and most reluctant German sea captain of the war, and a blustering Charles Laughton as the British Admiral out to sink him, this surprisingly shoddy film mixes stock footage, old bits of newsreel, obvious models and a shipload of Italian extras as British and German sailors with poorly dubbed American accents. The fact that it was made in Rome by Italian producers probably explains the film's hopelessly confused loyalties, trying to show the war from both the British and German sides. Unfortunately, being so fair to both sides renders the film's attempts at suspense completely redundant, and makes it hard for the audience to work up much interest either way. Although allegedly based on a true story, much of the film is so heavily fictionalised it often loses touch with reality altogether. At one point it even turns into a third rate James Bond rip-off, with the British getting an American soldier to undergo plastic surgery to make him the double of a German officer so he can steal top secret plans. All in all, you would be better off watching The Cruel Sea, Sink the Bismarck or Battle of the River Plate than wasting your time on this dismal offering.

I am a WWII collector fan.,owning over 700 movies.,many dealing with this subject.

[bikerbob75 · 10/10 · 2 February 2001]

Under Ten Flags..Is in my opinion one of the best acted and directed movies dealing with world war II. It depicts a man's duty to country.. his personal honor to himself in up-holding honest and humanitarian beliefs even when required to do his duty and kill the enemy. The lead is by veteran actor Van Heflin.,who plays the captain of the German Raider "Atlantis".,this is based on a true story and facts of the german surface raider "Pacas" during world war two. This type of war movie needs to be returned to the screen to show our younger generation that although war is brutal and even unavoidable man can still win or lose with dignity and honour. I would like to see this movie made available on Video and returned to TV.

Well-presented wartime naval thriller

[Leofwine_draca · 6/10 · 19 February 2017]

UNDER TEN FLAGS is a deeply interesting Italian WW2 picture exploring naval combat in and around the Indian Ocean. It's notable insofar as not all of the Germans are presented as Nazis rabid for death and destruction, although they certainly are present in the cast. Instead, Van Heflin is cast well against type as the German captain of a warship who displays sympathy and courage in his dealings with the enemy; the one 'good German', perhaps.

Films which present characters in shades of grey such as this rather than stark black and white always work better on a realistic level, and UNDER TEN FLAGS is well worth a look as a result. This is less an action picture than one exploring the morals of the situation and the effects of war on each of the opposing sides. There are some fine moments of dilemma and peril, and good twists to boot.

For an Italian production, it has a remarkably international cast, with Charles Laughton fitting naturally into the part of the British admiral absolutely determined to bring down the German destroyer. Cecil Parker also gets his teeth into one of those meaty little roles that he always excelled as. UNDER TEN FLAGS is well worth a look for those who think they've seen all the WW2 movies under the Sun.

Give it a miss, read the book

[ce8ctdow · 3/10 · 15 October 2006]

The previous review is correct, this is a poor film. However the lack of blood 'n' guts is based on fact. Atlantis was captained by Bernhard Rogge. The skipper of the British vessel, "City of Baghdad", which the Atlantis sunk in July of 1941, stated, "His treatment of prisoners left respect, instead of hatred." The Captain of the "City of Baghdad" was Captain J. Armstrong-White. He wrote the foreword in "Atlantis, The story of a German Surface Raider" written by U. Mohr & A.V. Sellwood.

Rogge became a Vizeadmiral (vice-admiral) by the end of World War II, and eventually became a Konteradmiral (rear-admiral) of the West German Bundesmarine.

Rogge also was one of the few German officers of flag rank who was not arrested by the Allies after the war. This was due to the way he had exercised his command of Atlantis.

A loyal German, but not a Nazi.

[mark.waltz · 6/10 · 29 June 2023]

A subtle performance by Van Heflin as a German ship captain gives a different perspective to this World War II film where the German is the good guy and the ally (merchant marine ship captain Charles Laughton) is a pompous fool, an older version of Captain Bligh who only sees Germans as the enemy who has no redeeming values. Rescuing the survivors of an attacked vessel, Heflin demands that everyone be treated with respect, including a Jewish couple in fear of being persecuted. Indeed, there are antisemitic crew members aboard the German vessel, one of whom informs Heflin that his treatment of the Jewish passengers in a good way will be reported as a betrayal of Nazi theory.

Both Oscar winning actors dominate the film, both from different ships, but Laughton completely overacts, bellowing his lines and effectively lessening support for the side that the viewer was being told to support, simply because of what side he is on. The performance of Heflin then is the shining light of this film, reminding the audience that there is such a thing called a civilized enemy where decency reigns in their souls rather than what their tyrant leaders demand they do. A film of ideals, decent for a low budget war drama that tries somehow different and succeeds.

A different view of war at sea, and should be on vhs.

[lobo1955 · 10/10 · 19 March 2000]

This is truly a classic! It portrays war at sea, as a deadly game of hide and seek. Cause as much havoc and destruction, without being identified or located. In this movie, the enemy(the British) has no idea what kind of ship(s) or submarine(s)are sinking vital merchant ships. It is a raider ship,with a clever Captain that can change the appearance of his ship as quickly as changing clothes! Nationalities were no obstacle. It also showed that all German officers were not followers of Hitler. This one, in real life, went on to serve as a NATO naval officer. This ship's crew should have lots of war stories for the grandchildren.

Like Celebrities in cheap suits.

[Bob-45 · 4/10 · 22 March 2012]

THIS gets a 6.4 rating? A potentially taught true story with "A" list leads, bad "B" movie production values and turgid direction? Van Heflin and Charles Laughton were "A" list stars in 1960. Both put in fine performances, though Heflin should have at least made a go at a German accent. In fact, none of the Germans speak German or with an accent, all of the signs in German headquarters are in English, there is not even a shaky camera to suggest ship movement, virtually all of the action footage is stock. Even the editing is so indifferent a key subplot appears to be part of another movie. Want to see a good "cat and mouse" Naval war picture? Watch "The Enemy Below". Need an insomnia cure? Watch "Under 10 Flags".

I give "Under 10 Flags" a "4".

Where is this fine film been hiding?

[carolted · 9/10 · 3 May 2003]

I have not seen this film in more than 30 years. I can't imagine why it is not available on vhs or dvd. I saw it originally in the theaters and it made quite an impact on me. I love sea tales and this is one of the finest.

Charles Laughton before Spartacus

[marthawilcox1831 · 1/10 · 9 August 2014]

You can tell Charles Laughton was coming to the end of his career in this dull and uneventful film. They call it a movie but it's not. I don't know what it is: documented history, docu-drama. Whatever you want to label it, it is not a movie. I can see why it hasn't stood the test of time because there is nothing in it to feed Laughton fans. It comes nowhere near the quality of 'Hobson's Choice' or 'Full House'.

In terms of being a battleship film, Laughton did something similar nearly twenty years earlier in 'Stand by for Action' with Robert Taylor. That was also a poorly made film and did not deserve to be called a movie.

I would advise Laughton fans to stay away from this film because you miss nothing by not watching it.

A Great Naval War Film That should be on VHS and DVD

[carolted · 9/10 · 8 April 2002]

It has been many years since I saw this film but I remember it to be interesting with a differant view of the war through the eyes of the captain of the german raider, Atlantis. He is shown to be compassionate in saving as many lives as he can from the ships that he sinks and is not at all in agreement with Hitler's policies but his country is as war and so he obeys his orders. It is a shame that this film is not available on tape or otherwise as it depicts the other side of German officers not in "lock step" with Hitler.

A superior war film

[triumph-tsx · 10/10 · 15 October 2006]

Rarely seen like it's subject matter, a film whose story is well told and a world away from the child-like American war epics released later in that decade. The surface raider Atlantis was perhaps the most successful of it's type preying upon merchant shipping destined for Great Britain and her allies. The performances top-to-bottom are splendid although the silent scenes at the German Atlantic Naval Headquarters in Paris ratchet up the tension like little else on celluloid-more so because of it's being based on truth. Superior to naval films both those that came before and after it because it's story is so compelling, true and hardly known. There are no sides to be taken and yet one wishes both sides well in this game of naval chess. Indeed, the captain of the merchant ship Abdullah who -in war circumstances would be considered a hero- comes out as the only villain of the piece. That the Germans mostly all speak with American accents is forgotten easily in the action and minor characters are well-sketched by their players. There is none of the John Wayne -machismo and black and white simplicity that makes most war films loud but laughable but rather admiring the quiet professionalism of sailors at war- highly recommended, indeed !