The plot of this film is almost exactly the same as the UK film "We dive at dawn", apart from the love triangle bit. The two films were released at almost the same time from what I can make out (April and May 1943).
Can anyone shed any light on why this is? To me the similarity goes a bit beyond the fact that they may both have just been following similar stereotypes and formulas.
I think it was partly coincidence, and partly that there is a limited number of possible plot scenarios for submarine films. The films used different writers and directors, and were released almost simultaneously. So it would be hard to believe that one borrowed from the other.
As pt100 pointed out in another thread, several submarine films contained elements from Crash Dive. I think writers simply ran out of plots, so things sometimes look similar from one film to the next. In some cases, it might involve a bit of borrowing if the two films are released relatively far apart in time. But for the most part I think it's because there are only so many plots one can have w/a submarine. E.g., sneaking around to gather espionage; trying to chase down and sink a valuable ship; trying to evade a surprise attack and/or depth charges; etc.
This sentence is false. -- The Zurich Gnome
Once you see Das Boot there is no reason to see any other sub film ... Run Silent Run Deep is also well regarded although I did not like it ... Finally U571is downright unbelievable but it's modern and kinda fun.
BTW ... although Crimson Tide is not WW2 it is a very good sub film. I mean what's not to like about Gene Hackman & Denzel Washington?