The Frogmen (1951)

Set during WWII, a new commanding officer (Richard Widmark) attempts to tighten the discipline of a group of Navy demolition divers. Replacing a popular officer whom the men idolized, he wins few converts with his strict style. Directed by Lloyd Bacon (MARKED WOMAN). I'm not a big fan of war movies but surprisingly, I enjoyed this one a lot. Probably because it emphasizes the camaraderie of the divers, the "frogmen" of the title, and the antagonistic relationship between Widmark's commander and the chief frogman (Dana Andrews) rather than dwell on battles and bombs. The film is in black and white and it would have benefited from being shot in color as the underwater scenes are murky and it's often difficult to identify who's who though to be fair, its cinematography was nominated for an Oscar. The original script had female roles but they were written out of the script and it's an all male cast. The testosterone laden supporting cast includes Jeffrey Hunter, Gary Merrill, Jack Warden, James Gregory, Warren Stevens, Robert Rockwell and Harvey Lembeck.