The Silent Enemy (1958)

Set in Gibraltar in 1941 during WWII. The Italians have created a new form of warfare. Frogmen who travel astride small torpedo like vessels and attach explosive charges to the hulls of enemy ships below their waterline. A young Naval lieutenant (Laurence Harvey), an expert in mine and bomb disposal is brought in to try and combat the new threat. Based on the non fiction book COMMANDER CRABB by Marshall Pugh and directed by William Fairchild (THE EXTRA DAY). Two years before the film's release, the real Lionel Crabb (played by Laurence Harvey) mysteriously disappeared while on a reconnaissance mission for M16 around a Soviet cruiser, never to be heard from again and presumed dead. This film focuses on his exploits during a crucial period in the Mediterranean during the war. It's an unusual war film, there's no jingoism or exaggerated heroics, just a solid and intense different aspect of the war. I was fascinated by it though it's not a great film, just a solid movie. With Michael Craig, Dawn Addams, Alec McCowen, Gianna Maria Canale, Sid James, Massimo Serato and Giacomo Rossi Stuart.