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{{Short description|1968 film by John Sturges based on the 1963 novel}}
{{About|the film|the novel|Ice Station Zebra (novel)}}
{{Redirect-distinguish|USS Tigerfish|USS Tiger Shark}}
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| caption = Theatrical release [[film poster|poster]] by [[Howard Terpning]]
| director = [[John Sturges]]
| producer = James C. Pratt <br />[[Martin Ransohoff]] <br />[[John Calley]]
| based_on = {{based on|''[[Ice Station Zebra (novel)|Ice Station Zebra]]''<br/>1963 novel|[[Alistair MacLean]]}}
| screenplay = [[Douglas Heyes]]<br />[[Harry Julian Fink]]<br />[[W. R. Burnett]]
| starring = [[Rock Hudson]]<br />[[Ernest Borgnine]]<br />[[Patrick McGoohan]]<br />[[Jim Brown]]
| cinematography = [[Daniel L. Fapp]]
| music = [[Michel Legrand]]
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| distributor = [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]]
| released = {{Film date|1968|10|23}}<ref name=AFI>{{AFI film|22940|Ice Station Zebra}}</ref>
| runtime = 148149 minutes
| country = United States
| language = English
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}}
 
'''''Ice Station Zebra''''' is a 1968 American espionage [[thriller film]] directed by [[John Sturges]] and starring [[Rock Hudson]], [[Patrick McGoohan]], [[Ernest Borgnine]], and [[Jim Brown]]. The screenplay is by [[Alistair MacLean]], [[Douglas Heyes]], [[Harry Julian Fink]], and [[W. R. Burnett]], loosely based on [[Alistair MacLean]]'s [[Ice Station Zebra (novel)|1963 novel]]. Both have parallels to real-life events that took place in 1959.{{clarification needed|date=March 2024}} The film wasconcerns photographeda inUS [[Supernuclear Panavisionsubmarine 70]]that andmust presentedrush into 70 mmthe [[Cinerama]]North inPole premiereto engagements.rescue Thethe originalmembers musicof scorethe isIce byStation [[Michel Legrand]]Zebra.
 
The film was photographed in [[Super Panavision 70]] and presented in 70 mm [[Cinerama]] in premiere engagements. The original music score is by [[Michel Legrand]]. ''Ice Station Zebra'' was released on October 23, 1968, to mixed reviews, and it was not a box office success, earning only $4.6 million over its $8–10 million budget.
 
==Plot ==
A satellite re-enters the atmosphere and ejects a capsule, which parachutes to the Arctic, near a British scientific weather station moving with the ice pack named ''Drift Ice Station Zebra'', approximately {{convert|320|mi|km|order=flip|sigfigabbr=1on}} northwest of [[Station Nord, Greenland]] in the Arctic Ocean ice pack. A person approaches, guided by a homing beacon, while a second person secretly watches from nearby.
 
Commander James Ferraday, captain of the American nuclear attack submarine USS ''Tigerfish'' stationed at [[Holy Loch]], [[Scotland]], is ordered by Admiral Garvey to rescue the personnel of a British scientific weather station moving with the ice pack named ''Drift Ice Station Zebra.'' This, however, is cover for the real mission.
Immediately afterwards distress calls begin to be broadcast from Ice Station Zebra.
Little can be wrung from them beyond that there was a fire and casualties in some sort of disaster. Commander James Ferraday, captain of the American nuclear attack submarine USS ''Tigerfish'' stationed at [[Holy Loch]], Scotland, is ordered by Admiral Garvey of [[Office of Naval Intelligence|Naval Intelligence]] to rescue the survivors, outside the normal chain of command, with confirming orders through regular channels to follow. He is told only about the ice station incident. An imperious British intelligence agent, "Mr. Jones", and a [[United States Marine Corps|U.S. Marine]] platoon join the ''Tigerfish'' while in dock. After setting sail, a helicopter delivers Captain Anders, a strict officer who takes command of the Marines, and an old comrade of Jones, Boris Vaslov, a Russian defector and spy.
 
British intelligence agent "Mr. Jones" and a [[U.S. Marine]] [[platoon]] join the ''Tigerfish'' while in dock. After setting sail, a [[Kaman SH-2 Seasprite]] helicopter delivers Captain Anders, a strict officer who takes command of the Marines, and Boris Vaslov, a [[Russians|Russian]] defector and spy, who Jones trusts. The submarine sails beneath the thick Arctic pack ice but is unable to break through with its [[conning tower]]. Ferraday orders a torpedo launch to break a hole in the surface. When the inner torpedo hatch is opened, seawater rushes in flooding the compartment causing the submarine to nose dive. The boat is only saved shortly before reaching crush depth by pumping air into the flooded area. After an investigation, Ferraday discovers that the torpedo tube was sabotaged. Ferraday suspects Vaslov, while Jones suspects Anders.
The submarine sails beneath the thick Arctic pack ice but is unable to break through with its [[conning tower]]. Ferraday instead orders a torpedo shot to fracture the ice. When the inner torpedo hatch is opened to load it, sea water rushes in, flooding the compartment. The extra weight forward causes the submarine to nose dive, which is only arrested before the boat reaches crushing depth. Jones asserts it was no accident and Ferraday discovers evidence of sabotage. Ferraday suspects Vaslov, while Jones points to Anders. After an area of thin ice is detected, the ''Tigerfish'' breaks through to the surface. Ferraday, Vaslov, Jones, and the marine platoon set out for the weather station in a blizzard. On arrival, they find the base almost completely destroyed. Jones and Vaslov start questioning a few hypothermic survivors about what happened.
 
The ''Tigerfish'' rises and breaks through thin ice to the surface. Ferraday, Vaslov, Jones, and the Marine platoon set out for the weather station in a blizzard. On arrival, they find the base almost burned to the ground and the scientists nearly dead from hypothermia. Jones and Vaslov start questioning the survivors about what happened.
Jones reveals to Ferraday that he's looking for a canister of film with immense Cold War implications. It was shot by an advanced experimental camera designed by the British, which uses special film developed by the Americans, both of which technologies were stolen by the Soviets and sent into orbit to photograph locations of American missile silos. However, the satellite also recorded all the Soviet missile sites as well. Due to a malfunction, it ejected its film delivery capsule near ''Ice Station Zebra'' in the Arctic. Both Soviet and British agents were deployed to recover the capsule. Jones concludes the Soviet agent slew the British, with some scientists dying by gunfire before the fire was set to cover the agent's tracks.
 
AfterJones beingreveals summonedto Ferraday that he's looking for an advanced experimental British camera which used an enhanced film developed by Ferradaythe throughAmericans. aThe holeSoviets instole the ice,technology and sent it into orbit to photograph locations of American missile silos. The satellite also recorded all the Soviet missile sites. After a malfunction, it crashed near ''TigerfishIce Station Zebra'' eruptsin immediatelythe adjacentArctic. When Soviet and British agents arrived to recover the film capsule, the scientists were caught in the campcrossfire. Ferraday sets his crew to search for the capsule. Jones discoversfinds aanother tracking device but is knocked out by Vaslov, a Soviet [[double-agent]] and the saboteur. Anders confronts Vaslov and the two men fight before the dazed Jones shoots and kills the Captain Anders. Ferraday enters the hut and is alarmed at discovering Jones bloodied and unconscious, Anders riddled with half a dozen gunshots, and Vaslov unharmed. He appears to accept the Russian's story that Anders had attacked Jones, who in turn shotAmerican himcaptain.
 
''Tigerfish'' detects approaching Soviet aircraft. Ferraday haslets Vaslov use the tracker to locate the capsule, which is discovered ice-buried in half a foot of ice. They conclude the capsule is armed with an explosive [[booby trap]] that will go off if tampered with, but Vaslov successfully disarms it and removes the film, and replaces it with an empty container. A large force of Soviet paratroopers arrive and demand the film. Its commander, Colonel Ostrovsky produces a detonator, and tellsAfter Ferraday hehands can explodeover the capsule,empty film and allcontainer, evena insidebrief thefirefight submarine,occurs ifwhen the Americans try to leave with it. Ferraday hands over the capsule, but Ostrovsky discovers the filmdeception is missing and orders his troops to open fire on the Americans and a brief firefight ensuesdiscovered. In the confusion, Vaslov tries to take the film but is wounded by Jones. Ferraday orders him to give the film to the Soviets. The canister is sent aloft by weather balloon for [[Fulton surface-to-air recovery system|recovery by aircraft]]. Moments before it is taken, Ferraday activates ahis own detonator he had found that had been cached with the tracking device, destroying the film and denying either side the locations of the other's missile silos. The Soviet colonel concedes that crucial parts of both his and Ferraday's missions are effectively accomplished, with no more of either yet attainable, andso leaves.
 
''Tigerfish'' completes the rescue of the civilians. A teletype machine reveals media headlines claiming that a joint US-Soviet rescue inreports the Arctic has been successful, andnews that the "humanitarian mission" standshas asbeen a sterlingan example of peacefulbetter cooperation between the United StatesWest and the Soviet Union.
 
== Cast ==
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==Production==
===Development===
The film rights to the 1963 Alistair McLean novel were acquired the following year by producer [[Martin Ransohoff]], who hoped to capitalize on the success of 1961's blockbuster adaptation of a 1957 McLean novel into [[The Guns of Navarone (film)|''The Guns of Navarone'']],<ref>{{cite news |last=Scheuer |first=P. K. |date=April 10, 1964 |title='Tom jones' steals poll of U.S. critics |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |id={{ProQuest|168563381}} }}</ref> Hollywood's #2 grossing picture that year. He expected the film to cost around $5&nbsp;million.<ref>{{cite news |title=Filmways expects sharp rise in fiscal '64 profit |date=April 22, 1964 |newspaper=Wall Street Journal |id={{ProQuest|132971479}} }}</ref> Ransohoff's company, [[Filmways]], had a deal with MGM to provide financing.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Message Merchant on the Run| work=The New York Times |url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1965/01/03/97695300.html?pageNumber=271|access-date=2020-08-07|language=en|archive-date=2021-06-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210605014840/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1965/01/03/97695300.html?pageNumber=271|url-status=live}}</ref>
 
"Our aim is to produce films that are both interesting and commercial," said Ransohoff. "We are looking for stories that have something unique to say."<ref>{{Cite news|date=1964-07-24|title=TV Studios Turn to Theater Films‐Reply to Movie Competition With Bid for New Market|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1964/07/24/archives/tv-studios-turn-to-theater-filmsreply-to-movie-competition-with-bid.html|access-date=2020-08-07|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Ransohoff's company, [[Filmways]], had a deal with MGM to provide financing.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Message Merchant on the Run|url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1965/01/03/97695300.html?pageNumber=271|access-date=2020-08-07|website=timesmachine.nytimes.com|language=en|archive-date=2021-06-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210605014840/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1965/01/03/97695300.html?pageNumber=271|url-status=live}}</ref>
 
[[Paddy Chayefsky]], who had just written ''[[The Americanization of Emily]]'' for Ransohoff, was hired to write the script.
 
''Navarone'' stars [[Gregory Peck]] and [[David Niven]] were initially attached to thisthe film, with Peck as the subsubmarine commander and Niven as the British spy, plus [[Edmond O'Brien]] and [[George Segal]] in the other key roles. [[John Sturges]] was borrowed from [[The Mirisch Company]] to direct.<ref>{{cite news |last=Martin |first=B |date=August 6, 1965 |title= Movie Call Sheet |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |id={{ProQuest|155269498}} }}</ref> Filming was set to begin in April 1965, but scheduling conflicts and [[United States Department of Defense]] objections over Paddy Chayefsky's screenplay because they felt it showed "an unfair distortion of military life" that would "damage the reputation of the Navy and its personnel"<ref>{{cite book |last=Suid |first=Lawrence H. |date=2002 |title=Guts and Glory: The Making of the American Military Image in Film |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ucQeBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA674 |location=Kentucky |publisher=The University Press of Kentucky |page=402 |isbn=0-8131-9018-5 |access-date=2017-02-05 |archive-date=2021-06-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210605014838/https://books.google.com/books?id=ucQeBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA674 |url-status=live }}</ref> delayed the start. A new script was commissioned.
 
Filming was set to begin in April 1965, but scheduling conflicts and [[United States Department of Defense]] objections over Paddy Chayefsky's screenplay, because they felt it showed "an unfair distortion of military life" that would "damage the reputation of the Navy and its personnel"<ref>{{cite book |last=Suid |first=Lawrence H. |date=2002 |title=Guts and Glory: The Making of the American Military Image in Film |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ucQeBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA674 |location=Kentucky |publisher=The University Press of Kentucky |page=402 |isbn=0-8131-9018-5 |access-date=2017-02-05 |archive-date=2021-06-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210605014838/https://books.google.com/books?id=ucQeBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA674 |url-status=live }}</ref> delayed the start. A new script was commissioned.
 
In January 1967 MGM announced the film would be one of 13 movies it would make during the next year.<ref>{{cite news |title=MGM Plans 14 Films on 1967 Budget |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=25 January 1967 |page=d10}}</ref>
 
=== Casting ===
Due to scheduling conflicts, the original cast was no longer available when filming began in the spring of 1967.<ref>{{cite news |last=Martin |first=B |date=June 20, 1967 |title=McLaglen to direct 'mace' |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |id={{ProQuest|155674517}} }}</ref> Rock Hudson had replaced Gregory Peck by February.<ref name="Hudson">{{cite news |title=Hudson Joins 'Ice Station' |first=Betty |last=Martin |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date= 6 February 1967 |page=d25}}</ref> After making four flop comedies in a row, Hudson had been keen to change his image; he had just made [[Seconds (1966 film)|''Seconds'']] and [[Tobruk (1967 film)|''Tobruk'']], and ''Ice Station Zebra'' was an attempt to continue this.<ref>{{cite news |title=A Change of Pace for Rock Hudson: Variety of Roles for Rock Hudson |first=Kevin |last=Thomas |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=21 September 1967 |page=e1}}</ref> According to his publicist, Hudson personally lobbied for the starring role in this film which "revitalized" his career.<ref>{{cite book| title=Rock Hudson Friend of Mine| first=Tom | last=Clark | publisher=Pharos Books | date= March 28, 1990 | page=148,149}}</ref> In June 1967, [[Laurence Harvey]] and [[Patrick McGoohan]] joined the cast as the Russian agent and British agent, respectively.<ref>{{Cite webnews|title=Harvey and Hudson to Co-Star| work=The New York Times |url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1967/06/06/90354520.html?pageNumber=53|access-date=2020-08-07|website=timesmachine.nytimes.com|language=en|archive-date=2021-06-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210605014844/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1967/06/06/90354520.html?pageNumber=53|url-status=live}}</ref> In July, [[Ernest Borgnine]] replaced Harvey.<ref>{{cite news |title=Cassavetes Leaves 'Madrid' |first=Betty |last=Martin |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=6 July 1967 |page=e14}}</ref> Other key roles were played by [[Jim Brown]] and [[Tony Bill]], who signed a five-picture contract with Ransohoff,.<ref>{{cite news |title=Eva Renzie in 'Pink Jungle' |first=Betty |last=Martin |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=28 June 1967 |page=e11}}</ref>
 
There were no women in the cast. "It was the way Maclean wrote it," said Hudson.<ref>{{cite news |title=Dramatic Roles Lure Rock Hudson |first=Norma Lee |last=Browning |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |date=25 August 1967 |page=b20}}</ref>
 
=== Filming ===
Filming began in June 1967 using [[Metrocolor]] film stock.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Adler |first=Renata |last2=Canby |first2=Vincent |last3=Thompson |first3=Howard |date=1968-12-21 |title=The Screen: 'Ice Station Zebra' at the Cinerama |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1968/12/21/archives/the-screen-ice-station-zebra-at-the-cinerama.html |access-date=2024-05-13 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The film was budgeted at $8&nbsp; million.<ref name="budget" /> Principal photography lasted 19 weeks, ending in October 1967.<ref name="Hudson" /> By the time it was finished the cost had risen to $10&nbsp; million.<ref name="cost">{{cite news | title=Metro-Goldwyn Omits Dividend; O'Brien Resigns: Board Cites Possible Loss Of Up to $19 Million in The Current Fiscal Year; Bronfman Named Chairman | work=Wall Street Journal | date=27 May 1969 | page=2}}</ref>
 
''Ice Station Zebra'' was photographed in [[Super Panavision 70]] by [[Daniel L. Fapp]]. The fictional nuclear-powered submarine ''Tigerfish'' (SSN-509) was portrayed in the movie by the [[Diesel–electric transmission|diesel-electric]] [[Greater Underwater Propulsion Power Program#GUPPY IIA program|Guppy IIA]] class sub {{USS|Ronquil|SS-396}} when seen on the surface. For submerging and surfacing scenes, the diesel-electric [[Greater Underwater Propulsion Power Program#GUPPY IA program|Guppy IA]] {{USS|Blackfin}} (SS-322) was used, near [[Pearl Harbor]]. The underwater scenes used a model of a {{sclass|Skate|submarine|0}} nuclear submarine. [[George Davis (art director)|George Davis]], head of the art department at MGM, spent two years researching interior designs for the submarine.<ref name="budget" />
 
[[Second unit]] [[Camera operator|cameraman]] [[John M. Stephens]] developed an innovative underwater camera system that successfully filmed the first continuous dive of a submarine, which became the subject of a documentary featurette, ''The Man Who Makes a Difference''.<ref>{{YouTube|DoW4T0CikOw|The Man Who Makes The Difference (1968)}}</ref>
 
During filming, [[Patrick McGoohan]] had to be rescued from a flooded chamber by a diver who freed his trapped foot, saving his life.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/4242255/Patrick-McGoohan.html | title=Obituary: Patrick McGoohan | work=The Telegraph | date=15 January 2009 | access-date=20 September 2019 | archive-date=23 January 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200123095013/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/4242255/Patrick-McGoohan.html | url-status=live }}</ref> As he was also making his [[television]] series ''[[The Prisoner]]'' during principal photography on ''Ice Station Zebra'', McGoohan had the episode "[[Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling]]" re-written to have the mind of [[Number Six (The Prisoner)|his character]] transferred into the body of another character.<ref>{{cite news | title=Actor McGoohan Sees Films, TV as Blessing and Threat | author=Lois Dickert Armstrong | work=Los Angeles Times | date=5 November 1967 | page=D12}}</ref>
 
== Release ==
''Ice Station Zebra'' was released in some theaters in the [[Cinerama]] format.<ref name=":0" /> However, it was not popular with audiences, losing substantial money.<ref>{{Cite web|title=John Sturges - Rotten Tomatoes|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/john_sturges|access-date=2020-08-07|website=www.rottentomatoes.com|language=en|archive-date=2020-08-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200828140737/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/john_sturges|url-status=live}}</ref> It premiered at the [[Cinerama Dome]] in [[Los Angeles]] on October 23, 1968, andwhere Rock Hudson was heckled at the premiere.<ref name="NYDN">{{cite news|last1=Cutler |first1=Jacqueline|title= Rock Hudson: A life of running, from himself|url= https://www.nydailynews.com/features/ny-fea-rock-hudson-book-20181209-story.html|access-date=19 January 2023|work=[[New York Daily News]] |publisher=The New York Daily News|date=December 8, 2018}}</ref> The film opened to the general public the following day.<ref name=AFI/> The film earned [[theatrical rental]]s of $4.6&nbsp;million domestically.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Ice Station Zebra|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/22940|access-date=2020-08-07|website=catalog.afi.com|archive-date=2020-12-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201204162938/https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/22940|url-status=live}}</ref>
 
The escalating production costs of this film, along with the poorly-received ''[[The Shoes of the Fisherman (movie)|The Shoes of the Fisherman]]'' at the same time, led to the transfer of MGM President [[Robert O'Brien (executive)|Robert O'Brien]] to [[Chairman|chairman of the board]], though he resigned that position in early 1969, after both films were released and failed to recoup their costs.<ref name="cost" />
 
== Reception==
On [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the film has a 47% rating based on 15 reviews with an average rating of 5.30/10.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ice_station_zebra |title=Ice Station Zebra |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |access-date=March 1, 2024 }}</ref> On [[Metacritic]] it has a weighted average score of 49% based on reviews from 9 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ice Station Zebra |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/ice-station-zebra/ |website=[[Metacritic]] |access-date=March 1, 2024 }}</ref>
''Ice Station Zebra'' received mixed reviews from critics.
 
On December 21, 1968, [[Renata Adler]] reviewed the film for ''[[The New York Times]]'': "a fairly tight, exciting, Saturday night adventure story that suddenly goes all muddy in its crises... It doesn't make much difference, though... The special effects, of deep water, submarine and ice, are convincing enough—a special Super Panavision, Metrocolor, Cinerama claustrophobia... (The cast) are all stock types, but the absolute end of the movie—when the press version of what happened at a Russian-American polar confrontation goes out to the world—has a solid, non-stock irony that makes this another good, man's action movie, (there are no women in it) to eat popcorn by."<ref>{{Cite news|last1=Adler|first1=Renata|last2=Canby|first2=Vincent|last3=Thompson|first3=Howard|date=1968-12-21|title=The Screen: 'Ice Station Zebra' at the Cinerama|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1968/12/21/archives/the-screen-ice-station-zebra-at-the-cinerama.html|access-date=2020-08-07|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=2019-05-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190506132732/https://www.nytimes.com/1968/12/21/archives/the-screen-ice-station-zebra-at-the-cinerama.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
 
In the March 1969 issue of ''[[Harper's Magazine]]'', [[Robert Kotlowitz]] wrote: "... a huge production, one of those massive jobs that swallow us alive... For action it has crash dives, paratroopers, Russian spies, off-course satellites, and a troop of Marines, the average age of whom seems to be fourteen. It also has Rock Hudson...Patrick McGoohan...Ernest Borgnine, Jim Brown, and enough others to field maybe three football teams. And best of all there is also some nice suspense and pacing for at least two-thirds of the movie's three-hour length. It comes apart a bit only when the mystery starts to unravel; but that is the nature of mysteries..." Kotlowitz's review suggests that seeing the film in theaters equipped for [[Super Panavision 70]] played a significant role in a viewer's experience: <blockquote>What really got me was the kind of details that the immense, curving Cinerama screen was able to offer... Every single glistening drop of bow spray can be seen as it comes pouring over the submarine's surface, caught by a camera strapped to the conning tower. There are beautiful abstract patterns made by the sub as it cuts its way through the North Sea, all the gleaming, meticulous, finely wrought, intricate machinery inside the sub, and huge chunks of mountainous ice hanging down from the roof of the ice cap like molars. Nothing could distract me from that screen, not even several minutes of confused story-telling at the end of the film... Buy some popcorn and see the movie.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Harper's magazine : Alden, Henry Mills, 1836–1919 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming|url=https://archive.org/details/harpersmagazine238alde|access-date=2020-08-07|website=Internet Archive|language=en}}</ref></blockquote>At the time of the film's release [[Variety (magazine)|''Variety'']]'s brief review praised it, highlighting the performances: "Film’s biggest acting asset is McGoohan, who gives his scenes that elusive ‘star’ magnetism. He is a most accomplished actor with a three-dimensional presence all his own. Hudson comes across quite well as a man of muted strength. Borgnine's characterization is a nicely restrained one. Brown, isolated by script to a suspicious personality, makes the most of it."<ref>{{Cite web|date=1968-01-01|title=Ice Station Zebra|url=https://variety.com/1967/film/reviews/ice-station-zebra-1200421623/|access-date=2020-08-07|website=Variety|language=en|archive-date=2020-12-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201201052117/https://variety.com/1967/film/reviews/ice-station-zebra-1200421623/|url-status=live}}</ref>
 
In April 1969, [[Roger Ebert]] of the ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'' described it as "so flat and conventional that its three moments of interest are an embarrassment" and called it "a dull, stupid movie". He expressed disappointment that the special effects did not, in his opinion, live up to advance claims, comparing them unfavorably to the effects in ''[[2001: A Space Odyssey (film)|2001: A Space Odyssey]]''.<ref name="ebert">{{cite web |last=Ebert |first=Roger |author-link=Roger Ebert |title=Ice Station Zebra |work=[[Chicago Sun-Times]] |date=April 21, 1969 |url=http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/ice-station-zebra-1969 |access-date=September 30, 2015 |archive-date=October 1, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151001131743/http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/ice-station-zebra-1969 |url-status=live }}</ref> (MGM pulled the hugely successful ''2001: A Space Odyssey'' from Cinerama venues in order to make way for ''Ice Station Zebra''.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Ice Station Zebra (1968) |url=http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/783/Ice-Station-Zebra/trivia.html|access-date=2020-08-07|website=Turner Classic Movies|language=en|archive-date=2017-06-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170620054130/http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/783/Ice-Station-Zebra/trivia.html|url-status=live}}</ref>)
 
Writing for TCM, Lang Thompson calls the film "a nifty thriller of spies, submarines and saboteurs that captivated no less a personage than [[Howard Hughes]], who reportedly watched it hundreds of times.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Chun |first1=Rene |title=Howard Hughes had an epic screening room installed in his Vegas hotel suite. We've recreated it. |url=https://www.wired.com/2015/12/howard-hughess-screening-room/ |access-date=26 August 2022 |magazine=Wired}}</ref> You certainly won't regret watching it once."<ref>{{Cite web|title=Ice Station Zebra|url=http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/66962%7C0/Ice-Station-Zebra.html|access-date=2020-08-07|website=Turner Classic Movies|archive-date=2017-03-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170317013022/http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/66962%7C0/Ice-Station-Zebra.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Thompson is referring to the fact that "In the era before [[Videocassette recorder|VCRs]], [[Howard Hughes]] would call the [[Las Vegas]] TV station he owned and order them to run a particular movie. Hughes so loved ''Ice Station Zebra'' that it aired in Las Vegas over 100 times."<ref>{{Cite web|title=Ice Station Zebra (1968) |url=http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/783/Ice-Station-Zebra/trivia.html|access-date=2020-08-07|website=Turner Classic Movies|language=en|archive-date=2017-06-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170620054130/http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/783/Ice-Station-Zebra/trivia.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
 
In the September/October 1996 issue of ''[[Film Comment]]'', Directordirector [[John Carpenter]] contributed to the magazine's long-running Guilty Pleasures feature.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The guilty pleasures of great directors|url=https://news.avclub.com/the-guilty-pleasures-of-great-directors-1798249329|access-date=2020-08-07|website=News|date=13 July 2016 |language=en-us|archive-date=2020-08-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200815042431/https://news.avclub.com/the-guilty-pleasures-of-great-directors-1798249329|url-status=live}}</ref> He included ''Ice Station Zebra'' on his list, asking "Why do I love this movie so much?"<ref>{{Cite web|title=John Carpenter Interview|url=http://www.oocities.org/j_nada/carp/interview/filmcom.html|access-date=2020-08-07|website=www.oocities.org|archive-date=2020-10-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201023120539/http://www.oocities.org/j_nada/carp/interview/filmcom.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
 
=== Accolades ===
As of August 2020, ''Ice Station Zebra'' holds a 47% "Rotten" rating on the review aggregator [[Rotten Tomatoes]].
 
== Awards and nominations ==
''Ice Station Zebra'' was nominated in two categories at the [[41st Academy Awards]], for [[Academy Award for Best Visual Effects#1960s 2|Best Special Visual Effects]] (nominees: [[Hal Millar]] and [[Joseph McMillan Johnson]], won by ''[[2001: A Space Odyssey (film)|2001: A Space Odyssey]]'') and [[Academy Award for Best Cinematography#1960s|Best Cinematography]] (nominee: [[Daniel L. Fapp]], won by ''[[Romeo and Juliet (1968 film)|Romeo and Juliet]]'').
 
== Similar historical events ==
The plot has parallels to events from April 1959 concerning [[Discoverer 2]], a missing experimental US [[Corona (satellite)|Corona]] satellite capsule that inadvertently landed near [[Spitsbergen]], Norway, in the Arctic Ocean on April 13. It was believed to have been recovered by Soviet agents. In 2006, the US [[National Reconnaissance Office]] declassified information stating that "an individual formerly possessing Corona access was the technical adviser to the movie" and admitted "the resemblance of the loss of the Discoverer II capsule, and its probable recovery by the Soviets" on Spitsbergen Island.<ref>{{Cite web | title = National Reconnaissance Office Review and Redaction Guide, Appendix F | url = http://www.fas.org/irp/nro/declass.pdf | page = 155 | year = 2006 | access-date = 2016-07-12 | archive-date = 2012-10-19 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121019201139/http://www.fas.org/irp/nro/declass.pdf | url-status = live }}</ref> The story has parallels with the CIA's Project [[Project COLDFEET|<small>COLDFEET</small>]], which took place in May–June 1962. In this operation, two American officers parachuted from a CIA-operated [[Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress]] to an abandoned Soviet ice station. They were picked up three days later by the B-17 using the [[Fulton surface-to-air recovery system]].
 
The sabotage aboard the submarine that nearly resulted in its sinking is based on the loss of the Royal Navy's {{HMS|Thetis|N25|6}} in [[Liverpool Bay]] in 1939.<ref>{{Cite news | title=Moments that shocked North Wales: The sinking of HMS Thetis in 1939 | first=Kelly | last=Williams | date=17 April 2013 | work=Daily Post | url=https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/nostalgia/how-hms-thetis-sank-coast-2729422 | access-date=20 September 2019 | archive-date=21 September 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190921011538/https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/nostalgia/how-hms-thetis-sank-coast-2729422 | url-status=live }}</ref> In its case, however, the drip cock was accidentally blocked on the newly built craft by fresh paint, which led to the rear cap being opened while the bow cap was already open to the sea. Water entered at the rate of one ton per second and ''Thetis'' sank with the loss of 98 lives. In the movie, the drip cock was intentionally blocked with epoxy glue.
 
==See also==
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* {{AFI film|22940|Ice Station Zebra}}
* {{IMDb title|id=0063121}}
* {{Rotten Tomatoes|ice_station_zebra}}
* {{AllMovie title|24251}}
* {{TCMDb title|id=783}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120120121654/http://www.alistairmaclean.com/Ice-Station-Zebra-%281968%29.html Movie review at AlistairMacLean.com]
* [https://www.in70mm.com/presents/1959_super_panavision/1968_ice_station/ “Ice"Ice Station Zebra”Zebra": The North American Roadshow and 70mm Engagements]
 
{{John Sturges}}
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