Submarine Attack (1954) — AI Story Visualization

Plot Analysis Summary

A wartime submarine captain transforms attacks on enemy shipping into a dangerous mission to save the victims of those attacks.

Story Structure — 5 Plot Phases

Attacks in the Eastern Atlantic

An Italian submarine conducts successful attacks on enemy merchant shipping during World War II. The consequences of these attacks leave survivors in need of help.

Key Events

• Wartime Atlantic Patrol — An Italian submarine operates in the eastern Atlantic during World War II. Location: Eastern Atlantic Ocean
• Merchant Shipping Sighted — The submarine locates enemy merchant shipping. Location: Eastern Atlantic Ocean
• First Attack Begins — The submarine begins an attack on enemy merchant shipping. Location: Eastern Atlantic Ocean
• Successful Attack — The captain conducts a successful attack against enemy shipping. Location: Eastern Atlantic Ocean
• Survivors Left Adrift — Survivors of the attacked ship remain at sea. Location: Eastern Atlantic Ocean

The Captain Chooses Rescue

The captain begins rescuing the people affected by his attacks. The rescued group includes a Canadian Women's Army Corps member and a dog, revealing the humanitarian direction of the mission.

Key Events

• Rescue Decision — The captain decides to rescue survivors of the attack. Location: Eastern Atlantic Ocean
• First Survivors Aboard — The submarine takes survivors aboard after the attack. Location: Italian submarine
• Canadian Corps Survivor — Among those rescued is a member of the Canadian Women's Army Corps. Location: Italian submarine
• Dog Rescued — A dog is also rescued from the survivors' group. Location: Italian submarine
• Attacks Continue — The submarine continues its successful attacks on enemy shipping. Location: Eastern Atlantic Ocean
• More Survivors Found — Further survivors of the submarine's victims require assistance. Location: Eastern Atlantic Ocean

A Growing Human Burden

The captain's compulsion to save victims intensifies as twenty-four Danish merchant seamen are taken aboard. The submarine's limited space becomes a serious practical problem.

Key Events

• More Survivors Found — Further survivors of the submarine's victims require assistance. Location: Eastern Atlantic Ocean
• Compulsion to Rescue — The captain's repeated need to save victims shapes the mission. Location: Italian submarine
• Danish Seamen Encountered — Twenty-four additional Danish merchant seamen become dependent on rescue. Location: Eastern Atlantic Ocean
• Twenty-Four Taken Aboard — The captain takes twenty-four Danish merchant seamen aboard. Location: Italian submarine
• Interior Space Exhausted — There is no remaining space below the submarine's hull. Location: Inside the submarine

Survivors Above the Hull

With no room below, the Danish seamen are placed under the outside walkway. Their position makes them vulnerable to drowning if the submarine must submerge.

Key Events

• Interior Space Exhausted — There is no remaining space below the submarine's hull. Location: Inside the submarine
• Walkway Shelter — The additional survivors are accommodated under the outside walkway. Location: Walkway outside the hull
• Drowning Risk — The exposed survivors face drowning if the submarine submerges. Location: Walkway outside the hull

The Surface Journey

The submarine remains on the surface and carries the survivors hundreds of miles across the open ocean. The voyage ends when the survivors are put ashore in the Azores.

Key Events

• Surface Voyage Chosen — The submarine remains on the surface to carry the survivors safely. Location: Open Atlantic Ocean
• Long Ocean Crossing — The submarine sails hundreds of miles across the open ocean. Location: Open Atlantic Ocean
• Survivors Reach Azores — The submarine puts the rescued survivors ashore in the Azores. Location: Azores

Story Breakdown

• Atlantic Warfare — The submarine begins its wartime operations against enemy merchant shipping.
  • Eastern Atlantic Patrol — The submarine operates in the eastern Atlantic during World War II.
  • Successful Attacks — The captain conducts successful attacks on enemy merchant shipping.
• Consequences of Attack — The attacks leave survivors at sea and create the moral problem that drives the story.
  • Survivors Adrift — People from the attacked ships remain in need of rescue.
  • Rescue Decision — The captain chooses to save the survivors of his victims.
• Unusual Rescue Group — The rescue expands beyond ordinary wartime expectations.
  • Canadian Corps Member — A member of the Canadian Women's Army Corps is among those rescued.
  • Dog Taken Aboard — A dog is also included among the rescued survivors.
• Danish Seamen Aboard — The captain's compulsion to rescue leads him to accept an additional group of survivors.
  • Twenty-Four Survivors — Twenty-four Danish merchant seamen are taken aboard.
  • Capacity Crisis — The submarine has no remaining space below its hull.
• Danger Outside the Hull — The lack of interior space forces the survivors into an extremely vulnerable position.
  • Walkway Accommodation — The Danish seamen are placed under the walkway outside the hull.
  • Drowning Threat — They risk drowning if the submarine is forced to submerge.
• Azores Deliverance — The submarine undertakes a long surface journey to bring the survivors to safety.
  • Open Ocean Crossing — The submarine sails hundreds of miles across the open ocean on the surface.
  • Survivors Put Ashore — The rescued survivors are finally put ashore in the Azores.

Directed by

Duilio Coletti

Key Cast

• Lois Maxwell — Lili Donald
• Renato Baldini — comandante
• Folco Lulli — nostromo
• Aldo Bufi Landi — tenente
• Carlo Delle Piane — Ciccio