''Hell Raiders of the Deep'' (Original Italian title: ''I sette dell'Orsa maggiore'' 'The Seven Men of Great Bear') is 1953 Italian film based on the events of the Raid on Alexandria in 1941 by frogmen of the

Decima Flottiglia MAS The ''Decima Flottiglia MAS'' (''Decima Flottiglia Motoscafi Armati Siluranti'', also known as ''La Decima'' or Xª MAS) (Italian for "10th Assault Vehicle Flotilla") was an Italian flotilla, with commando frogman unit, of the ''Regia Marina'' ...

human torpedo Human torpedoes or manned torpedoes are a type of diver propulsion vehicle on which the diver rides, generally in a seated position behind a fairing. They were used as secret naval weapons in World War II. The basic concept is still in use. ...

es. It was released in the United Kingdom as ''Human Torpedoes'' and in France and Belgium as ''Panique à Gibraltar'' (''Panic in Gibraltar''). It was directed by

Duilio Coletti Duilio Coletti (28 December 1906 – 22 May 1999) was an Italian film director and screenwriter. He directed 29 films between 1934 and 1977. Career Born in Penne, Abruzzo, he took a degree in medicine and surgery and practiced the profession ...

and produced by

Carlo Ponti Carlo Fortunato Pietro Ponti Sr. (11 December 1912 – 9 January 2007) was an Italian film producer with more than 140 productions to his credit. Along with Dino De Laurentiis, he is credited with reinvigorating and popularizing Italian cinema ...

and Luigi De Laurentiis, with a score by

Nino Rota Giovanni Rota Rinaldi (; 3 December 1911 – 10 April 1979), better known as Nino Rota (), was an Italian composer, pianist, conductor and academic who is best known for his film scores, notably for the films of Federico Fellini and Luchino Visco ...

and a screenplay by

Giuseppe Berto Giuseppe Berto (27 December 1914 – 1 November 1978) was an Italian writer and screenwriter. He is mostly known for his novels ''Il cielo è rosso'' (''The Sky Is Red'') and ''Il male oscuro''. He was a prisoner at Camp Hereford from 194 ...

and Marcantonio Bragadin

Plot

The events are a little modified and presented in a more favorable way for the Royal Navy. Namely, the damaging of HMS ''Valiant'' is just mentioned in a statement at the end of the movie, the two Italians are evacuated from the room under sea level before the explosion while in reality they had been placed there again after Durand De La Penne had told Morgan about the next explosion, and lastly the news suppression about the ships' damage is presented as much more effective than it was (actually after only a few days the Italian command was informed about the result of the operation). Maiale

Cast

The film included some real members of Decima Flottiglia MAS as support actors in the cast, including Luigi Ferraro, the inspiration for the film ''

Mizar (Sabotaggio in mare) ''Mizar'' or ''Mizar (Sabotaggio in mare)'' (''Mizar (Sabotage at sea)'') is a 1954 Italian war film directed by Francesco De Robertis. It is notable as the second of only two films produced by Film Costellazione. It was released in France as '' ...

''. The main cast included

Pierre Cressoy Pierre Cressoy (born Pierre Jules Lazare Cresson; March 25, 1924 – October 31, 1980) was a French film actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional m ...

Paolo Panelli Paolo Panelli (15 July 1925 – 18 May 1997) was an Italian comedian and film actor. He appeared in 55 films between 1948 and 1996. He was married to Bice Valori. Selected filmography * '' Guarany'' (1948) * ''Arrivederci, papà!'' (1948) ...

and Paul Müller and a debut cameo by

Tino Carraro Agostino Carraro (1 December 1910 – 12 January 1995) was an Italian stage, television and film actor. Life and career Born in Milan, Carraro started acting at young age in several amateur stage companies. Carraro then graduated at the , ...

. It was the first film appearance for

Eleonora Rossi Drago Eleonora Rossi Drago, born Palmira Omiccioli, (23 September 1925 – 2 December 2007) was an Italian film actress. She was born in Quinto al Mare, Genoa, Italy, and had the leading role in ''Le amiche''. She appeared in ''Un maledetto imbro ...

, Riccardo Garrone and

Mimmo Poli Mimmo Poli (born Domenico Poli, April 11, 1920 – April 4, 1986) was an Italian film character actor. Career He was one of the best known and most active characters of Italian cinema; in his thirty-five-year career he boasted an immense filmo ...

and also features Charles Fawcett, one of the few actors to appear in more than one Coletti film.

References

1953 films 1953 war films Italian Campaign of World War II films World War II submarine films Italian war films 1950s Italian-language films Italian black-and-white films Italian World War II films 1950s Italian films Films with screenplays by Giuseppe Berto {{WWII-film-stub