Ten Seconds to Hell

Plot synopsis:
In post-war Berlin, British Major Haven (Richard Wattis) recruits members of a returning German bomb disposal unit, Hans Globke (James Goodwin), Peter Tillig (Dave Willock), Wolfgang Sulke (Wesley Addy), Franz Loeffler (Robert Cornthwaite), Karl Wirtz (Chandler) and Eric Koertner (Palance), to defuse unexploded Allied bombs scattered throughout the city.
Delighted by the well-paying position, Karl bets Eric that he will outlive him. Although initially taken aback by the wager, the other men soon agree that half of their salaries will go to the survivors of the dangerous mission in three months' time. The British provide the men new uniforms and equipment, and assign Frau Bauer (Virginia Baker) as their liaison. Karl volunteers to lead the unit, but the men vote for the reluctant Eric instead.
Later, Karl and Eric move into an Allied-approved boarding house run by pretty young widow Margot Hoefler (Carol), a French woman whose German husband died during the war.
Several weeks go by in which the men successfully and safely defuse numerous bombs; then the men are stunned when young Globke is killed while defusing a British 1000-pound bomb. Suspecting that the bomb has double fuses, Eric asks Haven to request information from British armaments on its design. At the boardinghouse, Karl continually flirts with Margot, to Eric's annoyance. One evening when Margot loudly protests Karl's drunken advances, Eric bursts into Margot's room to help her and Karl retreats, ridiculing Eric for his motives. Deducing that Eric disapproves of her behavior, Margot explains that her uneasy situation as a traitor to the French and an outsider to the Germans has left her jaded and willing to take happiness wherever she can find it. When Eric remains critical, Margot accuses him of denying his own desires.
A few days later, Frau Bauer receives a report that Tillig has been trapped under a live bomb by the partial collapse of a ruined building. With the other men away on assignments, Eric and Karl race to the site, and despite Tillig's protests, inspect the bomb. After Eric defuses the bomb safely, a doctor arrives and upon examining Tillig declares there is no chance for his survival. Refusing to accept the pronouncement, Eric hurries outside to request equipment to lift the bomb, but as Karl expresses his doubts, the building collapses on Tillig and the doctor. Distraught, Eric returns to the boardinghouse where he seeks solace from Margot. The next day, Eric takes Margot to another ruined section of the city and reveals that before the war he was an architect. Eric struggles to conceal his growing feelings for Margot, admitting that he is confused about becoming romantically involved while his life is in danger daily.
Back at headquarters, Haven tells Eric that because of the post-war chaos, they have been unable to gather information on the thousand-pound bombs. When Haven discloses that he knows of Eric's former profession, Karl, unaware that his colleague was an esteemed architect, expresses surprise. Eric tells Haven that he was forced into demolitions when he fell into disfavor for making anti-Nazi political statements. Karl and the other men were all pressed into demolitions as punishment for some indiscretion and all vowed to do everything they could to survive the war. Mocking Eric's growing anxiety, Karl urges him to quit the unit and give up the wager, but Eric refuses.
A month before the wager's deadline, Sulke is killed while defusing a double fused bomb. Eric, Loeffler and the men agree to adhere to the terms of the wager but discuss giving the salaries to Sulke's widow and child. When Eric presents the proposal to Karl, he scoffs at the suggestion, explaining that his motto has always been to look after himself. The next day Loeffler is called to defuse a bomb found in a canal. Later, Eric learns that Loeffler has drowned in the attempt. That afternoon when Margot urges Eric to give up the bet and quit the unit, Eric explains he must know whether he can triumph over Karl's greed and selfishness.
A few days later, Karl is assigned to defuse a thousand-pound bomb and Eric joins him at the site to make an inspection. The men discuss a strategy to avoid the potential second fuse, then Eric departs, but worriedly hovers nearby. After removing the top of the bomb, Karl gently handles the cap then abruptly calls for help, claiming the detonator pin has slipped. Eric rushes in and provides a pencil, which he offers to hold in place of the pin while Karl retrieves his tools from the landing. Moments later, Eric is stunned when the rope Karl used earlier to remove the top pulls tautly across his hand, forcing him to release the pencil. The bomb does not explode, however, and Eric realizes that Karl has tried to kill him. Eric punches Karl in the face. Once Karl gets back on his feet, he says, "Guess it's still my bomb." Eric replies, "Still your bomb." Eric then gets his coat and walks away. Karl resumes defusing the bomb. Once Eric is a safe distance away, the bomb explodes, killing Karl.
The film closes after saluting the efforts of the ordnance removal teams, which have allowed Berlin to rebuild.

Tags: violence, philosophical, romantic

Review:
Fatalistic post-war drama about German bomb squad..
Six nonconformed former German soldiers work for the British occupation forces on defusing blind shells in Berlin.
The men, of very different characters, make a bet, that those who stay alive should get half of all their pays.
So it comes to the showdown between Koertner (Jack Palance) and Wirtz (Jeff Chandler), who also compete for the affection of their host Margot (Martine Carol).This exciting adventure movie is staged carefully by past master Robert Aldrich.
He shows in fascinating details bomb deactivation and the atmosphere of Berlin lying in ruins - a striking metaphor for the devastated lifes of the characters!
Chandler and Palance are believable in their roles.
Psychological it impress through the description of the fatefully scratched squad, whose members are not able to get out of this suicidal job.In short: A depressing but exciting look on World War II survivors, who battle for the reorganization of their lifes..
Ferociously suspense movie about a bomb disposal unit currently stationed in Berlin.
Good picture and efficiently made by Robert Aldrich in which a bunch of two-fisted characters confront deadly on a survival game during post-WWII .
An intense portrayal of elite soldiers who have one of the most dangerous jobs in the world : disarming bombs in the heat of Berlin .
It depicts a microcosm of a highly trained bomb disposal team amidst a violent aftermath .
At the end of the Second World War six German ex-soldiers return to Berlin and set up as a bomb disposal group to carry out their dangerous assignments and a subsequent bet .
They are led by Karl Wirtz (Jeff Chandler in a strange villain character) , a selfish renegade for who the thrill of the dismantlement seems to be the ultimate goal regardless of the safety of his fellow team members ; Karl's true role reveals itself in a way that will change each man forever .
And Eric Koertner (Jack Palance) who knows his place and duty and trusts others in the army to carry out theirs as well as he .
They are constantly worried that an error or misjudgment on his part will lead to the death of an innocent civilian or a military colleague .
As the tough and valiant men struggle to control their destinations .
They , then , agree a wager : If a man dies in the course of the job , his share is to be divided among the others and if only one survives he takes it all .
As two tons of buried bomb and now two men must pit their lives against its treacherous fuse , two artificiers who had only one thing in common , the same woman (Martine Carol) .This is an exciting blockbuster about to explode dealing with German demolition workers after WWWII , in which there are thrills , intrigue , suspense , sometimes stirring scenes and a loving triangle between Chandler/Martine Carol/Palance .
A full-tilt intriguing picture in which director Aldrich turns the discipline of action filmmaking into a kind of visceral visual poetry .
Thus , this motion picture serves as not only a look into an important aspect of German history , showing an interesting studio of engaging characters , too .
While the members face their own internal issues , they have to make safe the place and to be aware of any person at the bomb sites .
This is a flick where role development plays second fiddle to inbuilt intrigue as well as emotion ; concerning a similar plot to subsequently Oscarized ¨The hurt lock¨ (2008) by Kathryn Bigelow , in which some armorers to defuse bombs , make safe location and people ; however some of who may be bombers themselves .
It was realized by the British Hammer-Seven Arts Company presided by Michael Carreras , made by American Aldrich and being filmed on location in a destroyed Berlin and with Brits , French , German and American players in the cast .
It stars by Jeff Chandler and Jack Palance as bomb disposal experts , both of whom give excellent performances .
As Jeff Chandler slowly reveals the strength , confidence , unpredictability and finally badness of his role .
Jack Palance enjoys himself throughly in a rare character .
This motion picture of mixed origins was well directed , here Robert Aldrich gave a tense and brilliant direction .
However , director Aldrich had his name taken off the credits as Producer because the studio cut a half-hour out of the picture without telling him , and he believed that unless they put that footage back in , the film made no sense .
Aldrich began writing and directing for TV series in the early 1950s , and made his first feature in 1953 (Big Leaguer , 1953) .
Soon thereafter he established his own production company and produced most of his own films , collaborating in the writing of many of them .
Directed in a considerable plethora of genres but almost all of his films contained a subversive undertone .
Robert shot various different actors in Oscar-nominated performances : Victor Buono , Bette Davis , Agnes Moorehead , Ian Bannen , Jack Palance and John Cassavetes .
Two of Aldrich's movies : Veracruz (1954) and Deadly kiss (1955) are now considered to be among the most influential films of the 1950s .
He was an expert on warlike genre (Dirty Dozen , The Angry Hills , Attack , Ten seconds to hell) and Western (The Frisko kid , Ulzana's raid , Apache , Veracruz , The last sunset) .
Memorable Film.
To put this in context, I saw this in an outdoor theater at the Marine base at Camp Pendelton, California in 1959.
I can't tell you how many movies I have seen in my life time, and how very few I remember.
This is the movie that came to my mind when I read of Jack Palance's death.
It was a guy film all the way, I mean Jeff Chandler and Jack Palance in the same flick?
After nearly 50 years, I still remember so well how the film had me sitting on the edge of my seat.
The suspense related to "will this bomb go off and kill the guy" was tremendous.
Remember that in it's original form the film was black and white.
I can still remember the details of the defusing of the bombs, and how sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't.
A fine movie in it's time..
Good post world war two drama..
I found this film on the shelf at the local video store in a nondescript white box which listed only the title, the two leads, and only mentioned that it was a Hammer film.
But I was curious about a Hammer film that starred Jack Palance and Jeff Chandler, so I decided to rent it.
I at first thought it would be a British crime thriller.
Little did I expect it to be a post WW2 drama about a group of former German soldiers in charge of a bomb disposal unit.
I won't go any further into the plot since the previous reviewer says most of whats important to know.
The first half of this film is a bit slow, but then picks up speed and becomes really interesting.
It was also interesting to see a reversal in roles for the two leads; Jack Palance who usually played villains, plays the hero here, while Jeff Chandler, who usually played heroes,plays the heavy in this one.
The one thing that intrigues me about this film, is how an American director, a mostly American cast, ended up making a film produced by a British film company with a British crew, shot on locations in Berlin, with interiors shot at Berlins UFA studios..
How Can You Go Wrong With Robert Aldrich, Hammer Films, Jeff Chandler and Jack Palance?.
The answer to that question is, "You can't!" I saw this film when it first came out in 1959, and I recently had the opportunity to see it again after 49 long years on Turner Classic Movies.
I think the thing that makes this film so memorable to me is that the two leading actors Jeff Chandler and Jack Palance were given the opportunity to "break the mold" so to speak.
Chandler who always played "the good guy" and "Palance" who always played "the bad guy" got the opportunity to switch roles.
Earlier in their careers Chandler played a Roman Soldier (good guy) opposite Palance's Attila (bad guy) in "Sign of the Pagan".
Chandler appears to be having a ball with the role of Karl Wirtz.
His speech about how his Uncle Oscar taught him how to "look out for number ono" is reminiscent of the Burt Lancaster (Joe Erin) speech about the man who raised him (Ace Hannah) and how he double crossed him as well in "Vera Cruz".
Interstingly enough, both films "Ten Seconds To Hell" and "Vera Cruz" were both directed by Robert Aldrich.
The film's plot is about a German Bomb Disposal Unit working for the British after WWII which make a pact that the survivors will split the spoils of their labor after the job is finished.
The texture and mood of the black and white film adds to the suspense of the film.
One of both Chandler and Palance's best films..
The dirty dozen in miniature..
Okay there 's only half-a-dozen in this movie and they are not dirty but there's a strong analogy between "ten seconds to hell" and the 1967 work: a group of men,going for broke ,bound to die one after the other.
Jack Palance is impressive in a non-villain part,and his character displays tension,emotion and compassion.Jeff Chandler is also very effective .The defusing scenes have a near-documentary side which makes them very convincing .The main flaw is Martine Carol's part :her character did not seem to appeal to Aldrich and her scenes come at the most awkward moment.This is the umpteenth story of the French girl who loved (and married) a German and now is looked upon as a traitor to her country.This is a man's story which leaves no place for women as "whatever happened to Baby Jane" is an Aldrich woman's film where men have nothing to do with..
TEN SECONDS TO HELL (Robert Aldrich, 1959) **1/2.
I watched this in a colorized version (shudder, I know!), but I guess it's better than nothing!!
This is yet another war-themed film for Aldrich but a novel one, dealing with a six-man bomb-disposal unit in Germany after the end of World War II.As such, it's much closer in spirit to the stark (and often hysterical) ATTACK!
(1956) than the sweeping blockbusters - THE DIRTY DOZEN (1967) and TOO LATE THE HRO (1970; see review above) - of the next decade.
Indeed, here, Jack Palance is again given a sympathetic role - while Jeff Chandler, uncharacteristically, essays the villainous type.
Interestingly, the film was made by Britain's House of Horror - Hammer Films (in association with United Artists) - with shooting taking place at Germany's celebrated UFA studios!
Plot-wise, however, the film is somewhat contrived: Palance and Chandler hate each other's guts but still lodge together and, of course, fall for their attractive - and lonely - French landlady (Martine Carol); by the end, only they have survived their dangerous line of work and the two face-off in a literally explosive climax!
While no classic, it's professionally handled and has undeniable moments of power (one of the deaths is filmed in a way that we never see the man's face but, when the remaining members of the group are reconvened, we realize that Wesley Addy is missing; Chandler's story about his uncle teaching him to always look out for himself first and how the latter was the first to suffer for it)..
suspenseful if predictable.
Director Robert Aldrich had his name removed as producer because the studio cut 40 minutes from "Ten Seconds to Hell." He felt without the 40 minutes, the film made no sense.
Actually it does, but possibly some of the footage would have added to the suspense.After the war, German soldiers out of favor with the Reich for a variety of reasons were sent to Berlin to attend to British bombs that hadn't gone off but could if not defused.
Interestingly, in 1979, the show Danger UXB covered the exact plot, but with British soldiers working in London.
It's a very dangerous mission, as the bomb could go off in your face.The team is made up of six people, the main men being a pre-war architect, Koertner (Jack Palance), and an arrogant jerk, Wirtz (Jeff Chandler).
Wes Addy, Robert Comthwaite, David Willick and Jim Goodman make up the rest of the team.
The men bet half their salaries on staying alive, and anyone standing at the end of the mission win the purse.
Koertner is the head of the team, and he and Wirtz both compete for the affections of their landlady, Margot, played by a somewhat overwrought Martine Carol.This is a predictable story but, given the volatility of the bombs, a lot of suspense.
Palance had worked several times with Aldrich and is actually the lead and the good guy rather than the normally heroic Chandler.
Both of them are very good.
This might have been a good film, but it fails..
This might have been a good film, but it failed on more than one count.
I have to compare it to the TV Series "Danger UXB", which, while it had much longer to develop its' story, was infinitely superior.
The technical information in the TV series was much more interesting, and I kept wondering why the methods used in this film were so obviously poor, especially at the end of the war when all the methods, equipment and information should have been superior.
In the finish, I came to the conclusion that this film, based on Lawrence P.
Bachmann's novel "The Phoenix", used the bomb defusing merely as background, and that methods of bomb disposal were poorly understood by the writer, who probably didn't care anyway.
In contrast, it is clear that someone who knew what he was talking about wrote the TV series.
Although not credited in the listing here, I recall someone mentioned in the credits for the series (an Army officer) as a technical advisor, and it shows.We are left, therefore, with viewing this film as an essay on personal conflicts and relationships, and it fails badly on that count as well.
The motivations of the characters are confusing and hard to believe and ultimately uninteresting.
The cast are wasted in this, which is only worth watching if you are sick in bed and have nothing better to do..
It's a dirty job but someone has to do it.
Ten Seconds To Hell is a story about six former German soldiers who have the dirty job of defusing all the unexploded bombs that the RAF Bomber Command under Arthur 'Bomber' Harris left in Berlin post World War II.
During the late hostilities these men incurred the wrath of the Nazis, but apparently not enough to warrant a concentration camp.
Or maybe someone got the bright idea that a person truly expendable in the eyes of the Third Reich was just the kind you want for this work.The six who are led by Jack Palance and Jeff Chandler are working for the British Army and get a salary and extra food rations coupons, something most useful in a devastated Berlin.
But this is a fatalistic group and Chandler proposes a kind of tontine with their salaries as the work has a high fatality rate, last man standing collects the pot.
Of course the last two standing are Palance and Chandler as per the screen billing.These two got a rivalry going over Martine Carol who gets those tired war weary hormones into overdrive.
Not clear whether she's part of the tontine, but she'll take what comes.Ten Seconds To Hell could have been a much better film and certainly the bomb defusing scenes have tension built in.
But the execution seems to fall flat though the cast gives it their best shot..
Odd casting...but a good film..
When "Ten Seconds to Hell" began, I was veyr surprisesd.
After all, I knew the movie was about ex-German soldiers being hired as bomb disposal units following the war.
Yet, surprisingly, the actors playing these Germans were all Americans...and they didn't sound the least big German.
Odd casting...that's for sure and I can only assume some German actors would have loved to have had the chance!
Despite this, it is a pretty good movie.The two big American stars in the unit are Jack Palance and Jeff Chandler...so you know that eventually the film will center on these two.
And, it's true...after several members of their small outfit are blown to bits, there's a rivalry between the nice-guy (Palance) and the selfish sociopath (Chandler).
Who will survive....if any?The plot was very good.
But despite the problems, I still liked the film and recommend you see it..
The Hurt Locker of its day.
TEN SECONDS TO HELL is one of the most atypical Hammer films I can remember seeing.
Other than a few technical credits this has no connection to other Hammer films whatsoever.
It's a post-war thriller, shot in Germany by Hollywood director Robert Aldrich, with an American cast including Jack Palance and Jeff Chandler.
The film is very much like THE HURT LOCKER of its day, featuring a bomb squad working through the ruins of a bombed-out Berlin, striving to save the populace from unexploded ordnance.
What follows is a character-based study in duty, camaraderie and fear, bolstered by some fine bomb-defusing suspense sequences.
Chandler and Palance work well together and if this isn't as good as THE HURT LOCKER that's no surprise; it's still gripping for its day.