Sotto dieci bandiere

"The killer-ship of a thousand disguises!"

Sep 15 1960 Not Rated 1h 28m
Drama, War

"Under Ten Flags" is a WWII movie loosely based on the true story of the German navy commerce raider Atlantis, a converted Auxilliary Cruiser, and her Captain Bernhard Rogge. Atlantis, camouflaged as a merchant ship, cruised the South Seas ( Atlantic, Indian & Pacific) and sank or captured 22 merchant ships from May 1940 through November 22, 1941 when she was sunk by the British Cruiser HMS Devonshire. Rogge was one of the few German officers of flag rank who were not arrested by the Allies after the war ended. This was due to the very proper and ethical way he exercised his command of Atlantis. After the war he advanced to Rear Admiral in the West German Navy and became a high-ranking NATO commander.

Plot

In 1941, the British Admiralty is worried about the large number of Allied ships being destroyed in the Pacific Ocean by a mysterious enemy vessel. Initially, British Admiral Russell suspects that a German submarine is the culprit. However, the few revealed pieces of the mystery point to a German Navy surface warship.The British don't know it yet but the enemy ship in question is the German raider Atlantis commanded by Captain Rogge.His success in sneaking upon unsuspecting enemy vessels is due in large part on Atlantis' ability to disguise itself in a benign, non-combatant, neutral ship.To achieve this ruse, the Atlantis uses props, camouflage, paint, fake foreign flags and even theatrical costumes for its crew to make itself appear something it's not.When Atlantis is close to its prey, it reveals its true identity and opens fire sinking the duped victim. Finally realizing the truth, Admiral Russell decides to set traps in order to persuade Atlantis to reveal its position to a task-force of British warships laying in ambush.But first, Admiral Russell must gain Atlantis' confidence by pretending he's sending his messages from the German Navy High Command.It won't be easy, since the German Navy uses a Flower Grid Code Map to arrange contacts between its various ships. A game of cat and mouse begins.

Written by

Bernhard Rogge, Vittoriano Petrilli, Duilio Coletti

Directed by

Duilio Coletti

Production Countries

United States of America, Italy

Production Companies

Paramount, Dino de Laurentiis Cinematografica

Languages

English

Awards

1 nomination total

Scores
# of Votes
571
Average Rating
6.5 out of 10
Metascore
NA
Popularity
NA