20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
(1916)
    One of the first epic, big-budget movies of the silent era, this sci-fi classic based on Jules Verne's novel recounts the tale of the notorious, power-mad Capt. Nemo (Allen Holubar). Driven by years of bitterness, Nemo plans to use the Nautilus -- his fantastic, revolutionary submarine -- to rule the waves and exact revenge on the world. The film's astonishing underwater photography, which was far ahead of its time, still inspires awe.

The Bedford Incident
(1965)
    At the peak of Cold War tensions, a U.S. naval ship discovers a Soviet submarine in the North Atlantic and scrutinizes its every move. As the ship's commander, Capt. Findlander (Richard Widmark), pushes forward, relations between crew members become strained, and a battle of wits ensues. Sidney Poitier plays an unforturnate reporter who interviews the captain but gets more of a story than he wanted as the drama builds to an edgy climax.

The Blue Planet: Seas of Life: Open Ocean - The Deep
(2001)
    David Attenborough narrates these two episodes of the BBC's acclaimed nature series, featuring new discoveries and photographic breakthroughs in this amazing look at undersea life. "Open Ocean" travels thousands of miles of "marine desert," where many of the ocean's most spectacular predators live. "The Deep" explores a world of perpetual night, mountain ranges, extreme pressures and cold, and spotlights some of the planet's strangest life forms.

Crimson Tide
(1995)
    Controversy boils over when Soviet rebels point nuclear weapons at the United States, and a message for the nuclear-missile sub U.S.S. Alabama gets cut off during transmission. Capt. Frank Ramsey (Gene Hackman) thinks he's been ordered to launch a pre-emptive strike, while Lt. Cmdr. Ron Hunter (Denzel Washington) believes the submarine has been ordered to stand down. Will the Alabama prevent a nuclear holocaust, or start one?

Das Boot
(1981)
    Nominated for six Academy Awards, this edge-of-your-seat German-language triumph follows the trials of a German U-boat crew during World War II. Upon its restored re-release in 1997, an hour was added to the original film, which surprisingly augmented its impact. It also played as a six-hour German miniseries. In all its forms, the realistic and gripping battle scenes and palpable human struggle make Das Boot a critical hit.

The Enemy Below
(1957)
    In this World War II film, Robert Mitchum and Curt Jurgens are two captains with extraordinary abilities who each command a vessel during the Battle of the Atlantic. Only problem is, they're commanding two vessels on opposite sides of the battlefield -- the USS Haynes and a German U-boat. Who will prevail?

Finding Nemo
(2003)
    Pixar has created another amazing animated adventure, this time heading underwater as two plucky fish, Marlin and Dory (voiced by Albert Brooks and Ellen DeGeneres), search high and low for Marlin's missing son, Nemo (Alexander Gould). In addition to the other much-loved ocean-dwelling characters in this box office recordbreaker, this widescreen version includes deleted scenes, a making-of documentary, "The Art of Nemo" featurette and more.

Ghosts of the Abyss
(2003)
    Academy Award-winning director James Cameron journeys back to the site of his greatest inspiration: the legendary wreck of the Titanic. Accompanied by actor Bill Paxton and a crew of historical experts, filmmakers and scientists, Cameron explores the wreckage inside and out -- and shows us why this vessel, more than any other shipwreck, continues to intrigue the public. Includes both the original theatrical version and an extended cut.

Hitler's Lost Sub: Nova
(2000)
    NOVA explores the mystery behind a sunken German U-boat submarine discovered by divers off the shores of New Jersey some 50 years after World War II. Follow the divers in their 6-year quest to learn the submarine's history, its intended mission and how it ended up at the bottom of the ocean so close to American soil. When the investigation points to Nazi code-breakers, the team heads to Germany to present some revised World War II history.

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
(2004)
    Eccentric oceanographer Steve Zissou (Bill Murray) and his crew find themselves in troubled waters when they attempt to track down the mysterious "jaguar shark" that ate Zissou's partner while they were filming a documentary of their latest adventure. Zissou also contends with a beautiful, inquiring journalist (Cate Blanchett) and a new member of the team who could be his own long-lost son (Owen Wilson). Anjelica Huston and Willem Dafoe co-star.

National Geographic: Lost Subs: Disaster at Sea
(2002)
    From the National Geographic Explorer series, this documentary takes an in-depth look at four submarine accidents -- the forces that brought the machines down, the tragedy of lives lost and the heroism of the submariners who sacrificed themselves to save others. Submarines profiled are the K-19 and Kursk from the Soviet Union and the USS Thresher and Squalus.

The Hunt for Red October
(1990)
    Red alert! All hell breaks loose when the Red October -- a Soviet nuclear submarine headed toward American waters -- abruptly drops off U.S. scanners. But as the Yanks scramble to take defensive steps, astute CIA analyst Jack Ryan (Alec Baldwin) convinces the bigwigs that the sub's renegade commander (Sean Connery) has something other than a first strike in mind. A perilous cat-and-mouse game ensues in this taut technothriller.

The Incredible Mr. Limpet
(1964)
    Based on the novel by Theodore Pratt, this quaint little children's fantasy leads the viewer on a deep-sea adventure. Henry Limpet (Don Knotts), a bespectacled, milquetoast bookkeeper, loves his pet fish so much that he longs to be one. When Henry's wish comes true and he's turned into a talking fish, the simple ocean life he'd envisioned proves more exciting than mundane as he helps the U.S. Navy defeat the Nazis during World War II!

Run Silent, Run Deep
(1958)
    A hard-driving, dedicated submarine officer has a single-minded purpose; to seek out and smash the Japanese destroyer he believes sunk his former ship. He confronts his foe, unaware that an even greater enemy lurks nearby.

Submarine X-1
(1969)
    Based on a true story from the files of the British War Office, this taut World War II drama follows the top secret mission of submarine commander Richard Bolton (James Caan). After Nazis sink his sub, The Gauntlet, Bolton is assigned to head up a plan to destroy the same warship that downed his vessel. Bolton's men will use tiny subs to plant explosives on the German ship as it undergoes repairs. David Sumner and Rupert Davies costar.

U-571
(2000)
    It's 1942, and the Nazis are decisively winning the war at sea, thanks to the Enigma encoding device that makes the German ciphering system unbreakable. Facing tremendous risks for the greater good of the Allies, American submariners Lt. Andrew Tyler (Matthew McConaughey), Lt. Cmdr. Mike Dahlgren (Bill Paxton), Lt. Pete Emmett (Jon Bon Jovi) and others undertake a mission to steal the Enigma in director Jonathan Mostow's Oscar-winning thriller.

Yellow Submarine
(1968)
    A must for Beatles fans … and everyone else! The Fab Four's first (and only) animated feature sees the boys trying to save Pepperland from the scourge of the Blue Meanies. It's a slender peg, but strong enough to mount such gems as "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds," When I'm 64" and "All You Need Is Love." As always, puns, non sequiturs and surrealistic flights of fancy abound.