The Periscope Above the Surface: A Study of Auteur Themes in John Ford Films Featuring Submarines

This thesis conducts an auteur analysis of John Ford films containing submarines with the method of textual analysis. The films that are being analyzed are The Blue Eagle (1926), Men Without Women (1930), Seas Beneath (1931), Submarine Patrol (1938) and The Growler Story (1958). The purpose is to find out which distinctive auteur themes that can be identified in each of these films. The results indicate that the common distinctive auteur themes that can be identified are the Irish characters, the Christian religious theme, the ceremonial funeral farewells, the comedic touch, the importance of family, the American Civil War references, settling of conflicts through fights, the display of manliness through not wearing shirts, patriotism, sacrifice, redemption, the importance of cooperation, the stylistic theme of filming documents such as letters to drive the narrative and the recurring use of the song “The Monkeys Have No tails in Zamboanga.”