Pursuit of the Graf Spee

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Russ G @RT78760655 Oct 13 British title: "Battle of the River Platte." At least one of the British cruisers actually participated in the battle; I believe one was at that time in the service of the Indian Navy. USS Salem was the stand in for the scuttled German cruiser - its bow number 139 prominently shown in the film's footage. You can still see and tour that ship in Quincy, MA south of Boston; she's the last "heavy cruiser" still afloat anywhere in the world. In the film they tried to explain it away by claiming that Graf Spee was being disguised as a US Navy cruiser. See more Satin B @RT53350123 12/27/2023 Boring as a cardboard sandwich ⚠️ Typical bbc See more andy f @RT81936104 05/11/2020 An average war film that starts well and has beautiful cinematography. However it turns into an almost drawn out farce and becomes fairly painful viewing. See more r 9 @RT00952237 05/10/2020 'The Battle of the River Plate' kicks off enjoyably, though does conclude a little less so. The first act and beginning of the second act are very fun to watch, as they build up the strength of the Admiral Graf Spee. Bernard Lee (Capt Dove) and Peter Finch (Capt Langsdorff) have a load of scenes together which are excellent, Finch particularly does a grand job with his role. The action sequences are very nice throughout, though after the initial stuff with the three Royal Navy cruisers the film does lose some interest - it kinda plods its way to its finale, which admittedly is rather good. They probably should've shorten things in-between. It is a very fine production though, all the more impressive given it was released in 1956. See more 08/02/2015 Must watch Maritime Movie! See more 04/01/2014 A below rate sea battle, the first hour or so is even less satisfactory. This is the start of WWII and the Germans are shown quite hospitable, even to the point of a Christmas celebration with the British prisoners held captive. Tough to understand the dialect of the crews. [img]http://i1.ytimg.com/vi/xvFgWeuFnRg/hqdefault.jpg[/img] British seamen prisoners in their stocking feet One important fact: The U.S.S. Salem was used to be the German ship, but the U.S. Navy would not permit anything German on board, not even German helmets or the Swastika. So when you see the introductory scenes on board ship, those helmets are American which had to be weird to audiences! [img]https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRNFUNcIIv2DfuZugS8GE6BDMteq6TCPVX1QRB_NaHatanzBI6Shw[/img] Note the headline lower left While inspired by a book of a seaman prisoner, the movie does portray the British side of things but also the human side of capture. The acting by the many extras is not too great and the interior shots just shout out STUDIO compared to the ocean going, exterior shot filming seems stock footage. [img]http://s3.amazonaws.com/auteurs_production/post_images/1340/Plate_2.jpg?1283186119[/img] Powell/Pressburger films are often thought of as being stylized to the point of near-whimsy. SEE the entire film here, shot in widescreen its a pleasure for youtube viewers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a04C5-znaYY REVIEWS by those like us: 90% This film is dripping in classic a list starts, It tells the true story of In the ensuing battle, Exeter was severely damaged and forced to retire; Aj... More 50% Watchable, But Nothing Special. Movie was a bit flat & slow in places. NOTES: 1. The Battle of the River Plate only hints at one aspect of the story: the death of Captain Hans Langsdorff, who committed suicide a few days after he scuttled his ship. Langsdorff is shown as subdued and depressed afterwards. 2 The film devotes nearly twenty minutes to the battle, which actually lasted a little more than an hour before becoming a chase into Montevideo (South America). [img]https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS-b4d-nxFlAWnRv0m7FrG0KFC99fiPyzm_E7QvaM_1IawQK9EumA[/img] [img]http://pixhost.me/avaxhome/c8/8f/001d8fc8_medium.jpeg[/img] Scenes like these appear so studio it's rediculous, these guys are on dry land for sure Cast John Gregson as Captain Frederick "Hookie" Bell, HMS Exeter Anthony Quayle as Commodore Henry Harwood, HMS Ajax Ian Hunter as Captain Charles Woodhouse, HMS Ajax Jack Gwillim as Captain Edward Parry, HMS Achilles Bernard Lee as Captain Patrick Dove, MS Africa Shell Peter Finch as Captain Hans Langsdorff, Admiral Graf Spee Lionel Murton as Mike Fowler, American radio reporter in Montevideo Anthony Bushell as Eugen Millington-Drake, the British Minister in Uruguay Peter Illing as Dr Alberto Guani, Uruguayan Foreign Minister Michael Goodliffe as Captain Henry McCall, British Naval Attaché in Buenos Aires Patrick Macnee as Lieutenant Commander Ralph Medley, HMS Ajax John Chandos as Dr Otto Langmann, the German Minister in Uruguay Douglas Wilmer as M. Desmoulins, the French Minister in Uruguay William Squire as Ray Martin, British SIS agent in Montevideo Roger Delgado as Captain Varela, Uruguayan Navy Andrew Cruickshank as Captain William Stubbs, SS Doric Star John Le Mesurier as the Chaplain of HMS Exeter Christopher Lee as Manolo, bar owner in Montevideo harbour Edward Atienza as Pop, Mike Fowler's gaucho assistant April Olrich as Dolores (singing voice by Muriel Smith) Peter Dyneley as Captain John Robison, SS Newton Beech (uncredited) [img]https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTrHw1GjrcslLB7JOmd_b3TG2X2p-SqXnI2zs72faQBBe_V-Ht7[/img] A more humane portrayl of a German officer Directed by Michael Powell Emeric Pressburger Produced by Michael Powell Emeric Pressburger Written by Michael Powell Emeric Pressburger Narrated by David Farrar [img]https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQnRo3zvwzor6YChMCgjItZUycw44vesDsCyXeHAx6ZWMBNf51g[/img] Starring John Gregson Anthony Quayle Peter Finch Music by Brian Easdale Cinematography Christopher Challis Editing by Reginald Mills Distributed by Rank Film Distributors Ltd. Release dates 30 November 1956 (UK) Running time 119 minutes Country United Kingdom Language English [img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/bc/Battle_River_Plate_poster.jpg/220px-Battle_River_Plate_poster.jpg[/img] See more Read all reviews

Pursuit of the Graf Spee

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