The Battle of the River Plate (1956)

Directors:

Michael Powell
Emeric Pressburger

Writers:

Michael Powell (written by) &
Emeric Pressburger (written by)

Release Date:

noviembre 1957 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Drama | History | War

Frase comercial:

The true and moving story of a mighty sea battle [Video Australia]

Plot:

A true WW2 story: the British Navy must find and destroy a powerful German warship.

Plot Keywords:

Powell And Pressburger | 1930s | Chase | Port | Admiral

Awards:

Nominated for 3 BAFTA Film Awards.

Comentarios de los usuarios:

Excellent well-balanced war film

Cast

John Gregson	...	Capt. Bell, HMS Exeter
Anthony Quayle	...	Cdre. Harwood, HMS Ajax
Ian Hunter	...	Capt. Woodhouse, HMS Ajax
Jack Gwillim	...	Capt. Parry, HMNZS Achilles
Bernard Lee	...	Capt. Dove, MS Africa Shell
Lionel Murton	...	Mike Fowler, Montevideo
Anthony Bushell	...	Millington Drake, British Minister, Uruguay
Peter Illing	...	Dr. Guani, Uruguayan Foreign Minister
Michael Goodliffe	...	Capt. McCall, R.N., British Naval Attache, Buenos Aires
Patrick Macnee	...	Lt. Cmdr. Medley, HMS Ajax
John Chandos	...	Dr. Langmann, German Minister, Uruguay
Douglas Wilmer	...	M. Desmoulins, French Minister, Uruguay
William Squire	...	Ray Martin, Montevideo
Roger Delgado	...	Capt. Varela, Uruguyan Navy
Andrew Cruickshank	...	Capt. Stubbs, Doric Star

También conocida como:

Graf Spee
Pursuit of the Graf Spee (USA)
Batalla del Río de la Plata, La (Spain) [es]

Duración:

119 min | USA:106 min (cut version)

País:

UK

Idioma:

English | German

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sonido:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Clasificación:

Spain:7 | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:U | Iceland:L

Filming Locations:

Atlantic Ocean

Company:

Archers, The

Trivialidades:

Location filming started on 13 December 1955, the 16th anniversary of the battle. The River Plate Association in Auckland sent a good-luck message to the crew. "Congratulations on choice of day. Hope your shooting will be as successful as ours!"

Goofs:

Factual errors: A symbolic scene, when a crane lowers a lifeboat with Captain Dove into an aircraft hangar of "Admiral Graf Spee", and the roof closes over it, could not happen, because such hangars were typical for US ships only, and "Graf Spee" had no aircraft hangar.

Quotes:

[on board a badly shot up HMNZS Achilles]
Gunnery Officer: Captain, sir.
Capt. Parry, HMNZS Achilles: Yes, guns?
Gunnery Officer: We've fired nearly 1200 rounds sir. About one third of the arsenal only remaining.
Capt. Parry, HMNZS Achilles: Thank you. Are you all right?
Gunnery Officer: A few new ventilation gaps here, sir. A bit draughty, but otherwise all right.
[Capt. Parry turns to look at gunnery control position full of shell holes]

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Story of Making the Film They're a Weird Mob (1966)

Soundtrack:

Dolores' Song

Excellent well-balanced war film

This film mixes action with respectful exploration of the main characters, on both sides of the conflict. Excellent acting all round. The plot is developed carefully and sets the stage well for the ending. The local South American scenes offer colourful counterpoints to the preceding at sea sequences.

This film in British genre with the makers' principal focii being the storyline and the acting. Fans of the U.S.-style war movies may find the film too understated at times. They will also find the use of models for some of the battle scenes less than convincing when compared to the larger-than-life realism of computer-generated imagery.