The Battle of the River Plate

This film is truly one of the best WWII naval films ever made, in my opinion. Fine acting, great actions shots, solid directing and editing, and a clear, straight forward story all combine to make superb film. Others here have provided the synopsis of this film, so I will forgo the pleasure. While certain parts of the film did not actually occur, for example, the meeting of the British Captains, they were obviously added to tell the story in a clear, efficient, and unambiguous way. One part this is 100% accurate is the see-sawing the British did with their position on the Graf Spee leaving harbor. And unlike many naval engagements, this battle actually did take place in good weather, with fairly calm seas, as depicted in the film. Unlike many war movies, like Saving Private Ryan, this movie could not be made today anywhere near as well as it was in 1956. The reason-the real stars of the film, the ships, simply don't exist anymore. There are only two WWII light cruisers left in the world, the HMS Belfast in London, and the USS Little Rock in Buffalo, and only one heavy cruiser, the USS Salem (which played the Graf Spee in the film), in Massachusetts, and none of them are sea worthy. The HMS Achilles, which fought in the battle, and the HMS Cumberland who arrived soon after the battle to be a backup, even plays themselves! No other naval film that I know of can make that claim. Models and even the best CG simply cannot provide the realism that the real thing provides, thus this movie could not be made today. Scenes shot in places like gun turrets, inside gun directors, on the bridge (British naval vessels still had open air bridges at this time), shots of medium/large caliber naval guns going off, etc. can never be filmed again, as they simply don't exist and never will again. Thus, any student of naval history or WWII history needs to see this film. The other unique thing about this film and time is that radar was not quite available on ships yet. A year later, when the Bismarck sailed, some of the British cruisers had radar. The only thing that should have been done in the film to improve it was to show a chart of the mouth of the river Plate. Several rivers flow into the estuary, which is quite large. Montevideo is a port city on the Northern coast near the mouth of the estuary, in Uruguay, while Buenos Aires in Argentina (a country friendly to Germany) is almost 100 miles inland, near where the rivers join. Knowing this makes seeing the British problem of catching the Graf Spee if she tried to escape upriver or out into the ocean much clearer. One of my favorite WWII naval films, one I was thrilled to be able to buy and watch again. Highly, highly recommended.

I first saw this film when I was three years old, and now having seen it at least forty times in the last fifty-four years it has become an old friend. Now I have purchased it on DVD and I can highly recommend this version. It is uncut, letterboxed and the color hasn't looked this good since I first saw the film in 1956. And for me this film just gets better with time. An excellent cast giving great performances, great direction and camerawork and an attention to detail almost unmatched by any other war film. The use of actual warships instead of miniatures was also a huge plus. And while the action moves on to the land after the battle, the suspense never lets up, with the diplomatic wrangling every bit as interesting as the battle itself. About the only thing missing was Captain Langsdorf's suicide three days after the scuttling, but I think the producers were wise to omit this and allowed the film to end on an upbeat note. An excellent film about one of the last classic surface actions we shall ever see. And hats off to the people at Hen's Tooth Video for their beautiful presentation of my favorite film.

This reveiw is for Hen's Tooth Video's recent DVD of this film. The DVD quality is excellent. It is in anamorphic 1.85:1 widescreen, and the picture quality is fantastic. Like most Michael Powell productions, it is a beautifully photographed film. The DVD also has a 24-minute featurette, which includes interveiws with some of the surviving crewmembers, such as Christopher Lee. This DVD extra has some information, but not a lot. It actually leaves the veiwer with more questions than answers. THE BATTLE OF THE RIVER PLATE/PURSUIT OF THE GRAF SPEE is highly recommended to WWII buffs, history fans and lovers of classic British cinema. Hen's Tooth Video should be commended for making this rare film available on Region 1 DVD.

This is the 1975 well-done restoration of the 1946 original version, “Pursuit Of The Graf Spee”, which is also available (Region 2). It is available in Blu-Ray (2006) for Region 1. This is an account of British Naval action in the South Atlantic, December 1939, early in the war with Germany. Germany had sent their Battleship “Graf Spee” to the South Atlantic months earlier, in preparation for the war (Sept. 1), to act as a shipping raider on the route to India. The Graf Spee had been stopping British freighters for some time, taking the crews prisoner, and sinking the ships. It had also commandeered a British cruise ship (with passengers) for carrying prisoners of war. A disguised freighter (Altmark) re-supplied the Graf Spee with fuel and food. Because the encounters were sudden, the victims were mostly unable to send distress radio signals. Consequently it was three months before Britain became aware of the situation. Britain’s response was to send three Navy ships to investigate, a Heavy Cruiser (Exeter) and two Cruiser-class ships (Ajax & Achilles), none of them a match for the Graf Spee. In mid-December the British fleet encountered the Graf Spee, at a distance of several miles, near the coast of South America. The British commander chose to use the element of surprise and ordered an immediate attack. All four ships were heavily damaged in the action. As a result of heavier fire at close range, the Graf Spee eventually suffered a disabling hit (fuel line), broke off the action and escaped toward the neutral port of Montevideo. (Consult a map at this point.) The two lesser damaged British cruisers followed suit, but the heavily damaged Exeter sailed south to the British Falkland Islands for repair. The above is the essence of the first hour of the two-hour film. The second hour covers the next three days and features British machinations to delay the Graf Spee’s departure, pending arrival of more British ships. Under international law, war ships can enter neutral ports for only a limited time, and can not refit, subject to being impounded. The British, facing the same restrictions, took the opportunity to visit the Graf Spee and meet the captain. The captain of the Graf Spee chose to release his crew, and the prisoners taken aboard, and scuttle the Graf Spee outside the harbor. Also told is how the American reporter, Mike Fowler, commandeered the only telephone circuit to the USA to broadcast the event, live, for the American radio network. This latter is the event that concerns me because I remember, as a child of 7 years, hearing that broadcast, Montevideo being in a time zone 1-hour earlier for the East coast. (Note: The Altmark was captured by the British Navy in February 1940, near Norway, and the prisoners repatriated. News Reel from that era, along with Winston Churchill’s speech are available on the internet by searching “Graf Spee Sinking”, but I have not found the Mike Fowler broadcast. The American public, remembering their involvement in WW-I, took no sides in the matter. )

Outstanding video quality, better than restored videos of this era. The Graf Spee was represented by a US heavy cruiser, CG 139. The clipper bow was never used on a German ship, but the story line has the Germans on the ship trying to make the ship look like a US cruiser. Very plausable, the German pocket battlship would need only a couple of minutes confusion to cause damage. British cruisers were actual ships, so action sequances were as close as the actual battle as possible. The director left out any sex stories, all the better, although there is one singer who was stunning. Story also did not show German Captain committing sucicide. If you like naval battles this is pretty good, up there with Sink the Bismark.

This is a rarity from the Michael Powell/Emeric Pressburger collaboration that delighted fans in David Niven/Kim Hunter's WWII romance, "Stairway to Heaven," and "Thief of Bagdad", so you are in for a special treat, an exciting dramatization of a little-known desperate hunt for the German raider, Graf Spee. More than this, of the 3 ships involved in this depiction, 2 are the real ones. You have not only an excellent script, but an excellent cast: Peter Finch, Anthony Quayle, John Gregson, Patrick MacNee ("The Avengers", "A Night to Remember") Bernard Lee (M in James Bond films) and a young Christopher Lee. You get an up-close look at these WWII cruisers in vivid technicolor widely shot in Vistavision, capturing the events in lush color interposed with striking matte shots in close-up. "Sink the Bismarck" was a thrilling b&w re-enactment using newsreel footage throughout. In this film the actual events occurred in bright sunlight, with a minimum of simulated weather. Seeing the real ship interiors and exteriors as they were by 1956 is a special delight. The events moving forward in this engagement of enemies fill in what came before the demise of the Graf Spee. If you are a disbeliever, in the special features you learn that Bernard Lee was a captive aboard the real Graf Spee in the events depicted that could have been more tragic than surprising.

A great movie that I only gave 3 stars because at my age and with my difficulty in hearing I had a devil of a time understanding what was being said half the time! If you don't understand everything being said it is extremely hard to get the full impact of the movie! I can't for the life of me understand why it was not subtitled. Surely they realize the clientele for this movie will be senior citizens. Still it is a must see for naval battles as the visionary aspect of the film is impressive!

This account of a naval battle early in WWII features footage of actual ships from the era, with live firing of their heavy guns. It was filmed using the Vista Vision process, where 35mm film ran horizontally through the camera, giving an image twice the size of the common formats. The improved detail is clearly apparent, and greatly beneficial for the views of the ships and their technical equipment. The Blu-ray reveals the quality much better than the older DVD transfers. Note the zoning: USA and Australian viewers will need a multi-zone player.