The Battle of the River Plate (1956)

Directors:

Michael Powell
Emeric Pressburger

Writers:

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

Release Date:

November 1957 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Drama | History | War

Tagline:

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:

Royal Navy | Admiral | Battle Of The River Plate | Port | British Navy

Awards:

Nominated for 3 BAFTA Film Awards.

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

Also Known As:

Graf Spee
Pursuit of the Graf Spee (USA)
Bataille du Rio de la Plata, La (Belgium: French title) (France) [fr]
A Batalha do Rio da Prata (Portugal) [pt]
Batalla del Río de la Plata, La (Spain) [es]
Battaglia di Rio della Plata, La (Italy) [it]
Havets tiger (Denmark) [da]
Jagad över haven (Sweden) [sv]
Panzerschiff Graf Spee (West Germany) [de]
Sabordage du Graf Spee, Le (Belgium: French title) [fr]
Slag von Rio de la Plata, De (Belgium: Flemish title) [un]
Taistelulaiva Graf Spee (Finland) [fi]
Taistelulaivan viimeiset päivät (Finland) [fi]
Von Spee, to katadromikon fantasma (Greece) [el]

Runtime:

119 min | USA:106 min (cut version)

Country:

UK

Language:

English | German

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

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

Filming Locations:

Atlantic Ocean

Company:

Archers, The

Trivia:

HMS Birmingham was used as a camera ship.

Goofs:

Continuity: The gun controls of the British ships show that there are only 2 guns per turret, but when the camera changes to view the guns firing, the turrets have 3 guns each. The turret controls show only left and right guns, but a triple turret should have left, center, and right.

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

A solid entry from Powell/Pressburger

Not withstanding the negative comments of some critics, this is another great Powell/Pressburger film. Perhaps what prevents it from getting its due is that it looks like another entry in the "big WW II battle recreation" genre, but the structure, the performances, and the film's intent in general aren't really in the service of that genre. The climactic battle is fought in the middle of the film, and the last third unexpectedly takes place on the docks and in the cafes and embassies of Montevideo, with a festival air and comedy relief. Powell rightly feels that the core of the film is Bernard Lee's admiration of his captor; indeed, the final scene is the expression of that admiration. Yet the viewer isn't "pointed" to that relationship. All the expository dialogue serves the battle scenes--where the Spee might be, how to attack it, the relationship between the British Commodore and his Captains--and later, the strategies of the Spee's leaving port. Particularly in the latter part, there's a lot of discussion which doesn't relate to the film's denouement. And the collection of British prisoners on the Spee don't coalesce into an ensemble. In an odd way, their fate never seems integrated into the battle, nor does it particularly highlight the relationship between Lee and Finch. This unusual structure is in part due to the film apparently following actual events fairly closely, and actual events don't follow conventional dramatic structure. But, really, that absence of conventional structure, and the refusal to emphasize the Lee-Finch relationship or to make it a dominant theme, are the film's greatest strengths. Finally, note should be taken of the superb photography in VistaVision.