PT Raiders (1955)
"The Ship That Died of Shame" (original title)

A trio of ex-servicemen begin smuggling innocuous black market items into post-war Britain but through greed they graduate to more sinister cargo.

Director:

Basil Dearden

Writers:

Nicholas Monsarrat (novel), John Whiting (screenplay),

Stars:

Richard Attenborough, George Baker, Bill Owen

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Richard Attenborough	...	George Hoskins
George Baker	...	Bill Randall
Bill Owen	...	Birdie
Virginia McKenna	...	Helen Randall
Roland Culver	...	Maj. Fordyce
Bernard Lee	...	The Customs Officer
Ralph Truman	...	Sir Richard
John Chandos	...	Raines
Harold Goodwin	...	Second Customs Officer
John Longden	...	The Detective

Storyline

After intense wartime naval experiences a trio buy their old ship but then have to use it for smuggling and worse, before finally having to come to their senses.

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Plot Keywords:

smuggling | black market | contraband | mechanic | pedophile | 

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Taglines:

Adventure on the high seas!

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 January 1956 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

PT Raiders

Filming Locations:

Ealing Studios, Ealing, London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Ealing Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

First film of David Langton.

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Goofs

At the end, after the ship has crashed onto the rocks, the ship slides off the rocks and sinks but the front part of the hull has no damage.

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Quotes

Bill Randall (skipper of 1087: You'll never get away with this!
George Hoskins: Let's try, shall we?

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Soundtracks

"We'll Meet Again"
(uncredited)
Written by Hugh Charles and Ross Parker

User Reviews

Well worth watching

Despie my interest in post war films and all things Naval, I have not heard of this film. How I have missed it is beyond me.

George Baker is fantastic as the lead and Bill Owen, known to me as Compo, is a revelation. Richard Attenborough is perfect as always and the roles played by Bernard Lee and Virginia McKenna are small but superb.

I must now read the book to see how the author handled the many strands and ending, which is a little disappointing in the film. Few people in today's Britain understand the stress and strain on on those demobbed at the end of WW2 but I suspect that with growing redundancies of front line troops in Afghanistan, the stories and threads explored in this film will strike a modern chord.