Battle Hell (1957)
"Yangtse Incident: The Story of H.M.S. Amethyst" (original title)

While sailing lawfully up the Yangste river in 1949, the British warship Amethyst found its return to the open sea blocked by Communist Chinese shore batteries that unexpectedly opened fire... See full summary »

Director:

Michael Anderson

Writers:

Lawrence Earl (book), Franklin Gollings (idea: and Official Admiralty Records),

Stars:

Richard Todd, William Hartnell, Akim Tamiroff

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Richard Todd	...	Lt. Cmdr. Kerans, RN
William Hartnell	...	Leading Seaman Frank
Akim Tamiroff	...	Col. Peng
Donald Houston	...	Lt Weston RN
Keye Luke	...	Capt. Kuo Tai
Sophie Stewart	...	Miss Charlotte Dunlap
Robert Urquhart	...	Flt Lt Fearnley RAF
James Kenney	...	Lt Hett RN
Richard Leech	...	Lt Strain RN
Michael Brill	...	Lt Berger RN
Barry Foster	...	PO McCarthy RN
Thomas Heathcote	...	Mr. Monaghan RN
Sam Kydd	...	AB Walker RN
Ewen Solon	...	ERA Williams RN
Brian Smith	...	Boy Martin

Storyline

While sailing lawfully up the Yangste river in 1949, the British warship Amethyst found its return to the open sea blocked by Communist Chinese shore batteries that unexpectedly opened fire. In charge, Lieutenant Commander Kerans was not however prepared for his crew and his ship to remain as a hostage for the Chinese to use as an international pawn.

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Plot Keywords:

hostage | ship | china | sailor | chinese revolution | 

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Genres:

Drama | History | War

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 June 1957 (Denmark)

Also Known As:

Battle Hell

Filming Locations:

Associated British Elstree Studios, Shenley Road, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Wilcox-Neagle, Everest Pictures Ltd.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The real life Jack French (b. Teignmouth, Devon), the only telegraphist on board HMS Amethyst, died on May 4th 2011 at Cheltenham, Gloucestershire aged 84. During the highpoint of the siege, he stayed at his post for 6 days without sleep, kept awake through the aid of Benzedrine. Following the successful liberation of the ship he was awarded an immediate Distinguished Service Medal and ordered to take a complete rest. Having joined the Royal Navy aged 17 in 1942, French retired after 22 years service as a Chief Petty Officer. On his retirement from the navy, he took up a post at the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) in Cheltenham.

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Goofs

Towards the end of the film, shortly before Amethyst rejoins Concord, we see a scene with Kerans standing on the bridge of Amethyst. The see in the background is obviously a still image painted on the background. The waves are static. There is however light smoke which is moving between the bridge and the sky.

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Crazy Credits

[The film closes with King George VI's words following the incident]: "Please convey to the commanding officer and ship's company of H.M.S. Amethyst my hearty congratulations on their daring exploit to rejoin the Fleet. The courage, skill and determination shown by all on board have my highest commendation. Splice the mainbrace. George R."

User Reviews

Superb

The British frigate Amethyst is on a lawful run up the Yangtze River to provide supplies to the British embassy at Nanking. Communist Chinese forces are

victorious in the region and are marching on the city. As the ship travels upriver, Communist artillery batteries unexpectedly open fire. The frigate desperately fights back, but runs ashore after sustaining casualties and damage. The

situation settles into a diplomatic affair with the local Communist commander demanding all sorts of unreasonable concessions in order to allow the stricken vessel to leave.

For me, this dramatization of the real life incident involving HMS Amethyst on the Yangtze River counts as among the best in the genre. Action sequences

are realistic, especially for the time period. Especially remarkable is that the actual ship was used for part of the filming. The performances range from good to excellent. Highly recommended.