IMDb RATING
6.6/10
4.7K
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In the first major naval battle of World War II, the British Navy must find and destroy a powerful German warship.In the first major naval battle of World War II, the British Navy must find and destroy a powerful German warship.In the first major naval battle of World War II, the British Navy must find and destroy a powerful German warship.
- Nominated for 3 BAFTA Awards
- 3 nominations total
- Directors
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe Midshipmen's quarters were empty because Captain Langsdorff had promoted all of his Midshipmen to Ensigns in order to make room for his prisoners.
- GoofsIn the opening scenes the German sailors are carrying American Thompson M1A1 sub-machine guns instead of German weapons such as the MP38 or MP40.
- Quotes
Captain Langsdorff 'Admiral Graff Spee': [to Captain Dove] Every commander is alone, Captain.
- Crazy creditsH.M.S. Sheffield as H.M.S. Ajax
- ConnectionsFeatured in The Story of Making the Film They're a Weird Mob (1966)
- SoundtracksCabalgata de los Gauchos
(uncredited)
Music by Brian Easdale
Lyrics by Manuel Salina
Performed by April Olrich (dubbed by Muriel Smith)
Featured review
A change of pace from Powell & Pressburger
Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger are probably best known for their mystical, romantic films like: 'A Matter of Life and Death'; 'Black Narcissus', and 'The Red Shoes'.
'Battle of the River Plate' is a decent film, but it does have some awkward lapses. There is some excellent footage shot at sea using veteran Royal Navy ships. Unfortunately this sits uneasily with the studio sets. During the battle scenes I had the uneasy feeling someone out of shot was throwing buckets of water in the air to simulate shell-fire.
Instead of indulging in Technicolor, I feel the producers should have gone for the harsher monochrome which 'The Cruel Sea' and 'Sink the Bismarck!' use so well. Black and white photography also makes the shift between location and studio work much less obvious.
There are some good performances in the film, notably Peter Finch as Langsdorff. I remember seeing newsreel footage of the real Langsdorff attending the funeral of his men in Montevideo, he gave a German Naval salute instead of the Nazi version. His portrayal as a 'decent' German has a basis in fact.
The battle of the River Plate was the last Naval action to take place without the benefit of technical advances such as radar. It was a fine piece of seamanship and the story deserved to be told. At the end of this film, unfortunately, you can't help feeling it could have been told better.
'Battle of the River Plate' is a decent film, but it does have some awkward lapses. There is some excellent footage shot at sea using veteran Royal Navy ships. Unfortunately this sits uneasily with the studio sets. During the battle scenes I had the uneasy feeling someone out of shot was throwing buckets of water in the air to simulate shell-fire.
Instead of indulging in Technicolor, I feel the producers should have gone for the harsher monochrome which 'The Cruel Sea' and 'Sink the Bismarck!' use so well. Black and white photography also makes the shift between location and studio work much less obvious.
There are some good performances in the film, notably Peter Finch as Langsdorff. I remember seeing newsreel footage of the real Langsdorff attending the funeral of his men in Montevideo, he gave a German Naval salute instead of the Nazi version. His portrayal as a 'decent' German has a basis in fact.
The battle of the River Plate was the last Naval action to take place without the benefit of technical advances such as radar. It was a fine piece of seamanship and the story deserved to be told. At the end of this film, unfortunately, you can't help feeling it could have been told better.
helpful•168
- vaughan.birbeck
- Oct 1, 2001
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- Panzerschiff Graf Spee
- Filming locations
- Cromarty Firth, Invergordon, Highland, Scotland, UK(re-fuelling scene)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 59 minutes
- Color
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Top Gap
By what name was Pursuit of the Graf Spee (1956) officially released in India in English?
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