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The Battle of the River Plate (film)
Encyclopedia
The Battle of the River Plate is a 1956 British war film
by director-writer team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger
, starring John Gregson
, Anthony Quayle
and Peter Finch
. In the United States
the film was retitled Pursuit of the Graf Spee.
The film portrays the Battle of the River Plate
, a naval battle of 1939, between a Royal Navy
force of three cruiser
s and the German pocket battleship
Admiral Graf Spee. Unlike many British war movies of its time, The Battle of the River Plate treats the German sailors as honourable opponents rather than as cardboard cut-out "Huns" and Nazis. This was a recurrent theme in Powell and Pressburger's films, such as The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp
.
, the German Navy
sends out merchant raider
s to attack Allied shipping. The Royal Navy
responds with hunting groups whose mission is to stop them. The group that finds the heavily-armed "pocket battleship" Admiral Graf Spee near South America is outgunned: Graf Spee is equipped with long-range 11-inch guns, while the three British cruisers, Ajax
, Achilles
and Exeter
, have much lighter 8-inch and 6-inch guns. Despite this, they go straight to the attack.
The British are led by Commodore Harwood
(Anthony Quayle
), with Captain Woodhouse
(Ian Hunter
) commanding the Ajax, Captain Bell
(John Gregson
) the Exeter and Captain Parry (Jack Gwillim
) the Achilles. The British use their superior numbers to "split her fire" by attacking from different directions, but Graf Spee, under Captain Hans Langsdorff
(Peter Finch
), inflicts much damage on her foes. Exeter is particularly hard hit.
However, Graf Spee sustains damage itself and takes refuge in the neutral port of Montevideo
for repairs. According to international law, the ship may remain at neutral harbor only long enough to make repairs for seaworthiness, not to refit her for battle. With reinforcements too far away, the British spread disinformation
that an overwhelming force is lying in wait, hoping to buy time. Taken in by the lies, Langsdorff takes his ship out with a skeleton crew and scuttles
her.
The film devotes nearly twenty minutes to the battle, which actually lasted little more than an hour before becoming a chase into Montevideo. The initial minutes from the spotting of Graf Spee at 0614, to her opening fire at 0618, and the British ships returning fire from 0620 are depicted in real time. In reality Graf Spee's gunfire did not "straddle" Exeter until 0623 after three salvoes, and her main armament fire was not "split" between the British ships until 0630, although these events are shown happening immediately. Exeter's Bridge and forward turrets were knocked out at 0630, but at this point the film begins to telescope the sequence of events.
Other interesting details include the fact that Commodore Harwood is shown wearing the shoulder tabs and sleeve rings of a Rear Admiral from the start, and not only after he had been promoted after the battle. This is historically correct, as 'Commodores of the first class' wore those insignia at the time. Exeters chaplain is also correctly depicted wearing a civilian dark suit and clerical collar; it was not until later in the war that naval chaplains
adopted military uniform as a security measure.
The Battle of the River Plate only hints at one aspect of the story: the death of Captain Hans Langsdorff, who committed suicide a few days after he scuttled his ship. Langsdorff is shown as subdued and depressed afterwards.
Cast notes
and Emeric Pressburger
to attend a film festival in Argentina in 1954. They decided they couldn't afford to take the time from their schedules unless it was a working vacation, and used the trip to research the defeat of the Admiral Graf Spee. They came across the "hook" for their story when one of the surviving British naval officers gave Pressburger a copy of Captain Patrick Dove's book I Was A Prisoner on the Graf Spee, which became the basis of the human story of the film. Powell's work on this film was influenced by Noel Coward
's film In Which We Serve
(1942).
Filming started on 13 December 1955, the sixteenth anniversary of the battle. The HMS Ajax and River Plate Association reportedly sent a message to the producers: "Hope your shooting will be as successful as ours." Location shooting for the arrival and departure of the Graf Spee took place at the port of Montevideo
, using thousands of locals as extras. However, the scenes showing Graf Spee sailing from Montevideo were shot in the Grand Harbour
at Valetta in Malta
, and the launch taking McCall out to HMS Ajax was filmed in Gozo
harbour on Malta's northern island.
Two songs written by composer Brian Easdale
were used in the film, "Dolores' Song" and "Rio de la Plata". Both were acted by April Olrich as "Dolores", with singing voice dubbed by Muriel Smith
.
The film was filmed using VistaVision
, a wide screen orthographic process using a horizontal film feed.
Most of the action of the battle and prior to it takes place on real ships at sea. The producers had the advantage of having elements of the Mediterranean Fleet
of the Royal Navy
available for their use and USS Salem to play the part of Admiral Graf Spee (although she had the wrong number of main turrets). This meant that they did not have to rely on extensive use of models like most naval war films, although they did make use of a 23-foot model (with details only on the side being shot) in a six-foot-deep tank at Pinewood Studios
for scene depicting the scuttling of Admiral Graf Spee, which was assembled from multiple takes from different angles.
In an early scene, it is claimed that the Graf Spee is being disguised by the ship's carpenters – using features such as a false funnel – as an American cruiser, a trick typical of commerce raiders. The U.S. Navy would not allow any Nazi insignia to be displayed on the Salem so the wartime German flag being hoisted and flown was filmed on a British ship. This is also the explanation as to why the crew of the Graf Spee are seen wearing US Navy pattern helmets rather than German "Coal Scuttles" – whilst the film-makers wanted to achieve an accurate impression and use German helmets they were refused permission. This aspect is sometimes described as a "goof" on the part of the film-makers, but was in fact a circumstance beyond their control.
It was remarkable that two of the original ships, HMS Achilles and Cumberland were available for filming fifteen years after the events depicted. Cumberland was a disarmed trials ship without her 8" gun turrets at this time and was refitted with lattice masts, but she is very recognisable as the last of the three-funnelled heavy cruisers to remain in service. (In the final scenes, Jamaica represented Cumberland as one of the British trio waiting off Montevideo).
HMNZS Achilles had been sold to the newly-formed Indian Navy in 1948, becoming the . The flagship HMS Ajax was actually her sister-ship, and would have looked identical to Achilles, while the original HMS Exeter was a two-funnelled half-sister of the Cumberland. HMS Sheffield and HMS Jamaica, which played Ajax and Exeter, had higher superstructures and more guns, which were mounted in triple turrets. Though different from the ships they represented, both these light cruisers saw active service against much more powerful German surface raiders, which makes their participation in this film interesting on a wider level.
In May 1941 served as the escort to HMS Ark Royal during the sinking of the battleship Bismarck
, and on 31 December 1942, Sheffield and Jamaica jointly attacked and drove off the pocket battleship Lützow
(sister ship to the Graf Spee), and the heavy cruiser Admiral Hipper
, at the Battle of the Barents Sea
, when the Germans attempted to intercept a large convoy to Murmansk. This success by two British light cruisers against two much more powerful warships caused Hitler to lose confidence in his surface forces, and the Germans subsequently relied mainly on U-boats to attack Allied shipping. On 26 December 1943 both Sheffield and Jamaica participated in the sinking of the battleship Scharnhorst
at the Battle of North Cape
; Sheffield, with Belfast and Norfolk, opened the attack at 09.00; as at the River Plate battle, three cruisers sought to attack a Battleship armed with 11" guns. After a long fight, HMS Jamaica finally sank Scharnhorst with torpedoes at 19.45. In 1944, both Sheffield and Jamaica acted as escorts for the aircraft carriers taking part in a series of attacks on Tirpitz
in Norway. Thus the two leading Royal Navy ships of this film played a major part in the campaign against the large German surface raiders which began at the Battle of the River Plate.
, it went over so well that it was decided to hold the release of the film for a year, so that it could be chosen as part of the next year's Royal Film Performance
(in 1956), since 1955's film had already been selected. The film also performed very well at the box office.
War film
War films are a film genre concerned with warfare, usually about naval, air or land battles, sometimes focusing instead on prisoners of war, covert operations, military training or other related subjects. At times war films focus on daily military or civilian life in wartime without depicting battles...
by director-writer team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger
Powell and Pressburger
The British film-making partnership of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, also known as The Archers, made a series of influential films in the 1940s and 1950s. In 1981 they were recognized for their contributions to British cinema with the BAFTA Academy Fellowship Award, the most prestigious...
, starring John Gregson
John Gregson
John Gregson was an English actor.He was born Harold Thomas Gregson, of Irish descent, and grew up in Wavertree, Liverpool, where he was educated at Greenbank Road primary school, later St Francis Xavier School...
, Anthony Quayle
Anthony Quayle
Sir John Anthony Quayle, CBE was an English actor and director.-Early life:Quayle was born in Ainsdale, Southport, in Lancashire to a Manx family....
and Peter Finch
Peter Finch
Peter Finch was a British-born Australian actor. He is best remembered for his role as "crazed" television anchorman Howard Beale in the film Network, which earned him a posthumous Academy Award for Best Actor, his fifth Best Actor award from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, and a...
. In the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
the film was retitled Pursuit of the Graf Spee.
The film portrays the Battle of the River Plate
Battle of the River Plate
The Battle of the River Plate was the first naval battle in the Second World War. The German pocket battleship had been commerce raiding since the start of the war in September 1939...
, a naval battle of 1939, between a Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
force of three cruiser
Cruiser
A cruiser is a type of warship. The term has been in use for several hundreds of years, and has had different meanings throughout this period...
s and the German pocket battleship
Deutschland class cruiser
The Deutschland class was a series of three panzerschiffe , a form of heavily armed cruiser, built by the Reichsmarine officially in accordance with restrictions imposed by the Treaty of Versailles...
Admiral Graf Spee. Unlike many British war movies of its time, The Battle of the River Plate treats the German sailors as honourable opponents rather than as cardboard cut-out "Huns" and Nazis. This was a recurrent theme in Powell and Pressburger's films, such as The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp
The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp
The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp is a 1943 film by the British film making team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger under the production banner of The Archers. It stars Roger Livesey, Deborah Kerr and Anton Walbrook. The title derives from the satirical Colonel Blimp comic strip by David...
.
Plot
In the early months of the Second World WarWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the German Navy
Kriegsmarine
The Kriegsmarine was the name of the German Navy during the Nazi regime . It superseded the Kaiserliche Marine of World War I and the post-war Reichsmarine. The Kriegsmarine was one of three official branches of the Wehrmacht, the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany.The Kriegsmarine grew rapidly...
sends out merchant raider
Merchant raider
Merchant raiders are ships which disguise themselves as non-combatant merchant vessels, whilst actually being armed and intending to attack enemy commerce. Germany used several merchant raiders early in World War I, and again early in World War II...
s to attack Allied shipping. The Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
responds with hunting groups whose mission is to stop them. The group that finds the heavily-armed "pocket battleship" Admiral Graf Spee near South America is outgunned: Graf Spee is equipped with long-range 11-inch guns, while the three British cruisers, Ajax
HMS Ajax (22)
HMS Ajax was a Leander class light cruiser which served with the British Royal Navy during World War II. She became famous for her part in the Battle of the River Plate, the Battle of Crete, the Battle of Malta and as a supply escort in the Siege of Tobruk. This ship was the eighth in the Royal...
, Achilles
HMNZS Achilles (70)
HMNZS Achilles was a Leander class light cruiser which served with the Royal New Zealand Navy in World War II. She became famous for her part in the Battle of the River Plate, alongside HMS Ajax and HMS Exeter....
and Exeter
HMS Exeter (68)
HMS Exeter was a York class heavy cruiser of the Royal Navy that served in World War II. She was laid down on 1 August 1928 at the Devonport Dockyard, Plymouth, Devon. She was launched on 18 July 1929 and completed on 27 July 1931...
, have much lighter 8-inch and 6-inch guns. Despite this, they go straight to the attack.
The British are led by Commodore Harwood
Henry Harwood
Admiral Sir Henry Harwood Harwood, KCB, OBE , was a British naval officer who won fame in the Battle of the River Plate.-Early life:...
(Anthony Quayle
Anthony Quayle
Sir John Anthony Quayle, CBE was an English actor and director.-Early life:Quayle was born in Ainsdale, Southport, in Lancashire to a Manx family....
), with Captain Woodhouse
Charles Woodhouse
Admiral Sir Charles Henry Lawrence Woodhouse KCB was an officer of the Royal Navy.-Naval career:Woohouse joined the Royal Navy in 1906. He served in World War I and specialized in gunnery. In 1935 he was appointed Assistant Director of Naval Equipment at the Admiralty.He captained in the Battle...
(Ian Hunter
Ian Hunter (actor)
Ian Hunter was a British character actor.Among dozens of film roles, his best-remembered appearances include That Certain Woman with Bette Davis, The Adventures of Robin Hood , The Little Princess and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde...
) commanding the Ajax, Captain Bell
F. S. Bell
Captain Frederick Secker Bell CB of the Royal Navy was the commander of during the Battle of the River Plate in December 1939.He was educated at Matfield Grange, Kent and the Royal Naval Colleges at Osborne and Dartmouth...
(John Gregson
John Gregson
John Gregson was an English actor.He was born Harold Thomas Gregson, of Irish descent, and grew up in Wavertree, Liverpool, where he was educated at Greenbank Road primary school, later St Francis Xavier School...
) the Exeter and Captain Parry (Jack Gwillim
Jack Gwillim
Jack William Frederick Gwillim was a prolific English character actor.-Career:Born in Canterbury, Kent, England, he served in the Royal Navy for over twenty years, attaining the rank of Commander...
) the Achilles. The British use their superior numbers to "split her fire" by attacking from different directions, but Graf Spee, under Captain Hans Langsdorff
Hans Langsdorff
Hans Wilhelm Langsdorff was a German naval officer, most famous for his command of the Panzerschiff Admiral Graf Spee during the Battle of the River Plate. He held the rank of Kapitän zur See....
(Peter Finch
Peter Finch
Peter Finch was a British-born Australian actor. He is best remembered for his role as "crazed" television anchorman Howard Beale in the film Network, which earned him a posthumous Academy Award for Best Actor, his fifth Best Actor award from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, and a...
), inflicts much damage on her foes. Exeter is particularly hard hit.
However, Graf Spee sustains damage itself and takes refuge in the neutral port of Montevideo
Montevideo
Montevideo is the largest city, the capital, and the chief port of Uruguay. The settlement was established in 1726 by Bruno Mauricio de Zabala, as a strategic move amidst a Spanish-Portuguese dispute over the platine region, and as a counter to the Portuguese colony at Colonia del Sacramento...
for repairs. According to international law, the ship may remain at neutral harbor only long enough to make repairs for seaworthiness, not to refit her for battle. With reinforcements too far away, the British spread disinformation
Disinformation
Disinformation is intentionally false or inaccurate information that is spread deliberately. For this reason, it is synonymous with and sometimes called black propaganda. It is an act of deception and false statements to convince someone of untruth...
that an overwhelming force is lying in wait, hoping to buy time. Taken in by the lies, Langsdorff takes his ship out with a skeleton crew and scuttles
Scuttling
Scuttling is the act of deliberately sinking a ship by allowing water to flow into the hull.This can be achieved in several ways—valves or hatches can be opened to the sea, or holes may be ripped into the hull with brute force or with explosives...
her.
Historical details
The use of real ships allows the film to pay particular attention to detail, including the bells ringing before each salvo, the scorching on the gun barrels after the battle, and the accurate depiction of naval procedures. However, the scene when Harwood meets with his captains on board Ajax is fictional, created for the movie in order to explain the tactical situation to the audience. The battle is seen entirely from the perspective of the British ships, plus that of prisoners (captured from nine merchantmen) held on Graf Spee.The film devotes nearly twenty minutes to the battle, which actually lasted little more than an hour before becoming a chase into Montevideo. The initial minutes from the spotting of Graf Spee at 0614, to her opening fire at 0618, and the British ships returning fire from 0620 are depicted in real time. In reality Graf Spee's gunfire did not "straddle" Exeter until 0623 after three salvoes, and her main armament fire was not "split" between the British ships until 0630, although these events are shown happening immediately. Exeter's Bridge and forward turrets were knocked out at 0630, but at this point the film begins to telescope the sequence of events.
Other interesting details include the fact that Commodore Harwood is shown wearing the shoulder tabs and sleeve rings of a Rear Admiral from the start, and not only after he had been promoted after the battle. This is historically correct, as 'Commodores of the first class' wore those insignia at the time. Exeters chaplain is also correctly depicted wearing a civilian dark suit and clerical collar; it was not until later in the war that naval chaplains
Military chaplain
A military chaplain is a chaplain who ministers to soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines and other members of the military. In many countries, chaplains also minister to the family members of military personnel, to civilian noncombatants working for military organizations and to civilians within the...
adopted military uniform as a security measure.
The Battle of the River Plate only hints at one aspect of the story: the death of Captain Hans Langsdorff, who committed suicide a few days after he scuttled his ship. Langsdorff is shown as subdued and depressed afterwards.
Cast
- John GregsonJohn GregsonJohn Gregson was an English actor.He was born Harold Thomas Gregson, of Irish descent, and grew up in Wavertree, Liverpool, where he was educated at Greenbank Road primary school, later St Francis Xavier School...
as Captain Frederick "Hookie" BellF. S. BellCaptain Frederick Secker Bell CB of the Royal Navy was the commander of during the Battle of the River Plate in December 1939.He was educated at Matfield Grange, Kent and the Royal Naval Colleges at Osborne and Dartmouth...
, HMS Exeter - Anthony QuayleAnthony QuayleSir John Anthony Quayle, CBE was an English actor and director.-Early life:Quayle was born in Ainsdale, Southport, in Lancashire to a Manx family....
as Commodore Henry HarwoodHenry HarwoodAdmiral Sir Henry Harwood Harwood, KCB, OBE , was a British naval officer who won fame in the Battle of the River Plate.-Early life:...
, HMS Ajax - Ian HunterIan Hunter (actor)Ian Hunter was a British character actor.Among dozens of film roles, his best-remembered appearances include That Certain Woman with Bette Davis, The Adventures of Robin Hood , The Little Princess and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde...
as Captain Charles WoodhouseCharles WoodhouseAdmiral Sir Charles Henry Lawrence Woodhouse KCB was an officer of the Royal Navy.-Naval career:Woohouse joined the Royal Navy in 1906. He served in World War I and specialized in gunnery. In 1935 he was appointed Assistant Director of Naval Equipment at the Admiralty.He captained in the Battle...
, HMS Ajax - Jack GwillimJack GwillimJack William Frederick Gwillim was a prolific English character actor.-Career:Born in Canterbury, Kent, England, he served in the Royal Navy for over twenty years, attaining the rank of Commander...
as Captain Edward Parry, HMS Achilles - Bernard LeeBernard LeeJohn Bernard Lee was an English actor, best known for his role as M in the first eleven James Bond films.-Life and career:...
as Captain Patrick Dove, MS Africa Shell - Peter FinchPeter FinchPeter Finch was a British-born Australian actor. He is best remembered for his role as "crazed" television anchorman Howard Beale in the film Network, which earned him a posthumous Academy Award for Best Actor, his fifth Best Actor award from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, and a...
as Captain Hans LangsdorffHans LangsdorffHans Wilhelm Langsdorff was a German naval officer, most famous for his command of the Panzerschiff Admiral Graf Spee during the Battle of the River Plate. He held the rank of Kapitän zur See....
, Admiral Graf Spee - Lionel MurtonLionel MurtonWilliam Lionel Murton was a British-Canadian character actor. He most often played Americans/Canadians in numerous films and television series, from the late 1940s...
as Mike Fowler, American radio reporter in Montevideo - Anthony BushellAnthony BushellAnthony Bushell was an English film actor and director, who appeared in 56 films between 1929 and 1961. He also appeared on and directed various British TV series such as Danger Man.-Early life:...
as Eugen Millington-DrakeEugen Millington-DrakeBritish diplomat Sir Eugen John Henry Vanderstegen Millington-Drake, KCMG, was born 26 February 1889, the son of Henry Millington-Drake. In 1920 he married Lady Effie Mackay, daughter of the 1st Earl of Inchcape, and they had four children. He died 12 December 1972.He was educated at Eton and...
, the British Minister in Uruguay - Peter IllingPeter IllingPeter Illing was an Austrian born, British film and television actor.-Filmography:* Silver Darlings * The End of the River * Against the Wind * Traveller's Joy...
as Dr Alberto GuaniAlberto GuaniAlberto Guani was an Uruguayan jurist, diplomat and the Vice President from 1943 to 1947.Alberto Guani was born in Montevideo in 1877...
, Uruguayan Foreign Minister - Michael GoodliffeMichael GoodliffeLawrence Michael Andrew Goodliffe was an English actor best known for playing suave roles such as doctors, lawyers and army officers. He was also sometimes cast in working class parts....
as Captain Henry McCall, British Naval Attaché in Buenos Aires - Patrick MacneePatrick MacneePatrick Macnee is an English actor, best known for his role as the secret agent John Steed in the series The Avengers.-Early life:...
as Lieutenant Commander Ralph Medley, HMS Ajax - John ChandosJohn Chandos (actor)John Chandos was a British film and television actor.-Filmography:* 49th Parallel * The Next of Kin * The First of the Few...
as Dr Otto Langmann, the German Minister in Uruguay - Douglas WilmerDouglas Wilmer-Early life:Wilmer was born in London and educated at King's School, Canterbury and Stonyhurst College. He trained at RADA but was called up to the Army in World War II. Posted to an antitank battery in the Royal West African Frontier Force, he was invalided out after he acquired tuberculosis. He...
as M. Desmoulins, the French Minister in Uruguay - William SquireWilliam SquireWilliam Squire was a Welsh actor of stage, film and television, born in Neath, South Wales.As a stage actor, Squire performed at Stratford-upon-Avon and at the Old Vic, and notably replaced his fellow-countryman Richard Burton as King Arthur in Camelot at the Majestic Theatre on Broadway.His...
as Ray Martin, British SISSecret Intelligence ServiceThe Secret Intelligence Service is responsible for supplying the British Government with foreign intelligence. Alongside the internal Security Service , the Government Communications Headquarters and the Defence Intelligence , it operates under the formal direction of the Joint Intelligence...
agent in Montevideo - Roger DelgadoRoger DelgadoRoger Caesar Marius Bernard de Delgado Torres Castillo Roberto was an English actor, best known for his role as the first Master in Doctor Who....
as Captain Varela, Uruguyan Navy - Andrew CruickshankAndrew CruickshankAndrew John Maxton Cruickshank was a Scottish supporting actor, most famous for his portrayal of Dr Cameron in the long-running UK BBC television series, Dr Finlay's Casebook, which ran for 191 episodes from 1962 until 1971.-Life and career:Andrew Cruickshank was born to Andrew and Mary...
as Captain William Stubbs, SS Doric Star - John Le MesurierJohn Le MesurierJohn Le Mesurier was a BAFTA Award-winning English actor. He is most famous for his role as Sergeant Arthur Wilson in the popular 1970s BBC comedy Dad's Army.-Career:...
as the Chaplain of HMS Exeter - Christopher LeeChristopher LeeSir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee, CBE, CStJ is an English actor and musician. Lee initially portrayed villains and became famous for his role as Count Dracula in a string of Hammer Horror films...
as Manolo, bar owner in Montevideo harbour - Edward AtienzaEdward AtienzaEdward Atienza is a British stage and film actor. He made his first London theatre appearance in the role of Mole in Toad of Toad Hall at the Prince's Theatre.-Biography:...
as Pop, Mike Fowler's gauchoGauchoGaucho is a term commonly used to describe residents of the South American pampas, chacos, or Patagonian grasslands, found principally in parts of Argentina, Uruguay, Southern Chile, and Southern Brazil...
assistant - April Olrich as Dolores (singing voice by Muriel SmithMuriel Smith (singer)Muriel Burrell Smith was an American singer. In the 1940s and 1950s, she was a star of musical theater and opera, and was also the off-film ghost singer in several hit movies...
) - Peter DyneleyPeter DyneleyPeter Dyneley was a British actor, born in Hastings, East Sussex, England.Although appearing in many smaller roles in both film and television, he is best remembered for his performance as the voice of Jeff Tracy in the Gerry Anderson 1960s TV series Thunderbirds and the subsequent movies...
as Captain John Robison, SS Newton Beech (uncredited)
Cast notes
- Future director John SchlesingerJohn SchlesingerJohn Richard Schlesinger, CBE was an English film and stage director and actor.-Early life:Schlesinger was born in London into a middle-class Jewish family, the son of Winifred Henrietta and Bernard Edward Schlesinger, a physician...
has a small part as a prisoner on board the Graf Spee, as does Captain Patrick Dove of Africa Shell, who is himself portrayed by Bernard Lee. - Anthony NewleyAnthony NewleyAnthony George Newley was an English actor, singer and songwriter. He enjoyed success as a performer in such diverse fields as rock and roll and stage and screen acting.-Early life:...
and Donald MoffatDonald MoffatDonald Moffat is an English-born actor, now a naturalized American citizen.-Early life:Moffat was born in Plymouth, Devon, the only child of Kathleen Mary and Walter George Moffat, who was an insurance agent. His parents ran a boarding house in Totnes...
have small parts as a radio operator and a lookout. Moffat was making his film debut, as was Jack GwillimJack GwillimJack William Frederick Gwillim was a prolific English character actor.-Career:Born in Canterbury, Kent, England, he served in the Royal Navy for over twenty years, attaining the rank of Commander...
.
Production
The Battle of the River Plate had its genesis in an invitation to Michael PowellMichael Powell (director)
Michael Latham Powell was a renowned English film director, celebrated for his partnership with Emeric Pressburger...
and Emeric Pressburger
Emeric Pressburger
Emeric Pressburger was a Hungarian-British screenwriter, film director, and producer. He is best known for his series of film collaborations with Michael Powell, in a multiple-award-winning partnership known as The Archers and produced a series of classic British films, notably 49th Parallel , The...
to attend a film festival in Argentina in 1954. They decided they couldn't afford to take the time from their schedules unless it was a working vacation, and used the trip to research the defeat of the Admiral Graf Spee. They came across the "hook" for their story when one of the surviving British naval officers gave Pressburger a copy of Captain Patrick Dove's book I Was A Prisoner on the Graf Spee, which became the basis of the human story of the film. Powell's work on this film was influenced by Noel Coward
Noël Coward
Sir Noël Peirce Coward was an English playwright, composer, director, actor and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what Time magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and chic, pose and poise".Born in Teddington, a suburb of London, Coward attended a dance academy...
's film In Which We Serve
In Which We Serve
In Which We Serve is a 1942 British patriotic war film directed by David Lean and Noël Coward. It was made during the Second World War with the assistance of the Ministry of Information ....
(1942).
Filming started on 13 December 1955, the sixteenth anniversary of the battle. The HMS Ajax and River Plate Association reportedly sent a message to the producers: "Hope your shooting will be as successful as ours." Location shooting for the arrival and departure of the Graf Spee took place at the port of Montevideo
Montevideo
Montevideo is the largest city, the capital, and the chief port of Uruguay. The settlement was established in 1726 by Bruno Mauricio de Zabala, as a strategic move amidst a Spanish-Portuguese dispute over the platine region, and as a counter to the Portuguese colony at Colonia del Sacramento...
, using thousands of locals as extras. However, the scenes showing Graf Spee sailing from Montevideo were shot in the Grand Harbour
Grand Harbour
Grand Harbour is a natural harbour on the island of Malta. It has been used as a harbour since at least Phoenician times...
at Valetta in Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
, and the launch taking McCall out to HMS Ajax was filmed in Gozo
Gozo
Gozo is a small island of the Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. The island is part of the Southern European country of Malta; after the island of Malta itself, it is the second-largest island in the archipelago...
harbour on Malta's northern island.
Two songs written by composer Brian Easdale
Brian Easdale
Brian Easdale was a British composer.Easdale was born in Manchester, England. He was educated at Westminster Abbey School and the Royal College of Music....
were used in the film, "Dolores' Song" and "Rio de la Plata". Both were acted by April Olrich as "Dolores", with singing voice dubbed by Muriel Smith
Muriel Smith (singer)
Muriel Burrell Smith was an American singer. In the 1940s and 1950s, she was a star of musical theater and opera, and was also the off-film ghost singer in several hit movies...
.
The film was filmed using VistaVision
VistaVision
VistaVision is a higher resolution, widescreen variant of the 35mm motion picture film format which was created by engineers at Paramount Pictures in 1954....
, a wide screen orthographic process using a horizontal film feed.
Ships used
- Admiral Graf Spee played by heavy cruiser
- The supply ship AltmarkGerman tanker AltmarkAltmark was a German oil tanker and supply vessel, one of five of a class built between 1937 and 1939. She is best known for her support of the German commerce raider, the "pocket battleship" and her subsequent involvement in the "Altmark Incident"....
played by the fleet oiler Olna. flagship, played by played by - HMNZS Achilles played by herself played by herself when she joins the British squadron after the battle, (and by HMS Jamaica in the final scenes off Montevideo). was used for the firing of some of the guns, and to depict the explosions on the foredeck of Exeter, as well as the scene on the deck of Graf Spee showing the flag-draped coffins of dead German sailors laid out for burial . was used as a camera ship.
Most of the action of the battle and prior to it takes place on real ships at sea. The producers had the advantage of having elements of the Mediterranean Fleet
Mediterranean Fleet (Royal Navy)
The British Mediterranean Fleet was part of the Royal Navy. The Fleet was one of the most prestigious commands in the navy for the majority of its history, defending the vital sea link between the United Kingdom and the majority of the British Empire in the Eastern Hemisphere...
of the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
available for their use and USS Salem to play the part of Admiral Graf Spee (although she had the wrong number of main turrets). This meant that they did not have to rely on extensive use of models like most naval war films, although they did make use of a 23-foot model (with details only on the side being shot) in a six-foot-deep tank at Pinewood Studios
Pinewood Studios
Pinewood Studios is a major British film studio situated in Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, approximately west of central London. The studios have played host to many productions over the years from huge blockbuster films to television shows to commercials to pop promos.The purchase of Shepperton...
for scene depicting the scuttling of Admiral Graf Spee, which was assembled from multiple takes from different angles.
In an early scene, it is claimed that the Graf Spee is being disguised by the ship's carpenters – using features such as a false funnel – as an American cruiser, a trick typical of commerce raiders. The U.S. Navy would not allow any Nazi insignia to be displayed on the Salem so the wartime German flag being hoisted and flown was filmed on a British ship. This is also the explanation as to why the crew of the Graf Spee are seen wearing US Navy pattern helmets rather than German "Coal Scuttles" – whilst the film-makers wanted to achieve an accurate impression and use German helmets they were refused permission. This aspect is sometimes described as a "goof" on the part of the film-makers, but was in fact a circumstance beyond their control.
It was remarkable that two of the original ships, HMS Achilles and Cumberland were available for filming fifteen years after the events depicted. Cumberland was a disarmed trials ship without her 8" gun turrets at this time and was refitted with lattice masts, but she is very recognisable as the last of the three-funnelled heavy cruisers to remain in service. (In the final scenes, Jamaica represented Cumberland as one of the British trio waiting off Montevideo).
HMNZS Achilles had been sold to the newly-formed Indian Navy in 1948, becoming the . The flagship HMS Ajax was actually her sister-ship, and would have looked identical to Achilles, while the original HMS Exeter was a two-funnelled half-sister of the Cumberland. HMS Sheffield and HMS Jamaica, which played Ajax and Exeter, had higher superstructures and more guns, which were mounted in triple turrets. Though different from the ships they represented, both these light cruisers saw active service against much more powerful German surface raiders, which makes their participation in this film interesting on a wider level.
In May 1941 served as the escort to HMS Ark Royal during the sinking of the battleship Bismarck
German battleship Bismarck
Bismarck was the first of two s built for the German Kriegsmarine during World War II. Named after Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, the primary force behind the German unification in 1871, the ship was laid down at the Blohm & Voss shipyard in Hamburg in July 1936 and launched nearly three years later...
, and on 31 December 1942, Sheffield and Jamaica jointly attacked and drove off the pocket battleship Lützow
German pocket battleship Deutschland
Deutschland was the lead ship of her class of heavy cruisers which served with the Kriegsmarine of Nazi Germany during World War II. Ordered by the Weimar government for the Reichsmarine, she was laid down at the Deutsche Werke shipyard in Kiel in February 1929 and completed by April 1933...
(sister ship to the Graf Spee), and the heavy cruiser Admiral Hipper
German cruiser Admiral Hipper
Admiral Hipper, the first of five ships of her class, was the lead ship of the Admiral Hipper–class of heavy cruisers which served with the German Kriegsmarine during World War II. The ship was laid down at the Blohm & Voss shipyard in Hamburg in July 1935 and launched February 1937; Admiral Hipper...
, at the Battle of the Barents Sea
Battle of the Barents Sea
The Battle of the Barents Sea took place on 31 December 1942 between German surface raiders and British ships escorting convoy JW 51B to Kola Inlet in the USSR. The action took place in the Barents Sea north of North Cape, Norway...
, when the Germans attempted to intercept a large convoy to Murmansk. This success by two British light cruisers against two much more powerful warships caused Hitler to lose confidence in his surface forces, and the Germans subsequently relied mainly on U-boats to attack Allied shipping. On 26 December 1943 both Sheffield and Jamaica participated in the sinking of the battleship Scharnhorst
German battleship Scharnhorst
Scharnhorst was a German capital ship, alternatively described as a battleship and battlecruiser, of the German Kriegsmarine. She was the lead ship of her class, which included one other ship, Gneisenau. The ship was built at the Kriegsmarinewerft dockyard in Wilhelmshaven; she was laid down on 15...
at the Battle of North Cape
Battle of North Cape
The Battle of the North Cape was a Second World War naval battle which occurred on 26 December 1943, as part of the Arctic Campaign. The German battlecruiser , on an operation to attack Arctic Convoys of war materiel from the Western Allies to the USSR, was brought to battle and sunk by superior...
; Sheffield, with Belfast and Norfolk, opened the attack at 09.00; as at the River Plate battle, three cruisers sought to attack a Battleship armed with 11" guns. After a long fight, HMS Jamaica finally sank Scharnhorst with torpedoes at 19.45. In 1944, both Sheffield and Jamaica acted as escorts for the aircraft carriers taking part in a series of attacks on Tirpitz
Tirpitz
Tirpitz may refer to:* Alfred von Tirpitz, German admiral* German battleship Tirpitz, named for the admiral* Tirpitz , a pig rescued from the sinking of the SMS Dresden, and named after the admiral...
in Norway. Thus the two leading Royal Navy ships of this film played a major part in the campaign against the large German surface raiders which began at the Battle of the River Plate.
Release and reception
When The Battle of the River Plate was completed and screened for executives at the Rank OrganisationRank Organisation
The Rank Organisation was a British entertainment company formed during 1937 and absorbed in 1996 by The Rank Group Plc. It was the largest and most vertically-integrated film company in Britain, owning production, distribution and exhibition facilities....
, it went over so well that it was decided to hold the release of the film for a year, so that it could be chosen as part of the next year's Royal Film Performance
Royal Film Performance
The Royal Film Performance is a charity performance of a British film which is attended by members of the British Royal Family. The proceeds from the evening's entertainment are donated to the Cinema and Television Benevolent Fund, a charity which offers financial support to people from the film,...
(in 1956), since 1955's film had already been selected. The film also performed very well at the box office.
Awards and honours
The Battle of the River Plate was nominated for three BAFTA Awards in 1957, for "Best British Film", "Best British Screenplay" and "Best Film From Any Source".Book
In 1956, Powell published The Last Voyage of the Graf Spee, also known as Death in the Atlantic, retelling the story of the film.External links
. Full synopsis, film stills and clips viewable from UK libraries- Reviews and articles at the Powell & Pressburger Pages
- Battle of the River Plate at DVD Beaver