I very often will read a book first to learn a deeper level of knowledge about a historical event. Before watching this film I read "The Battle of the River Plate" by Dudley Pope (circa 1956) - paperback. I really liked that book as it provides loads of information about the Graf Spe, a German "pocket" battle ship, which was brand new at the outset of WW2 and for its time and size, cutting edge and fearsome. I recommend viewers to that book.
The movie was quite enjoyable as an action adventure / historical drama. My version of the film had "extras" including interviews with Christopher Lee and others. We learn that the directors had to capture long distance shots of US Navy boats whenever they could, which was often last minute. In any case, the story is fairly well covered. I have to admit that I am not always a fan of the acting quality of certain eras. I don't want to give the impression that I dislike older films; the exact opposite is usually the case. I am trying to bring out a point and that is often set pieces like this film, done in studios and not on location, like this one, the actors sadly take on a very mannered, somewhat brittle and stiff physicality to their "acting". And this film had such a fine collection of terrific actors, who aged well into their craft as they grew older. Look at Christopher Lee, who has a tiny role in this film, whip thin, you can hardly recognize him. Most of the lead actors were incredibly slim (not that it really matters). I find early Michael Redgrave films troublesome because I find his approach too self conscious and remote. Seeing him as Master and Commander of his small scale and somewhat suicidal fleet, hunting down a far superior ship, chomping away on his pipe, it's a bit too much. I suppose that people actually behaved this way but I find it grating on my nerves.
I often compare one film against another and for me one of the top films of the sea, not yet eclipsed, is "Das Boot". Imagine the Graf Spee story as told by Wofgang Petersen? You'd have an anti-romantic, blood and guts story, with the battle see sawing back and forth, no one really knowing who was winning. That was the truth of the matter; the Brits did not know how much damage they were causing and the reason was not a lack of radar. It was because these ships were lobbing shells at each other from many miles separation! The Graf Spee's biggest guns could lob shells so far that it took almost a full 60 seconds for them to hit their target from the moment they were shot out of the cannons.
The dialogue was not overly impressive and the loss of life and damage of the Exeter was underplayed: they had the crap smashed out of them and were almost sunk.
The Graf Spee was the first ship in history to be outfitted with functional, if weak, radar. The Brits sent up sighter sea planes who could radio sightings back to the ship. Minus radar, the optical sighting of the crew was limited to the strength of small telescopes and hand held binoculars. This was early in the war. The scuttling of the Graf Spee is still discussed today because it seems such a mystery. Although his ship did take a fair amount of damage and his cooking areas (galley) were destroyed, Langsdorf still had the use of his superior guns. Why did he scuttle the ship? We still are not sure but the defeat and scuttling must have really shocked the German Naval Command.
Other than somewhat wooden acting and commanders who didn't seem all that worried that shells were hitting the waters just a few feet away from blowing huge holes in their own ships, it's a pretty good film. I think Petersen should remake this film from the German point of view. Now that is something exciting to contemplate.
The movie was quite enjoyable as an action adventure / historical drama. My version of the film had "extras" including interviews with Christopher Lee and others. We learn that the directors had to capture long distance shots of US Navy boats whenever they could, which was often last minute. In any case, the story is fairly well covered. I have to admit that I am not always a fan of the acting quality of certain eras. I don't want to give the impression that I dislike older films; the exact opposite is usually the case. I am trying to bring out a point and that is often set pieces like this film, done in studios and not on location, like this one, the actors sadly take on a very mannered, somewhat brittle and stiff physicality to their "acting". And this film had such a fine collection of terrific actors, who aged well into their craft as they grew older. Look at Christopher Lee, who has a tiny role in this film, whip thin, you can hardly recognize him. Most of the lead actors were incredibly slim (not that it really matters). I find early Michael Redgrave films troublesome because I find his approach too self conscious and remote. Seeing him as Master and Commander of his small scale and somewhat suicidal fleet, hunting down a far superior ship, chomping away on his pipe, it's a bit too much. I suppose that people actually behaved this way but I find it grating on my nerves.
I often compare one film against another and for me one of the top films of the sea, not yet eclipsed, is "Das Boot". Imagine the Graf Spee story as told by Wofgang Petersen? You'd have an anti-romantic, blood and guts story, with the battle see sawing back and forth, no one really knowing who was winning. That was the truth of the matter; the Brits did not know how much damage they were causing and the reason was not a lack of radar. It was because these ships were lobbing shells at each other from many miles separation! The Graf Spee's biggest guns could lob shells so far that it took almost a full 60 seconds for them to hit their target from the moment they were shot out of the cannons.
The dialogue was not overly impressive and the loss of life and damage of the Exeter was underplayed: they had the crap smashed out of them and were almost sunk.
The Graf Spee was the first ship in history to be outfitted with functional, if weak, radar. The Brits sent up sighter sea planes who could radio sightings back to the ship. Minus radar, the optical sighting of the crew was limited to the strength of small telescopes and hand held binoculars. This was early in the war. The scuttling of the Graf Spee is still discussed today because it seems such a mystery. Although his ship did take a fair amount of damage and his cooking areas (galley) were destroyed, Langsdorf still had the use of his superior guns. Why did he scuttle the ship? We still are not sure but the defeat and scuttling must have really shocked the German Naval Command.
Other than somewhat wooden acting and commanders who didn't seem all that worried that shells were hitting the waters just a few feet away from blowing huge holes in their own ships, it's a pretty good film. I think Petersen should remake this film from the German point of view. Now that is something exciting to contemplate.