---
product_id: 8565490
title: "The Battle of the River Plate"
price: "12513 kr"
currency: ISK
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 8
url: https://www.desertcart.is/products/8565490-the-battle-of-the-river-plate
store_origin: IS
region: Iceland
---

# The Battle of the River Plate

**Price:** 12513 kr
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** The Battle of the River Plate
- **How much does it cost?** 12513 kr with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.is](https://www.desertcart.is/products/8565490-the-battle-of-the-river-plate)

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## Description

Something of a swan song for the legendary Michael Powell-Emeric Pressburger partnership, 1956's The Battle of the River Plate is their penultimate film together (the following year's Ill Met By Moonlight was the last). Shot in a semi-documentary style that stands apart from the "magical realism" of much of their previous work-- Canterbury Tales , A Matter of Life and Death , The Red Shoes --the film tells the story of the pursuit of the German pocket battleship Graf Spee by three British cruisers off the River Plate in Uruguay during November 1939. Incorporating actual wartime footage adds to the authentic air, albeit one that sits uneasily with the obviously studio-bound look of the rest. Among the solid cast Peter Finch stands out as the beleaguered Captain Langsdorff of the Graf Spee, while John Gregson is his counterpart, the stalwart British hero type. Things get a bit odd when Christopher Lee pops up in the unlikely role of a Latin-American nightclub boss. It's an atypical Powell and Pressburger picture and not exactly their best, but still a fine World War II picture that documents an important incident in the opening salvos of the war. --Mark Walker British officers chase the German pocket battleship Graf Spee to Uruguay, where its captain scuttles it.

Review: Highly enjoyable and accurate film that can never be duplicated - This film is truly one of the best WWII naval films ever made, in my opinion. Fine acting, great actions shots, solid directing and editing, and a clear, straight forward story all combine to make superb film. Others here have provided the synopsis of this film, so I will forgo the pleasure. While certain parts of the film did not actually occur, for example, the meeting of the British Captains, they were obviously added to tell the story in a clear, efficient, and unambiguous way. One part this is 100% accurate is the see-sawing the British did with their position on the Graf Spee leaving harbor. And unlike many naval engagements, this battle actually did take place in good weather, with fairly calm seas, as depicted in the film. Unlike many war movies, like Saving Private Ryan, this movie could not be made today anywhere near as well as it was in 1956. The reason-the real stars of the film, the ships, simply don't exist anymore. There are only two WWII light cruisers left in the world, the HMS Belfast in London, and the USS Little Rock in Buffalo, and only one heavy cruiser, the USS Salem (which played the Graf Spee in the film), in Massachusetts, and none of them are sea worthy. The HMS Achilles, which fought in the battle, and the HMS Cumberland who arrived soon after the battle to be a backup, even plays themselves! No other naval film that I know of can make that claim. Models and even the best CG simply cannot provide the realism that the real thing provides, thus this movie could not be made today. Scenes shot in places like gun turrets, inside gun directors, on the bridge (British naval vessels still had open air bridges at this time), shots of medium/large caliber naval guns going off, etc. can never be filmed again, as they simply don't exist and never will again. Thus, any student of naval history or WWII history needs to see this film. The other unique thing about this film and time is that radar was not quite available on ships yet. A year later, when the Bismarck sailed, some of the British cruisers had radar. The only thing that should have been done in the film to improve it was to show a chart of the mouth of the river Plate. Several rivers flow into the estuary, which is quite large. Montevideo is a port city on the Northern coast near the mouth of the estuary, in Uruguay, while Buenos Aires in Argentina (a country friendly to Germany) is almost 100 miles inland, near where the rivers join. Knowing this makes seeing the British problem of catching the Graf Spee if she tried to escape upriver or out into the ocean much clearer. One of my favorite WWII naval films, one I was thrilled to be able to buy and watch again. Highly, highly recommended.
Review: My Favorite Film - I first saw this film when I was three years old, and now having seen it at least forty times in the last fifty-four years it has become an old friend. Now I have purchased it on DVD and I can highly recommend this version. It is uncut, letterboxed and the color hasn't looked this good since I first saw the film in 1956. And for me this film just gets better with time. An excellent cast giving great performances, great direction and camerawork and an attention to detail almost unmatched by any other war film. The use of actual warships instead of miniatures was also a huge plus. And while the action moves on to the land after the battle, the suspense never lets up, with the diplomatic wrangling every bit as interesting as the battle itself. About the only thing missing was Captain Langsdorf's suicide three days after the scuttling, but I think the producers were wise to omit this and allowed the film to end on an upbeat note. An excellent film about one of the last classic surface actions we shall ever see. And hats off to the people at Hen's Tooth Video for their beautiful presentation of my favorite film.

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Contributor | Andrew Cruickshank, Anthony Bushell, Anthony Newley, Anthony Quayle, April Olrich, Barry Foster, Bernard Lee, Brian Worth, Christopher Lee, David Farrar, Douglas Wilmer, Edward Atienza, Edward Judd, Emeric Pressburger, Ian Hunter, Jack Gwillim, John Chandos, John Gregson, John Le Mesurier, John Merivale, John Schlesinger, Lionel Murton, Maria Mercedes, Michael Goodliffe, Michael Powell, Nigel Stock, Patrick Macnee, Peter Finch, Peter Illing, Roger Delgado, William Squire Contributor Andrew Cruickshank, Anthony Bushell, Anthony Newley, Anthony Quayle, April Olrich, Barry Foster, Bernard Lee, Brian Worth, Christopher Lee, David Farrar, Douglas Wilmer, Edward Atienza, Edward Judd, Emeric Pressburger, Ian Hunter, Jack Gwillim, John Chandos, John Gregson, John Le Mesurier, John Merivale, John Schlesinger, Lionel Murton, Maria Mercedes, Michael Goodliffe, Michael Powell, Nigel Stock, Patrick Macnee, Peter Finch, Peter Illing, Roger Delgado, William Squire See more |
| Customer Reviews | 4.3 out of 5 stars 775 Reviews |
| Format | Color, Multiple Formats, NTSC, Widescreen |
| Genre | Military & War/World War II |
| Language | English |
| Runtime | 1 hour and 59 minutes |

## Images

![The Battle of the River Plate - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81h-umsv1BL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Highly enjoyable and accurate film that can never be duplicated
*by C***Y on May 20, 2011*

This film is truly one of the best WWII naval films ever made, in my opinion. Fine acting, great actions shots, solid directing and editing, and a clear, straight forward story all combine to make superb film. Others here have provided the synopsis of this film, so I will forgo the pleasure. While certain parts of the film did not actually occur, for example, the meeting of the British Captains, they were obviously added to tell the story in a clear, efficient, and unambiguous way. One part this is 100% accurate is the see-sawing the British did with their position on the Graf Spee leaving harbor. And unlike many naval engagements, this battle actually did take place in good weather, with fairly calm seas, as depicted in the film. Unlike many war movies, like Saving Private Ryan, this movie could not be made today anywhere near as well as it was in 1956. The reason-the real stars of the film, the ships, simply don't exist anymore. There are only two WWII light cruisers left in the world, the HMS Belfast in London, and the USS Little Rock in Buffalo, and only one heavy cruiser, the USS Salem (which played the Graf Spee in the film), in Massachusetts, and none of them are sea worthy. The HMS Achilles, which fought in the battle, and the HMS Cumberland who arrived soon after the battle to be a backup, even plays themselves! No other naval film that I know of can make that claim. Models and even the best CG simply cannot provide the realism that the real thing provides, thus this movie could not be made today. Scenes shot in places like gun turrets, inside gun directors, on the bridge (British naval vessels still had open air bridges at this time), shots of medium/large caliber naval guns going off, etc. can never be filmed again, as they simply don't exist and never will again. Thus, any student of naval history or WWII history needs to see this film. The other unique thing about this film and time is that radar was not quite available on ships yet. A year later, when the Bismarck sailed, some of the British cruisers had radar. The only thing that should have been done in the film to improve it was to show a chart of the mouth of the river Plate. Several rivers flow into the estuary, which is quite large. Montevideo is a port city on the Northern coast near the mouth of the estuary, in Uruguay, while Buenos Aires in Argentina (a country friendly to Germany) is almost 100 miles inland, near where the rivers join. Knowing this makes seeing the British problem of catching the Graf Spee if she tried to escape upriver or out into the ocean much clearer. One of my favorite WWII naval films, one I was thrilled to be able to buy and watch again. Highly, highly recommended.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ My Favorite Film
*by L***E on December 4, 2010*

I first saw this film when I was three years old, and now having seen it at least forty times in the last fifty-four years it has become an old friend. Now I have purchased it on DVD and I can highly recommend this version. It is uncut, letterboxed and the color hasn't looked this good since I first saw the film in 1956. And for me this film just gets better with time. An excellent cast giving great performances, great direction and camerawork and an attention to detail almost unmatched by any other war film. The use of actual warships instead of miniatures was also a huge plus. And while the action moves on to the land after the battle, the suspense never lets up, with the diplomatic wrangling every bit as interesting as the battle itself. About the only thing missing was Captain Langsdorf's suicide three days after the scuttling, but I think the producers were wise to omit this and allowed the film to end on an upbeat note. An excellent film about one of the last classic surface actions we shall ever see. And hats off to the people at Hen's Tooth Video for their beautiful presentation of my favorite film.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Excellent DVD of great World War II drama
*by D***Y on November 22, 2010*

This reveiw is for Hen's Tooth Video's recent DVD of this film. The DVD quality is excellent. It is in anamorphic 1.85:1 widescreen, and the picture quality is fantastic. Like most Michael Powell productions, it is a beautifully photographed film. The DVD also has a 24-minute featurette, which includes interveiws with some of the surviving crewmembers, such as Christopher Lee. This DVD extra has some information, but not a lot. It actually leaves the veiwer with more questions than answers. THE BATTLE OF THE RIVER PLATE/PURSUIT OF THE GRAF SPEE is highly recommended to WWII buffs, history fans and lovers of classic British cinema. Hen's Tooth Video should be commended for making this rare film available on Region 1 DVD.

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*Product available on Desertcart Iceland*
*Store origin: IS*
*Last updated: 2026-02-27*