Fresh
The battle sequences, in which the lightweight British cruisers close in on the Graf Spee and force the enemy to take shelter in Montevideo harbor, are powerful, exciting and technically impressive.
Variety Staff, Variety
The Battle of the River Plate
Pursuit of the Graf Spee
1956 · 1h 59m · Not Rated
Drama, History, War
Directed by
Michael Powell
,
Emeric Pressburger
Overview
In the early years of the World War II, the Royal Navy is fighting a desperate battle to keep the Atlantic convoy routes open to supply the British Isles, facing the great danger posed by the many German warships, such as the Admiral Graf Spee, which are scouring the ocean for cargo ships to sink.
Director and cast
- Michael Powell Director
- Emeric Pressburger Director
- John Gregson as Captain Bell - H.M.S. Exeter
- Anthony Quayle as Commodore Harwood - H.M.S. Ajax
- Peter Finch as Captain Langsdorff 'Admiral Graff Spee'
- Ian Hunter as Captain Woodhouse - H.M.S. Ajax
- Jack Gwillim as Captain Parry - H.M.N. Z. S. Achilles
- Bernard Lee as Captain Dove - M.S. Africa Shell
- Lionel Murton as Mike Fowler
- Anthony Bushell as Sir Millington Drake, British Minister, Montevideo
- Peter Illing Cast
- Michael Goodliffe Cast
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
82%
Tomatometer
Fresh
Give the British filmmakers a good, rousing subject from their own naval history and they're almost certain to come up with a picture that proudly bespeaks the courage and audacity of a hero breed.
Bosley Crowther, New York Times
Rotten
Powell and Pressburger's final collaboration as The Archers was also, perhaps, their dullest.
Geoff Andrew, Time Out
Fresh
Though it's mostly a waiting game, the film is tense and involving, thanks to Powell's fluid shifting of the point of view.
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader
More films
Das Boot (1981)
Drama · History · War · R
A German submarine hunts allied ships during the Second World War, but it soon becomes the hunted. The crew tries to survive below the surface, while stretching both the boat and themselves to their limits.
- Runtime
- 2h 30m
- Director
- Wolfgang Petersen
- Cast
- Jürgen Prochnow, Herbert Grönemeyer
IMDb
8.4
Rotten Tomatoes
98%
Metacritic
85
Downfall (2004)
Drama · History · War · R
In April of 1945, Germany stands at the brink of defeat with the Russian Army closing in from the east and the Allied Expeditionary Force attacking from the west. In Berlin, capital of the Third Reich, Adolf Hitler proclaims that Germany will still achieve victory and orders his generals and advisers to fight to the last man. When the ...
- Runtime
- 2h 35m
- Director
- Oliver Hirschbiegel
- Cast
- Bruno Ganz, Alexandra Maria Lara, Corinna Harfouch
IMDb
8.2
Rotten Tomatoes
90%
Metacritic
82
Life Is Beautiful (1997)
Comedy · Drama · PG-13
A touching story of an Italian book seller of Jewish ancestry who lives in his own little fairy tale. His creative and happy life would come to an abrupt halt when his entire family is deported to a concentration camp during World War II. While locked up he tries to convince his son that the whole thing is just a game.
- Runtime
- 1h 56m
- Director
- Roberto Benigni
- Cast
- Nicoletta Braschi, Giorgio Cantarini
IMDb
8.6
Rotten Tomatoes
80%
Metacritic
58
Pearl Harbor (2001)
Action · History · Romance · War · PG-13
The lifelong friendship between Rafe McCawley and Danny Walker is put to the ultimate test when the two ace fighter pilots become entangled in a love triangle with beautiful Naval nurse Evelyn Johnson. But the rivalry between the friends-turned-foes is immediately put on hold when they find themselves at the center of Japan's devastati...
- Runtime
- 3h 3m
- Director
- Michael Bay
- Cast
- Ben Affleck, Kate Beckinsale, Josh Hartnett
IMDb
6.3
Rotten Tomatoes
24%
Metacritic
44
Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)
Drama · History · Approved
In 1947, four German judges who served on the bench during the Nazi regime face a military tribunal to answer charges of crimes against humanity. Chief Justice Haywood hears evidence and testimony not only from lead defendant Ernst Janning and his defense attorney Hans Rolfe, but also from the widow of a Nazi general, an idealistic U.S...
- Runtime
- 3h 11m
- Director
- Stanley Kramer
- Cast
- Spencer Tracy, Burt Lancaster, Richard Widmark
IMDb
8.3
Rotten Tomatoes
93%
Metacritic
60
The Lorax (2012)
Animation · Family · PG
A 12-year-old boy searches for the one thing that will enable him to win the affection of the girl of his dreams. To find it he must discover the story of the Lorax, the grumpy yet charming creature who fights to protect his world.
- Runtime
- 1h 26m
- Director
- Kyle Balda, Chris Renaud
- Cast
- Danny DeVito, Zac Efron, Ed Helms
IMDb
6.4
Metacritic
46
Banana (2010)
Animation · Comedy · Family · N/A
The Minions fight over a delicious banana... but is that all they want?!
- Runtime
- 4m
- Director
- Kyle Balda, Samuel Tourneux
- Cast
- Pierre Coffin
IMDb
7.6
Home Makeover (2010)
Animation · Comedy · Family · N/A
When a social worker visits Gru’s house to assess its suitability for children, chaos ensues. Margo, Edith, and Agnes, along with the ever-mischievous Minions, scramble to give the home a makeover in record time. Their attempts to create a warm and inviting environment quickly spiral into hilarity as the Minions’ unorthodox methods lea...
- Runtime
- 5m
- Director
- Kyle Balda, Samuel Tourneux
- Cast
- Miranda Cosgrove, Dana Gaier, Elsie Kate Fisher
IMDb
7.1
Orientation Day (2010)
Animation · Comedy · Family · N/A
The Minions embark on their first day of work, eager to prove themselves in their new roles. After watching a hilariously outdated 'Initiation Video,' three rookie Minions take on bomb-carrying duty. Predictably, their enthusiasm quickly spirals into chaos as they bungle the simplest of tasks. Packed with slapstick comedy and the Minio...
- Runtime
- 4m
- Director
- Kyle Balda, Samuel Tourneux
- Cast
- Pierre Coffin, Rob Huebel
IMDb
6.8
Gru, mi villano favorito presenta: La locura de los minions (2010)
Animation · Comedy
Comments
Talk about the film with other members