Battle Hell (1957) User Reviews (23)

Nicely Done British War Movie.

[rmax304823 · 7/10 · 3 October 2009]

In 1949, a British destroyer, HMS Amethyst, is proceeding along the Yangtse River in China on a peaceful mission to bring supplies to Nanking. However, a revolution is going on, the Chinese People's Liberation Army ("the Commies") have occupied one side of the river and shore batteries fire without warning on the ship.

The Amethyst sustains serious casualties and plows into the mud just out of range of the Chinese guns. Attempts to tow her off fail. Mao Tse Tung's army captures Nanking, so the Amethyst's mission is aborted. And, of course, there are now still more batteries along both shores of the river, blocking the Amethyst from the open sea. The grounded warship is visited by negotiators from the Chinese Liberation People's Republic Communist Marxist Invulnerable Heavenly Army Horde. They're willing to return some prisoners, allow the ship to be provisioned, and then proceed down the river to the sea. The only condition imposed by the humorless Chinese negotiators is that the British sign a statement that the whole affair was their own fault.

The captain of the Amethyst has been killed and his executive officer disabled, so they are removed along with the rest of the wounded to a hospital. A new captain arrives. This is Richard Todd. He's fair, stern, competent -- but what to do? Well, let me not spoil the ending by revealing that they slip away virtually unscathed at the last minute.

The story is so nicely structured in dramatic terms that it's hard to believe it hews close to history. It opens peacefully, turns at once into a furious battle, followed by a long mid-section involving negotiations between Todd and Akim Tamiroff as the Chinese Negotiator in Chief of the Chinese People's Heavenly Sent Liberation and Degaussing Army and Exalted Perloo Society. Then, when the end finally rolls around, the stress builds as the ship prepares to slip her chains and creep down the river to sanctuary.

Very little model work is used. This is to the film's advantage because models, no matter how sizable, are almost always identifiable for what they are. The texture is usually all wrong. Shell splashes send up towers of water with drops the size of basketballs. This movie uses real ships, and British destroyers were beautiful crafts. It's a pleasure to watch them in motion.

Acting. Richard Todd is a bit stiff, as usual, but his rigor fits the template of the role perfectly. I mean, what we don't need in this tense war drama is a captain who sits around conducting Gestalt group sessions with the men. Ian Bannen can be seen in a small role. He was to go on to become a marvelous and innovative performer. Also briefly visible is Barry Foster, who was a fanatic IRA man in "Ryan's Daughter" and a sex maniac in Hitchcock's "Frenzy." I was pleased to see that the script made a modest hero of Frenchy, the wireless operator. I was one myself and I can say without fear of contradiction that we are an under-appreciated lot.

One performance stands head and shoulders above the others, and that's Akim Tamiroff, a Russian, who essays the role of a gruff and manipulative communist negotiator, as Chinese as a plate of beef Stroganoff. My God, he must have laughed himself to sleep every night! What a ludicrous performance. The make-up alone -- that broad false nose, those pasted-back eyelids. And that semi-Chinese accent imposed on a Russian accent imposed on English dialog. You must hear him try pronouncing "original memorandum" to believe it. The only person who seems able to speak Chinese properly is Keye Luke as the Area Garrison Commander, probably because he was born in Guangzhou, China. When he first boards the frigate, he turns to his aid and says in Mandarin, "You wait here; I'll be back." I was happy to understand it, because it's all I remember after one nightmarish summer of studying Mandarin in New Haven.

Sure, Act Two is long and slow, but it's propelled by a good deal of tension, and the heat and boredom suffered by the men provides a neat contrast with the cathartic relief of the final escape. The script doesn't avoid all the clichés ("You mean, you're scared too?") but there aren't many, even though I'm beginning to suspect the musical score was written by Richard Wagner. It's an exciting story nicely transposed into film.

The start of China's undeclared war on the West.

[ianlouisiana · 8/10 · 2 September 2006]

I was privileged to meet Lt Cdr Kerans at the "Schoolboys Exhibition" at Olympia in 1950.He was at a stand got up as part of HMS Amethyst and was patiently signing autographs for a large number of small boys like myself wearing school caps and blazers.The air was full of phrases like "I say,how wizard!" and all of us vowed to join the navy at the earliest opportunity.In a world as far away morally,socially and spiritually from today as the Regency,Lt Cdr Kerans was a figure to be held in awe.As he smiled and spoke a few words to me I knew,even at that early age,that I was in the presence of an inspirational man. Just a year earlier his ship - engaged in an entirely lawful peacetime mission -had come under heavy bombardment from Communist Chinese forces on the River Yangste.The courage and leadership he displayed during this incident earned him respect and praise throughout the West. In a Britain that had not yet learned to hate its own history and traditions there was a huge interest in the Amethyst and a movie was an obvious possibility;the only surprise was that it took six more years before it was made.Fortunately the wait was worthwhile. Mr Richard Todd was cast as Kerans,a role he slipped into as well as he had that of Guy Gibson.He was a man whose service in the Parachute Regt. had taught him a lot about the military mind,about making decisions that can cost lives,and it shows.His is a career that is not much remembered nowadays - which is an injustice. The Yangtse Incident itself is largely forgotten.China,they say,will be the new America.In our haste to ingratiate ourselves we forget events as recent as Tiananmen Square let alone an unprovoked attack on a British naval vessel nearly sixty years ago.When we watch the movie,history takes on flesh and blood,no longer hidden away on yellowing newspages.When the last of 1950's eager schoolboys passes on to the big tuckshop in the sky there will only be this movie to remind people of the bravery of Lt Cdr Kerans and his crew at a time when it might be politic to airbrush them from history.

Well made British naval drama

[Leofwine_draca · 6/10 · 12 June 2015]

THE YANGTSE INCIDENT is based on a true event that occurred in 1949 when a British ship travelling down the Yangtse river in China was suddenly attacked by Communist forces. Those on board must figure out how to get out of the situation alive, while the authorities attempt to negotiate with their foes and various men conduct themselves in a heroic fashion.

This is an assured production, well shot in black and white, that brings to mind the matter-of-fact storytelling of the classic A NIGHT TO REMEMBER. It stars the dependable Richard Todd as the guy sent in to extricate the ship from its tricky situation, and he leads an all-star cast of notables including William Hartnell, Robert Urquhart, Bernard Cribbins, Ian Bannen, Barry Foster, Sam Kydd, Ewen Solon, and Keye Luke as one of the Chinese.

Yes, this is a film which has dated somewhat since release, but it ably portrays the stiff-upper-lip attitude of the British that once made us famed and feared around the globe. A film championing the bygone days of Britain, then.

One of the best

[RGStovold · 16 November 2004]

Brtiain during the 1950's (when it had an thriving film industry) produced a plethora of fine war films, usually in black and white which gave a documentary feel about them and added to the realism and usually used only British actors (When made in colour and Cinemascope and usually with an imported US star they felt more contrived- The Bridge on the River Kwai excepted) Many have gone on to become classics like Ice Cold in Alex, The Dam Busters, The Cruel Sea and Reach For The Sky.

Yangtze Incident, the true story of the attack on HMS Amethyst by the Communist forces in China in 1949 is also one of the better ones and a bit unjustly forgotten about. It reunited Richard Todd with his Dam Busters helmer Michael Anderson and was produced by Herbert Wilcox (husband of Anna Neagle) shortly before he went bankrupt. The upper lips of the cast has never been stiffer but the heroics are natural and never overdone and the action scenes are tremendously exciting and all the better for using real and actual ships (The Battle of the River Plate for this reason is such a disappointment because the ships used bore little or no resemblance to the actual ones (exept one the INS Delhi is the actual HMS Achillies), especially the American heavy cruiser portraying the part of the Graf Spee}

The acting of the cast is uniformly (sic!) excellent with Richard Todd giving once again a low key but nevertheless authoritative performance

( he Jack Hawkins and Kenneth More seem to have the monopoly on this type of role)

All in all a good film the king they don't make any more and a pleasant and relaxing way to while a way a couple of hours on a cold wet miserable Sunday afternoon.

Splendid account of a forgotten disgraceful episode

[ian1000 · 7/10 · 5 January 2007]

A splendid rendition of a true story. Richard Todd essentially does Guy Gibson at sea, arriving after the battle to save the ship.

The battle sequences are exciting, and you really feel under fire as you watch the perplexed crew cope with the unexpected attack.

Unfortunately the film was not shot anywhere near location, and it's pretty clear that we are seeing somewhere in England, not the far east! The naval action and later escape is thrilling, almost as good as "Battle of The River Plate" which remains the finest naval warfare film.

We see the British humour of the time, best displayed by William Hartnell, who just about steals the show from Todd.

Solid but average British drama

[JoeytheBrit · 6/10 · 19 January 2008]

This veddy British naval adventure is typical of the UK output of the fifties. When we weren't making quaint comedies about drunken Scots or lovable rogues we were supplying the world with copious demonstrations of celluloid stiff-upper-lippery. We were very good at it, and many of those films have rightly attained the status of classics. This one, based on a real incident, doesn't quit achieve that status but it does at times come close. It contains some terrific action sequences, and some stirring final moments thanks to a quite inspirational score, but unfortunately the hour in between runs aground just like the HMS Amethyst.

The truth is that once the ship runs aground nothing much happens. The film tries to generate a measure of suspense regarding the fate of a couple of wounded seamen who are ferried to a hospital and wind up in the hands of a dastardly Chinese Colonel (unconvincingly portrayed by Akim Tamiroff) but doesn't really seem to have its heart in it.

Most pleasure is to be gained from the performances of such assured old hands as Richard Todd as the gallant Lt Cmdr Kerans, who manages to negotiate the ship's flight to freedom, William Hartnell as the hard-faced but warm-hearted Leading Seaman, Donald Houston as the plucky Lieutenant with a fondness for Horse's Necks (Brandy and ginger ale, apparently), and Sam Kydd as the working class jack tar with a down-to-earth mentality. A young Ian Bannen plays one of the wounded hostages, and a young Bernard Cribbins shouts about fathoms a lot.

Probably of more interest to those who were alive when the actual incident took place, this will pass as an adequate time-filler for the rest of us, but little more.

As good as I had recalled

[mark2-1 · 10/10 · 16 June 2004]

I recently got a copy of this film on VHS. I was expecting to be disappointed as I haven't seen this film in about 35-40 years! I often get a film I once enjoyed find it doesn't live up my memories. But, I was pleasantly surprised with this film.

There are, of course, some period stereotypes, especially racial (Akim Tamiroff again plays the evil oriental....), but they are minor annoyances as the story unfolds.

I had read that H.M.S. Amethyst had actually been used for the film and was so badly damaged during the filming due to underwater explosions that she was soon scrapped. I can now see why this might have happened. There are quite a few detonations in the water very close to the hull.

While watching the film I felt it could just as well have been a good story from Hornblower, Aubrey etc. Take away the modern vessel and replace it with a wooden ship and you have a timeless (true) tale.

Richard Todd (who served as a paratrooper on D-Day) plays with the authority he often gave to many similar roles (like the Dam Busters).

It was fun to see that Bernard Cribbins and Ian Bannen were unlisted in the role list. They were novices, and were actually both quite good in this film.

I highly recommend seeing this film!

Yangtse Incident

[Prismark10 · 6/10 · 12 October 2022]

Yangtse Incident is a solid but unspectacular movie let down by stereotypical characters that never feel real.

The movie is based on a true incident. On 1949 the HMS Amethyst was sailing along the Yangtze river to Nanking and came under unprovoked fire from the Chinese communists.

The ship is damaged and grounded on mud banks. With the captain dead, a rescue ship under fire. The crew are abandoned with Lieutenant Commander John Kerans (Richard Todd) taking control of the ship and crew.

Kerans finds himself trying to negotiate with Colonel Peng (Akim Tamiroff) who is using the incident for propaganda purposes. Get the crew to admit that the ship fired on the Chinese first.

Seeing no way out, Kerans needs to find a way to escape from the Chinese.

The movie tries too hard to be a docu-drama until realising that it needed to be peppered with some action.

There is a great cast of rising stars ranging from Bernard Cribbins, Barry Foster, Ian Bannen, Alfred Burke.

William Hartnell seems to fair the best as the seaman who had to pretend to be an officer when going to meet Peng.

Superb

[JHC3 · 10/10 · 6 March 2004]

The British frigate Amethyst is on a lawful run up the Yangtze River to provide supplies to the British embassy at Nanking. Communist Chinese forces are

victorious in the region and are marching on the city. As the ship travels upriver, Communist artillery batteries unexpectedly open fire. The frigate desperately fights back, but runs ashore after sustaining casualties and damage. The

situation settles into a diplomatic affair with the local Communist commander demanding all sorts of unreasonable concessions in order to allow the stricken vessel to leave.

For me, this dramatization of the real life incident involving HMS Amethyst on the Yangtze River counts as among the best in the genre. Action sequences

are realistic, especially for the time period. Especially remarkable is that the actual ship was used for part of the filming. The performances range from good to excellent. Highly recommended.

Yankee Incident: The Story of HMS Amethyst

[henry8-3 · 7/10 · 20 March 2024]

Set in 1949, this is the true story of the battleship HMS Amethyst which was heading, quite legitimately, down the Yangtze River in China when is was attached by Chinese communists. With many dead and the ship damaged and beached on a mud bank, the crew are at the mercy of the Chinese who insist on a document being signed by the British confirming they started it. They seem to have little room to manoeuvre, literally.

Whilst there are some impressive action scenes at the beginning and the end of the film, apparently using the actual Amethyst, this is more about coping, 'negotiating' with the enemy and finding a way out. It's all very exciting, believable stuff, well acted by a stellar cast of character actor Brits all lead by Richard Todd, not long off 'The Dam Busters'. Ok it's a bit 'top hole biffo' and upper lips have never been stiff, but it's genuinely interesting and exciting, particularly the last 20 minutes. Top notch.

The heroes of the Amethyst overpower this shameful film...

[film-critic · 3/10 · 5 July 2009]

After a week of nearly trudging through this dry wartime drama about the attack on the British naval ship, the Amethyst, I have come to realize that what occurred on this ship – in real life – was probably more entertaining than this. Sure, the ship was grounded, shot upon first, and escaped heroically in the dark, but were 113 minutes without any true character development necessary? The question is posed, not just because of random modern day war stories (character driven, historically inaccurate action films), but because this film itself seemed aggressively made, though poorly created. The premise was convincing. The history was in place. The unknown was defined, yet it seemed to drag from one frame to the next. The intensity of the scenes was too thin, causing an apathetic feeling to befall this group of heroic sailors (from an audience perspective). It wasn't until our third act, when finally something happened, that we were caught back into what these men had to endure. "Yangtze Incident" is a copious war film, demonstrating real ships in action and an unknown "Dr. Who" for the time, but perhaps it was the direction of one Michael Anderson, or my lack of knowledge about this moment in history, but it just felt bland. There was no real thrill or danger in this film, and it distracted from the soul of the situation.

What did work in "Yangtze Incident"? For me seeing those ships in acting, watching a slice of another country's involvement in WWII, and the cleverness of the officers to use their minds instead of guns to solve the situations at hand that created a decent film experience. It was when we slipped away from these great points that we lost focus with the film. "Yangtze Incident" wasn't bad, it just wasn't constructed well. When the Amethyst is first attacked, we spend nearly twenty minutes with stock footage with random inserts of the crew reacting to the obvious staged shots. Without warning, the ship is stopped and continued to be fired upon – Anderson, the director, may have been trying to give the audience the same feeling as the crew (the unanswered question as to why this cleared ship was fired upon) – but there wasn't anything connecting the incident to real life. From the opening shots, one knows that this is a film – a recreation of sorts, and the British Hollywood isn't afraid to keep it glossed over. It lacks that reality, or grittiness, that these heroes surely faced while abandoned in the middle of this river. The black and white cinematography does its best for the scenes, but the transfer watched was pathetic. The night scenes were too dark and I finally emerged just as happy to see the sunset as the crew was. Stronger lighting would have helped see that final moment of tension and fear.

Both Richard Todd and William Hartnell do as well as possible with the light characters given. Todd keeps a sense of superiority to himself, while Hartnell continues to be the hard-working deckhand with a heart of gold. The scene in which he tries to make the girl smile is both heartwarming and the only chance we get to see the true nature of these men. My final issue with this film is the lack of focus on the heroes. These men did go through quite a bit to bring their boat to safety, and to see many of them regarded as secondary – it just felt shameful. I wanted to know these people, their lives, their histories, their mannerisms – but nothing but cardboard was decided.

As historians, this is a film that needs to be watched. As a fan of classic foreign cinema, this was a difficult battle to win (no pun intended). "Yangtze Incident" felt slow, it felt shallow, and it was exciting – boring – and darkly exciting again. There was substance there, but it was unused throughout by both the director and the cinematographer. The horrible acting by Akim Tamiroff as a Chinese colonel was embarrassing. I cannot suggest this film to anyone. It was worth the singular viewing, but aside from that – it brought nothing new than history to the table. This was a film full of potential, lacking vision and dedication.

Grade: ** out of *****

Tale of the true exploits of Lieut-Cmdr. J.S. Kerans, D.S.O., R.N. and the crew of H.M.S. Amethyst at the conclusion of the Chinese civil war in 1949.

[scotsdominie · 10/10 · 1 February 2005]

Excellent Black and White movie showing the courage and resourcefulness of the Royal Navy. Richard Todd's portrayal of Lieutenant Commander J.S. Kerans conveys the essence of what a British Naval Officer is, and has been since the time of Nelson.

The only character who is poorly portrayed is the Chinese PLA Colonel, as this part was played by an obviously made up non-Chinese actor, weakening what is otherwise an outstanding film.

The action scenes realistically convey the sense of uncertainty that occurs during a naval engagement in confined waters. The style is a good hybrid of documentary and typical 1950's WW2 movie, which works better than one might think. The use of the tattered "White Ensign" and the RN's song "Hearts of Oak", for the title music give the movie an old fashioned patriotic feel. Furthermore, the signals between the "Amethyst" and the Navy's C-in-C Far East Station, Hong Kong help avoid a tone of mawkishness or propaganda.

Fogg Got Most Of The Way Around The World During This Movie

[boblipton · 3/10 · 26 September 2023]

In 1949, near the end of the Civil War that saw the Communists victorious, H. M. S. Amethyst is on her way from Shanghai to Nanking. She is fired upon by Communist forces, and laid up in the mud at the edge of the river. Her commanding officer, Richard Todd, then starts negotiating with Communist representative Akim Tamiroff.

Nothing else happens for more than an hour.

Michael Anderson's directorial follow-up to AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS offers a gallant effort to show how the best of British operate under pressure, but it's a tough slog for a movie goer who likes to have his movie move in some manner: physically, emotionally, plot-wise. Here, the audience is expected to undergo an hour of suspense, along with the crew of the Amethyst, as they stand around stock still, waiting for something to happen, for the guns of the Communists to let loose, for Tamiroff to lose his temper, for Todd to actually do something. After an hour of that, any result is a let-down, no matter how stirring Leighton Lucas' score might be at the moment the ship slips free of its anchor, no matter how freely Leading Seaman William Hartnell sweats as he stares grimly at the right edge of the frame. And so is this movie.

Strong Wartime Drama

[sean.connolly · 11 January 2004]

Strong drama about the 1949 incident involving HMS Amethyst. Quite real looking for a 1957 film, even the acting isn't as stilted as most films from that era. The battle sceanes are excellently done using real ships.

Well worth watching for some history about an incident which seems to have been forgotten about.

Excellent Account of the Amethyst Incident:

[robertguttman · 8/10 · 28 August 2020]

"Yangtse Incident" ("Battle Hell" is a dreadful alternate title) is an excellent account of the Amethyst Incident. Although little-remembered today, the incident made international headlines at the time for the courage, resourcefulness and determination of the crew of the beleaguered British frigate, HMS Amethyst. It also marked the end of a century of foreign nations exercising "gunboat diplomacy" along the inland waterways of China. Although the issue is barely touched upon in the movie that circumstance, imposed upon China by numerous foreign powers through unequal treaties, was a one which all the Chinese, and not just the Communists, had been coming regard as increasingly intolerable over the years.

However, it is not the political situation that is the central focus of the film, but the actions of the beleaguered British seamen who found themselves caught up in a desperate situation not of their own making. In that regard, "Yangste Incident" is comparable to "Zulu", another fine British film based upon a real historical event in which a small detachment of British soldiers also found themselves, through circumstances beyond their control, having to fight their way out of an impossible situation.

Of course, as is usually the case in movies of this kind, much has been left out. For example, many years after the fact, I actually met a man who had served on the Amethyst during the Yangtse Incident. At that time he held the rank of "Boy, First Class". He had much to say about Lt. Cmdr. Kerans, the officer who assumed command of the ship after the captain was killed. One thing I recall was his pointing that Kerans' post at the time, that of Assistant Naval Attache, was actually considered to be a dead-end job for an aspiring professional naval officer, and that Kerans was actually an officer who was considered to have very little future in the Navy. Needless to say, his conduct during the Yangtze Incident completely turned that situation around for him.

Although British films frequently featured American actors in order to attract American viewers, in "Yangtse Incident" all the leading roles are played by British actors. The only "American" actors in evidence are Akim Tamiroff, and Keye Luke, both of whom are cast as Chinese "baddies". Akim Tamiroff had previously portrayed a Chinese General in "The General Died At Dawn, so the role was not new to him. Of course, Keye Luke portrayed Chinese characters throughout his long career, most famously during the 1930s as Charlie Chan's "Number One Son" and, decades later, as "Master Po", the Shaolin Sage in "Kung-Fu".

Another, and perhaps more glaring, omission, is any mention of "Simon". The film provides only a brief, fleeting glimpse of Simon, and no mention whatever is made of him, or his remarkable part in the story. Badly wounded by shrapnel in the initial attack, Simon, the Amethyst's cat, was not expected to survive. However, he not only recovered. but resumed his duty as the ship's rat-catcher, which proved an invaluable service considering the limited amount of food available to the crew on board the ship. Afterwards, when Simon's story became known, his heroism was recognized by the award of the "Dicken Medal", the highest award for valor for animals, sometimes referred to as the "Animal's V.C".

However, perhaps the real centerpiece of the film is the presence of HMS Amethyst herself, as the filmmakers used the actual ship as the movie set. That sort of verisimilitude is simply not possible using CGI special effects.

Caught upriver in Communist China

[Tweekums · 8/10 · 16 February 2010]

When the frigate HMS Amethyst set off up the Yangtse river to resupply the British embassy in Nanking nobody on board thought they would end up national heroes after the People's Liberation Army shell the ship killing several crew members, driving it onto a sandbar and demanding an apology from the crew before they can make a dramatic escape through what is now unfriendly territory.

As the film opens the Amethyst is steaming up river with little to worry about, they know there is a civil war in China but don't know just how close the PLA are to taking the capital. When they come under heavy fire from communist artillery they are damaged and driven onto a sand bar. It appears they will be rescued when the destroyer HMS Consort arrives, unfortunately even with its superior fire power Consort can't silence the Chinese guns and after taking casualties is forced to retreat. The wounded personnel are evacuated to the river bank still in Nationalist hands and taken overland to Shanghai. The wounded include the captain who dies of his wounds. Lieutenant-Commander Kerans is sent to take over the command. As the Communists make further advances they are totally cut off from friendly forces and have to try to negotiate their safe passage unfortunately the Chinese demand that the crew confess that they were the aggressors. Refusing to do this Kerans decides they will make a run for the sea on night. To do this they must run the gauntlet of Chinese batteries and avoid a boom that has been placed across part of the river.

This film is an exciting retelling of those events with a solid cast portraying the ships crew, the only weakness in the cast is having Akim Tamiroff, a Russian playing a Chinese officer, he just didn't look or sound Chinese. The fact that it was filmed aboard the real HMS Amethyst added authenticity; when they come under fire it looks like a real ship is coming under fire not just a model.

An awkward fiction

[libin72 · 1/10 · 11 June 2021]

Sailing lawfully in a Chinese river? I guess the PLAN battle ships can sail lawfully in the Thames as well? The heroic escape was to hide in the shadow of a passenger ship can the cowardship caused heavy civilian casualty. What a disgrace!

More Magnificent Briish Film Making

[johndunbar-580-920543 · 9/10 · 28 June 2018]

The best British filmmakers are capable of making a masterpiece that ranks with their best graphic painters of previous centuries in terms of their perfection of the art. Everything about this film is superb; story, directing, acting, cinematography etc. It's also a real 'cliff hanger' because, until the very end, it's not at all clear how they could get out of that mess. Watch and be 'mesmerized' my fellow film lovers.

DVD version on the stocks?

[saintcybi · 4 November 2006]

Such a film surely deserves a DVD release, especially as the real AMETHYST took a starring role in the film. As several contributors have mentioned the fact that this action has now been largely forgotten, there's even more reason for such a release. I can clearly remember hearing the news of the AMETHYST's predicament and then her heroic breakout, though I was only age 8 at the time. The late 1940s were pretty grim, with a couple of appalling winters, food rationing and fuel shortages - we needed a boost to our morale, and Lt.Cdr Kerans certainly gave us that.

I don't think any contributor has mentioned the very important role played by Able Seacat Simon aboard the ship - I'm sure he contributed greatly to the crew's morale.

"The Gift Horse", based on the epic raid on the St. Nazaire dockyard, is another naval film which is surely overdue for DVD release.

A film about a mostly forgotten period of history.

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 26 August 2020]

The "Amethyst Incident" (also known as the "Yangtse Incident" ) is a mostly forgotten bit of history involving Great Britain and the Chinese Communist revolutionaries. In April, 1949, the frigate Amethyst was headed up the Yangste river to bring supplies to British diplomats. However, while this was in no way a military mission, the ship was attacked and severely damaged by shore batteries. And, for three months, the ship was stuck in a mud bank...until some sort of diplomatic solution could be arranged. But, with revolutions, negotiations were pretty much a waste of time. Eventually, the commander of the ship had no choice but to try to slip away during the cover of darkness...and this film is about this three month event.

This story was told in a very straight forward manner...with little in the way of jingoism nor over-the-top patriotism. The acting was also quite fine, though I did object to something this British production did which Hollywood was also fond of doing...having Caucasian actors playing Asians. In this case, Akim Tamiroff played the Chinese leader....which is odd, as Keye Luke (an ethnically Chinese man) played his second in command. But this is my only complaint in an otherwise well made and enjoyable historical film. Well worth seeing.

A gripping naval True Story of great courage and fortitude.

[hainault · 10/10 · 2 April 2020]

This film is excellent having a first class cast. On her peaceful and lawful occasssion she was fired upon without warning by the Chinese Communist Forces. The ship took much damage and ran aground on the mud. Several attampts were made to tow her off by other British Warships but they were unsuccessful. Then a daring attempt to run for the open sea down river was made providing she could get off the mud. I will not tell any more otherwise it would spoil this outstanding well made film.

Running the gauntlet against hopeless odds

[clanciai · 10/10 · 25 August 2020]

The most amazing thing about this film is that it is a true story. The Chinese communists were actually like this, firing without provocation and blaming it on the British, and the ordeals of lying stranded and trapped in a wounded battleship between two fires of communist fortresses just waiting to sink them are all taken on the spot. Among the actors there are many young ones who later made prominent careers, like Ian Bannen and Barry Foster, and some veterans as well, like Keith Rawlings and Donald Houston, and Akim Tamiroff makes a very convincing Chinese colonel, outrageously trying in his Chinese torture stratagem. The film is like a prelude to both "The Guns of Navarone" and the "Sand Pebbles", the first being an Alistair MacLean fiction, while the second another true story with a more tragic outcome but describing the same kind of running the gauntlet. This is in black and white and perhaps the best of them, as it makes the most realistic impression - you feel under gun fire yourself as long as the film lasts, and the final run for it is a nail-biter. As a realistic war film it couldn't be better, while perhaps only the music is a bit exaggerated - then Tiomkin's Navarone music was more appropriate.

My favorite movie

[unclejack-78636 · 10/10 · 3 September 2023]

AMETHYST WELL DONE, UP TO STANDARD.

YANGTSE INCIDENT on April 20, 1949.

July 31, 1949 in the early morning, HMS Amethyst escaped from Yangtse River successfully.

HAVE REJOINED THE FLEET SOUTH OF WOOSUNG. NO DAMAGE OR CASUALTIES, GOD SAVE THE KING.

On August 11, 1949, HMS Amethyst returned to Hong Kong.

A DAY TO REMEMBER...

HMS Amethyst (F116) returned home on November 1st, 1949.

"Amethyst well done, up to standard." Said by Rear Admiral Robert Burnett.

Officers and crew from HMS Amethyst went to Buckingham Palace receiving their decorations for gallantry from King George VI on November 17, 1949 in London, United Kingdom. #royalnavy #hmsamethyst.