What's this about?

Lately, it seems like many of the movies/shows are just a rehash or reboot of things that have already been done. And so I started to dive into the past. It's been fun, but I find myself losing track of which ones I’ve seen and whether or not I enjoyed them. Sometimes the titles themselves just don't tell me enough to remember.

I wouldn’t have voluntarily watched a lot of these movies when I was younger. It’s strange how interests change. That goes for what I read, too. I have another blog that explores books. I’m mostly reading older fiction and memoirs, and some of the books have led me to movies/shows and vice versa. In those cases, I may post the book review over here as well.

There will be spoilers, which is different than my book reviews. That’s mostly because I want to have enough information to help me remember what I’ve seen. I’m getting older. The brain doesn’t cooperate like it used to. What can I say? The gray hairs are catching up with me!

Wednesday, February 7, 2024

The Battle of the River Plate - 1956

This movie involved a battle I'd never heard of. A "pocket battleship" is attacking British merchant ships in order to disrupt supplies to the people of Britain. The Graf Spee is doing a good job.

A commodore is bringing three ships to try and take down the threat, and a battle ensues. One of the ships takes a lot of damage and is out of the fight. The other two try to finish off the Graf Spee, but it takes refuge in a neutral harbor in Uruguay.

Since the port is neutral, the Graf Spee is not allowed to repair anything on the ship that would enable it to fight better. The government gives it 72 hours to get seaworthy and get out of the harbor. The British want a bit more time, and at the end, the decision of the fate of the Graf Spee is made by the Germans.

The movie was pretty good. I don't understand why the German captain kept the British captains on his ship. The scenes with them in the little room were a bit strange, and I wasn't as invested in those. One thing I really enjoyed about this movie was the one-sided view. Normally, when I watch a movie like this, it shows the mindset of both men making the decisions. In this case, I was just given the British side and had no idea what the Germans would do. It made the movie more tense, and I appreciated that.

Overall, it was pretty entertaining, and I liked that they were able to use real battleships. They even used an American heavy cruiser, the USS Salem, as the Graf Spee. I don't see myself watching it again, but I'm still giving it a Good Movie! review.



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