Yangtse Incident: The Story of H.M.S. Amethyst (1957)

Director:

Michael Anderson

Writers:

Eric Ambler (screenplay)
Lawrence Earl (book)

Release Date:

14 June 1957 (Denmark)

Genre:

Drama | History | War

Plot:

While sailing lawfully up the Yangste in 1949, the British warship Amethyst found its return to the...

Plot Keywords:

1940s | Royal Navy | Naval Officer | Hostage | Ship

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Richard Todd	...	Lt. Cmdr. Kerans, RN
William Hartnell	...	Leading Seaman Frank
Akim Tamiroff	...	Col. Peng
Donald Houston	...	Lt Weston RN
Keye Luke	...	Capt. Kuo Tai
Sophie Stewart	...	Miss Charlotte Dunlap
Robert Urquhart	...	Flt Lt Fearnley RAF
James Kenney	...	Lt Hett RN
Richard Leech	...	Lt Strain RN
Michael Brill	...	Lt Berger RN
Barry Foster	...	PO McCarthy RN
Ray Jackson	...	Telegraphist French, RN
Thomas Heathcote	...	Mr. Monaghan RN
Sam Kydd	...	AB Walker RN
Ewen Solon	...	ERA Williams RN

Also Known As:

Battle Hell (USA)
Escape of the Amethyst
Their Greatest Glory
Yangtze Incident

Runtime:

113 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

Finland:K-12 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG (video rating) | UK:U (original rating)

Filming Locations:

Associated British Elstree Studios, Shenley Road, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company:

Everest Pictures Ltd.

Trivia:

The River Orwell, which runs between Felixstowe and Harwich, in Suffolk, England doubled as the Yangtze River during the making of this film.

DVD version on the stocks?

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.