Home / Pursuit of the Graf Spee

Pursuit of the Graf Spee

Duration:

119 min | USA:106 min (cut version)

Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | History | War

IMDB rate:

6.6

Director:

Michael Powell

Awards:

Nominated for 3 BAFTA Film Awards.

Details

Country: UK

Filming Locations: Atlantic Ocean

Cast

Actor

Character

Patrick Macnee

John Gregson

Captain Bell - H.M.S. Exeter

Anthony Quayle

Commodore Harwood-H.M.S. Ajax

Ian Hunter

Captain Woodhouse - H.M.S. Ajax

Jack Gwillim

Captain Parry - H.M.N.Z.S. Achilles

Bernard Lee

Captain Dove - M.S. Africa Shell

Lionel Murton

Mike Fowler

Anthony Bushell

Mr. Millington Drake - British Minister, Montevideo

Peter Illing

Dr. Guani - Foreign Minister, Uruguay

Michael Goodliffe

Captain McCall - R.N., British Naval Attache for Buenos Aires

John Chandos

Dr. Langmann - German Minister, Montevideo

Douglas Wilmer

M. Desmoulins - French Minister, Montevideo

William Squire

Ray Martin

Roger Delgado

Captain Varela - Uruguayan Navy

Andrew Cruickshank

Captain Stubbs - 'Doric Star'

Christopher Lee

Manolo

Edward Atienza

Pop

April Olrich

Dolores

Peter Finch

Captain Langsdorff 'Admiral Graf Spee'

María Mercedes

Madame X (credit only)

David Farrar

Narrator

Robert Rietty

Dubbing (voice)

Douglas Argent

Sub. Lieutenant, HMS Ajax (uncredited)

Vincent Ball

Barnes - HMS Achilles (uncredited)

Ken Barker

Marine Officer, HMS Ajax (uncredited)

Michael Barnes

Midshipman, HMS Ajax (uncredited)

Raymond Barrie

Shirley - HMS Achilles (uncredited)

Terence Bayler

Stoker - HMS Achilles (uncredited)

Alan Beale

Capt. Pttinger (uncredited)

Richard Beale

Capt. Pottinger (uncredited)

David Benson

Marine Officer, HMS Ajax (uncredited)

John Britton

Navigator, HMS Ajax (uncredited)

Robert Bruce

Lt. Cmdr. Smith - HMS Exeter (uncredited)

Anna Burden

Madame Desmoulins, Montevideo (uncredited)

Richard Burrell

Navigator, HMS Exeter (uncredited)

Tony Burton

Young Sailor, Aft-Conning, HMS Exeter (uncredited)

David Cameron

Pilot Officer Lewin - Pilot, Spotter Plane, HMS Ajax (uncredited)

Alan Casley

Rating, Aft-Conning, HMS Exeter (uncredited)

Ronald Clarke

Prisoner on Graf Spee (uncredited)

Michael Collins

Chief Yeoman, HMS Ajax (uncredited)

James Copeland

Chief Yeoman, HMS Achilles (uncredited)

Robert Crewdson

(uncredited)

Tita Dane

(uncredited)

Gron Davies

Chief Engineer, Trevannionion, Prisoner on Graf Spee (uncredited)

Denton De Gray

Kearney - Spotter Plane, HMS Ajax (uncredited)

Maxwell Denne

Petty Officer, HMS Achilles

Patrick Dove

Capt., Streonshalh, Prisoner on Graf Spee (uncredited)

Peter Dyneley

Captain, Newton Beach, Prisoner on Graf Spee (uncredited)

Eynon Evans

Chief Engineer, Newton Beach,Pprisoner on Graf Spee (uncredited)

Jack Faint

Chief Officer, Ashlea, Prisoner on Graf Spee (uncredited)

Peter Fontaine

Gunnery Officer, HMS Ajax (uncredited)

John Forbes-Robertson

Lt. McBarnett - HMS Exeter (uncredited)

Frank Forsyth

Petty Officer, Bridge, HMS Ajax

Barry Foster

Bill Roper - Capt. Bell's Messenger, HMS Exeter (uncredited)

Colin Free

2nd Messenger, HMS Ajax (uncredited)

Richard George

Chief Officer, Trevannion, Prisoner on Graf Spee (uncredited)

Keith Grieve

Sick Bay P.O., HMS Achilles (uncredited)

Lucia Guillon

Phone Girl, Montevideo (uncredited)

Peter Halliday

Guani's Secretary (uncredited)

Ken Hayward

Spotting Officer, Gunnery Control, HMS Exeter (uncredited)

Patrick Horgan

Signalman, HMS Achilles (uncredited)

Helen Horton

(uncredited)

Mary Jones

Ms. Shaw (uncredited)

Kerry Jordan

O.S. Rogers - HMS Achilles (uncredited)

Patrick Jordan

Signalman, Aft-Conning, HMS Exeter (uncredited)

Marvin Kane

(uncredited)

Howard Lang

Guns - HMS Exeter (uncredited)

John Le Mesurier

Rev. George Groves - Padre, HMS Exeter (uncredited)

Frank Lloyd

Messenger, HMS Achilles (uncredited)

Cyril Luckham

Lt. Jasper Abbot - HMS Achilles (uncredited)

Kenneth Luckman

Mess P.O., HMS Achilles (uncredited)

Ivor Mairants

Guitarist Accompanying Dolores (uncredited)

Alan Masterson

Midshipman, HMS Exeter (uncredited)

Jack Mayne

(uncredited)

Lane Meddick

P.O. Stacey - HMS Achilles (uncredited)

John Merivale

Cowburn - HMS Achilles (uncredited)

Kenneth Midwood

Petty Officer, Gunnery Control, HMS Exeter

Donald Moffat

Swanston - Lookout, HMS Ajax (uncredited)

George Murcell

Chief Officer, Newton Beach (uncredited)

Anthony Newley

Radio Operator, Tairoa, Prisoner on Graf Spee (uncredited)

Joseph O'Conner

Chief Engineer, Doric Star, Prisoner on Graf Spee (uncredited)

David Paltenghi

Customs Officer (uncredited)

Conrad Phillips

Lt. Washbourne - Gunnery Officer, HMS Achilles (uncredited)

Ambrosine Phillpotts

Mrs. Millington-Drake, Montevideo (uncredited)

Columba Powell

Lost Child in Crowd (uncredited)

Edward Powell

Chief Officer, Huntsman, Prisoner on Graf Spree (uncredited)

Irene Prador

(uncredited)

Peter Prowse

Lookout, HMS Exeter (uncredited)

Roy Purcell

Duty Officer Pennefeather - HMS Ajax (uncredited)

Rive Rola

(uncredited)

Alan Rolfe

Petty Officer, HMS Exeter

David Rose

Boy Dorset - HMNZS Achilles (uncredited)

John Schlesinger

Prisoner on Graf Spee (uncredited)

Peter Scott

1st Messenger, HMS Ajax (uncredited)

Peter Smallwood

Spotting Officer, HMS Ajax (uncredited)

Muriel Smith

Dolores, Montevideo (uncredited) (singing voice)

Julian Somers

Quartermaster, Graf Spee (uncredited)

Barry Steele

Midshipman, HMS Ajax (uncredited)

Graham Stewart

Signalman, HMS Exeter (uncredited)

Nigel Stock

Chief Officer, Tairoa, Prisoner on Graf Spee (uncredited)

Alan Townsend

Duty Officer, HMS Ajax (uncredited)

Guy Verney

Cmdr. Graham - HMS Exeter (uncredited)

Tony Wager

Lookout, HMS Ajax (uncredited)

Colin Wall

Boy Bugler, HMS Exeter (uncredited)

John Warren

Chief Yeoman Signals, HMS Exeter (uncredited)

Patrick Westwood

Archer, HMS Ajax (uncredited)

George Whiting

Chief Engineer, Aft-Conning, HMS Exeter (uncredited)

Ian Whittaker

Boiler Room Messenger, HMS Achilles (uncredited)

David Williams

Lookout, HMS Exeter (uncredited)

Neil Wilson

Mess P.O., HMS Achilles (uncredited)

Brian Worth

Radio Operator, Doric Star, Prisoner on Graf Spee (uncredited)

Did you know?

Trivia

Michael Powell had been a big fan of Noel Coward's In Which We Serve (1942), which acted as inspiration for him.

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HMS Birmingham was used as a camera ship.

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First feature film of Jack Gwillim.

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Goofs

A symbolic scene, when a crane lowers a lifeboat with Captain Dove into an aircraft hangar of "Admiral Graf Spee", and the roof closes over it, could not happen, because such hangars were typical for US ships only, and "Graf Spee" had no aircraft hangar.

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The German Navy had no capacity to refuel and resupply alongside and underway. The seamanship required was exclusive to the US and its allies at least through the 1970's.

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The American reporter asks the telephone switchboard operator to get "NBC, CBC, ABC" on the line. Although NBC and CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) existed in 1939, when this movie was supposed to take place, ABC wasn't formed until 1943.

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Quotes

Captain Bell - H.M.S. Exeter: Can reach Plymouth if ordered...

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Gunnery Officer: Captain, sir.

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Captain Langsdorff 'Admiral Graff Spee': [to Captain Dove] Every commander is alone, Captain.

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