User reviews

"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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

The Yangtse Incident (Battle Hell is the American title) is a British film based on the true story of HMS Amethyst, a British ship that was fired on and severely damaged by communist forces in China during the civil war there in 1949. HMS Amethyst was taking supplies to Nan King for the British residents there when it was attacked by gun emplacements on the banks of the river Yangtse. They were trapped and had to negotiate with the Chinese communists while running out of supplies. The filthy Commies wanted them to admit they had fired first, which wasn't true, and our honest British officers were not going to lie just to save their own skins.

It was interesting to see the technology of warfare back then, heavily dependent on oil with Morse code for communication and horns to shout through for transmitting commands. The officers and crew were the usual types you see in war films, cheerful working-class seamen and stiff upper-lipped gentlemen in braid, all good people. Among the former were several British actors of note, including Ian Bannen and Bernard Cribbins. William Hartnell, with short hair, had a starring role as Leading Seaman Leslie Frank. This was long before he became the first Doctor Who but he still looked quite old. I saw in the cast list but didn't spot in the film Kenneth Cope who played Hopkirk (deceased) in another famous TV drama. Barry Foster played Petty Officer McCarthy here and Van der Valk later. It seems if you stick around long enough you will eventually get to star in something. I didn't recognise many of the star actors who played officers, but that's probably because they were stars and didn't bother with television.

Since the real-life incident took place in 1949, I assume that many, if not most, of the officers and crew of HMS Amethyst would have already been through World War II and were hardened to battle. They probably thought they had done enough. Anyway, it was an enjoyable film for someone of my generation, with a solid true story and the fun of spotting actors from long ago. I recorded it on Film 4, where it will roll around again, no doubt, but it probably plays on Talking Pictures and other retro channels, too. Worth a watch.

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 *****

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.

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.

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 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.

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 "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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.