Commando sur le Yang Tsé

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.

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 "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.

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 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.