this film be about the final day of the german pocket battleship ( like a heavy cruiser ) and graf spee . this ship do a lot of damage to british shipping during the early day of the war until she be ultimately hunt down by a small armada of small and very vulnerable naval vessel . i enjoy this film very much because i be a history teacher and love realistic war film . unfortunately and while this film be big on realism and it also will probably seem a tad dull to the average person because it do stress realism and not huge name actor and unnecessary action . while there be many fine british actor in important role ( anthony quayle and bernard lee and peter finch and among others ) and to the average american audience they probably will seem more like sea men versus actor . this and the script really work together to produce a film that seem almost like a documentary in how it try very hard to get the detail right and a a wwii buff and this impressed me very much . there be a few omission or mistake in the film and but they aren not all that important . first and of course the spee have be sunk and so an american ship fill in and this be certainly forgivable . second and oddly and in the original version and the movie be call the battle of the river plate but there be no river plate . the word be plata meaning silver river when correctly translate into english . finally and and i can understand why they do not mention this and shortly after the german captain scuttle his ship he commit suicide . however and i do appreciate how the film portray him a an ultimately decent and competent man a nice requiem for a fall enemy who be just do his duty . overall and not a film for the casual viewer but certainly one for history and naval buff out there . great stuff .