The Silver Fleet
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| The Silver Fleet | |
|---|---|
 Esmond Knight in The Silver Fleet |
|
| Directed by | Vernon Sewell Gordon Wellesley |
| Produced by | Michael Powell Emeric Pressburger |
| Written by | Vernon Sewell Gordon Wellesley |
| Starring | Ralph Richardson Googie Withers Esmond Knight |
| Music by | Allan Gray |
| Cinematography | Erwin Hillier |
| Editing by | Michael C. Chorlton |
| Distributed by | General Film Distributors |
| Release date(s) | March 15, 1943 UK |
| Running time | 88 min. |
| Country | UK |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
The Silver Fleet (1943) was written and directed by British filmmakers Vernon Sewell and Gordon Wellesley and produced by Powell & Pressburger under the banner of The Archers.
[edit] Plot
In the early years of World War II, the Nazis have overrun The Netherlands and have taken over the shipyard run by Jaap van Leyden (Ralph Richardson). They were making submarines for the Dutch Navy. The German Von Schiffer (Esmond Knight) demands that they resume making submarines but for the Nazis.
This leads to many problems for van Leyden and his wife (Googie Withers) when everyone sees them as collaborators. But van Leyden works out a way to appear to do what the Nazis want but to keep his conscience clear as well. He undertakes a covert campaign of sabotage of his own work, leaving notes and graffiti signed under his nom de guerre Piet Hein (a reference to the Dutch naval hero Piet Hein, whose victory over a spanish "Silver Fleet" gives the film its title).
[edit] External links
- The Silver Fleet at the Internet Movie Database
- The Silver Fleet at the BFI's Screenonline Full synopsis and film stills (and clips viewable from UK libraries).
- Reviews and articles at the Powell & Pressburger Pages
