H.M.S. GIFT HORSE

New Zealand Listener, Volume 29, Issue 734, 7 August 1953, Page 16

H.M.S. GIFT HORSE

(Molton Films-20th Century-Fox) MS. GIFT HORSE, directed by Compton Bennett with Trevor Howard in the leading role, tells in essence the story of one of the 50 overage American destroyers which were transferred to the British in 1940 in exchange for naval bases in the West Indies. H.M.S. Ballantrae, as the destroyer in the film is named (Gift Horse is its nick-name), is an ancient fourfunnel job which is always bursting a steam pipe just when a submarine has been spotted, or fouling its propeller on the boom as it enters harbour. Its captain, played by Trevor Howard with plenty of pwfich and’ an authoritative air of command, is a "dug-out" from the First World War with a grudge against life, the cause of which is revealed in the course of the story. Towards the end of the film Howard and his destroyer are selected for the job of ramming the gates of the drydock at St. Nazaire, a feat which was actually performed during the war by H.M.S. Campbeltown, an _ over-age American destroyer loaded with a cargo of Commandos and several tons of high explosive in its bows. This long and éx- citing sequence has justifiably been reproduced -with meticulous attention to the historical facts, and accuracy has been ensured by assistance during production from the Royal Navy and the St. Nazaire Society. The early part of the film is not, however, up, to the standard of its last section, largely because the = scriptwriter has decided to dress up a straightforward story, which would have been perfectly satisfying by itself, in a rather conventional plot that is inclined to be melodramatic’ in its revelation of the captain’s past. The destroyer goes through several spells of convoy duty, with some well-staged air attacks and submarine pursuits, and there are the usual ward-rogm arguments and their more vociferous counterparts in the lower deck. Az

Attention is drawn to the _ international aspect af the story in the opening scene, which shows the British crew taking the destroyer over from its American command. This angle is further emphasised by giving leading roles in the film to James Donald, as the destroyer’s Canadian mate, Sonny Tufts as an American seaman serving with the British Navy, and Richard ' Attenborough as a Cockney who knows Navy Regulations better than his: ‘captain. Joan Rice, as a Navy intelligence officer, provides the romantic interest. The film succeeds in the main through the skill" and personality of Trevor Howard as the captain. He plays down the heroics in a convincing manner, and carries off many of the weaknesses in the script by his superior acting ability.