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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.

I can't remember the original story so I don't know how faithful this is to Lovecraft - not much, I suspect - but as a horror film in its own right, it's pretty good. A beautiful blonde imperilled by a sinister bloke from a hated local family with a bad legend in their past. Perfect. It's a bit slow at times and the Old Ones seem more like traditional demons than cosmic beings but that's what Hollywood does. Ed Begley was great as the decent old man. Pleasant Friday night fare.