StudioCanal is to release two British World War 2-set naval dramas on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital in April, the 1952 Gift Horse (aka Glory at Sea) and the 1958 The Silent Enemy, both newly restored and and with new special features.
GIFT HORSE (1952) | Blu-ray, DVD & Digital on 4 April 2022 | VOD on 9 May
In 1940, the Royal Navy is frantically recruiting for WWII so pulls Lieutenant Commander Fraser (Trevor Howard) out of retirement to captain the HMS Ballantrae, herself recently re-commissioned and lent by the Americans to a seriously under-resourced British Navy. Despite an inauspicious start and multiple repairs, Fraser crafts the ship and its crew into an efficient fighting force, culminating in a daring mission to destroy a French dockyard which is crucial to the Nazis in maintaining their formidable battleships.
The climax of the film is a fictional account of the real-life St Nazaire Raid of 1942 AKA Operation Chariot – led by a ship very similar to the Gift Horse itself, and celebrated as The Greatest Raid of All.
Directed by Compton Bennett (The Seventh Veil) and Starring Trevor Howard (The Third Man, Brief Encounter), Richard Attenborough (The Great Escape, The Angry Silence) and Sid James (The Carry On series), this stunning new restoration of Gift Horse will be available to own on Digital, Blu-Ray and DVD from 4 April and on VOD from 9 May.
The film features a supporting cast that includes Sonny Tufts (The Seven Year Itch), James Donald (The Bridge on the River Kwai), Bernard Lee (the James Bond franchise), Dora Bryan (Fallen Idol), Hugh Williams (Wuthering Heights) and Meredith Edwards (A Run For Your Money).
Marking the first time the film will be available to own on Blu-Ray and Digital, looking better than ever and packaged with brand-new extras material, Gift Horse will be released as part of SudioCanal's Vintage Classic collection.
BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES:
- Operation Chariot and HMS Campbeltown: James Dorrian Remembers the real Gift Horse
- Ceremony Commemorating 5 Year Anniversary of the St Nazaire Raid (1947 British Pathé)
- Behind the Scenes Stills Gallery
- Original Trailer
THE SILENT ENEMY (1958) | Blu-ray, DVD & Digital on 11 April 2022
In 1941, the Italians have created a new form of warfare – Frogmen – an intrepid band of men who travel astride small torpedo-type vessels, and attach explosive charges to the hulls of enemy ships, below their waterline.
The young Naval Lieutenant, 'Buster' Crabb (Laurence Harvey), an expert in mine and bomb disposal, is sent to Gibraltar to try and combat this new threat. Never having dived before, he sets to work to master the technique of underwater operations, and soon he and his team are able to locate many of the frogmen's charges and render them harmless. But with an invasion of North Africa imminent, time is not on the allies' side.
Directed by William Fairchild (The Extra Day, John and Julie) and adapted from the book Commander Crabb by Marshall Pugh, The Silent Enemy features a standout cast including Laurence Harvey (The Manchurian Candidate), Dawn Addams (The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll), Michael Craig (The Angry Silence), John Clements (Four Feathers) and Sidney 'Sid' James (The Carry On series).
Notable for its remarkable and pioneering underwater action sequences as well as being credited as inspiration for Ian Fleming to write Thunderball, The Silent Enemy comes looking better than ever, complete with brand-new bonus content, as part of the Vintage Classics collection.
BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES:
- The Real Commander Crabb: Interview with author Tim Binding
- Commander Crabb Mystery (1956, British Pathé)
- Behind the Scenes stills gallery
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