Studiocanal is releasing a restored version of classic British war movie Gift Horse on Blu-Ray and DVD from April 4th as part of the Vintage Classics collection.
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Directed by Compton Bennett the film stars Trevor Howard, Richard Attenborough and Sid James with 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).
In 1940, the Royal Navy is frantically recruiting for WWII so pulls Lieutenant Commander Fraser (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, and celebrated as The Greatest Raid of All.
Extras:
- 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