Objective, Burma (1945)
WMB Rating:
(No Ratings Yet) 
Loading ...
Yet another from the "where has this movie been all my life" category, 1945's Objective, Burma! is a classic in every sense of the word. Even if its wholly inaccurate from an historical point of view. Just ask the British, as this film was actually banned in the UK for a time because of its mis-telling of the Burma campaign in favor of the US.
Watching this, you immediately realize that films like this had a direct influence on contemporary filmmakers like Lucas and Spielberg. The pacing, the perfect soundtrack, the editing.... it all almost feels like an episode of the Indiana Jones series. Although if there's one complaint it would be the definite overuse and near-abuse of the "Jungle Sound Effects" record. It really gets tiresome hearing the same monkey, bird, and elephant calls over and over (and over) again.
The story follows a squad of US army commandos, led by one Captain Nelson (Errol Flynn) who are charged with destroying a Japanese radar station in advance of the invasion of Burma. Along for the ride is Williams (Henry Hull), a newspaper reporter who really gets in over his head. And in true action film style, they do so, coming through without a scratch.
From there, though, things rapidly go downhill for the team. They are basically decimated by the Japanese, being stranded by a missed pickup opportunity and having to be on the run from the enemy. They eventually wind up at the center of the invasion, although its too late for most of the men, as only a handful are fortunate enough to make it back.
It's also noteworthy that this movie gets about as graphic as they would have allowed back then, especially when they come across the village where they find the other half of their squad butchered by the Japs. Without actually showing anything, its really sent home the animosity and hatred that was prevalent toward the Japanese. After that there's no doubt *why* they felt this way. Propaganda? Maybe, as the closing scroll might suggest, but I imagine there's more truth to it than just idle flag waving. There are some particularly gruesome parts to their final night-time ambush as well.
Errol Flynn is, well, his usual class act self. He even manages to pull this one off without the usual air of arrogance and pomposity that usually surrounds his characters. Also present is the ever fun George Tobias, and James Brown (no not that one) as his Staff Sargeant.
Remember though that this is 1945, and a certain amount of flag waving and propagandistic feelings are present. You can't escape it. All in all Objective, Burma! is a classic, and I'll even say fun, but still painfully true, exercise.
 |
Objective Burma List Price: Sale Price: $5.90 You save: $9.08 (61%)  Eligible for free shipping!Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days  |
Description
Mission accomplished! Errol Flynn, who brought boyish bravado to The Adventures of Robin Hood, Dodge City, Gentleman Jim and other screen yarns, turns in a mature, acclaimed performance as the leader of a paratrooper patrol stranded in Burma. It's "one of the few features of which I am proud," Flynn later said. There's reason for pride. "This is one of the finest World War II films made during the war," The Movie Guide says. "One of the best war movies," Guide for the Film Fanatic's Danny Peary wrote, "and among the grimmest." Raoul Walsh directs the hard-hitting action, shot in rugged California locations so similar to Burma that veterans of that campaign refused to believe the crew hadn't somehow sneaked into Asia. DVD Features:Other:WB 1941 Short "The Tanks are Coming" WB 1943 Short "The Rear Gunner" Theatrical Trailer
A paratroop captain (Errol Flynn) sets out with a platoon to attack a Japanese outpost in the jungle. The Americans reach their target, take out the enemy with almost balletic precision, then gear up to return home. This feels like the point when a conventional war movie would have reached its action-filled climax, but the journey has only begun. Ahead lies one of the most arduous and agonizing adventures any World War II film ever offered, brilliantly directed by that underrated old master Raoul Walsh and photographed with almost tactile realism by the great James Wong Howe. The chief rap against Objective, Burma! (of concern mainly to British observers) is that it suggests that only U.S. forces contested the Japanese in the jungles of Burma. (OK, so it's not the most accurate history lesson.) But that's small beer in view of the movie's bone-chilling portrayal of pain, sacrifice, and endurance. The jungle atmosphere is so persuasive, you'd swear it was shot on the actual locations (though in fact Walsh effectively reworked many of the same situations in Distant Drums, a sort-of Western about the Seminole War, six years later). You'll never forget the terrifying last dark night on a mountainside--or the crocodiles.... Flynn is excellent (he had given his best performance ever in Walsh's Gentleman Jim three years earlier), and he's backed by a solid cast including Henry Hull (as an aging war correspondent), James Brown, William Prince, George Tobias, and Stephen Richards (soon to change his name to Mark Stevens). Incidentally, two of the writers, Alvah Bessie and Lester Cole, were later blacklisted; see if you can spot any Commie propaganda. --Richard T. Jameson
DVD Information
Binding: DVDAspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Brand: BROWN,JAMES
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
Original Release Date:
Actors:
- Errol Flynn
- James Brown (II)
- William Prince
- George Tobias
- Henry Hull
Features
- Mission accomplished! Errol Flynn, who brought boyish bravado to The Adventures of Robin Hood, Dodge City, Gentleman Jim and other screen yarns, turns in a mature, acclaimed performance as the leader of a paratrooper patrol stranded in Burma. It's "one of the few features of which I am proud," Flynn later said.There's reason for pride. "This is one of the finest World War II films made during the
Reviews
Related posts:
As is usually the case for a Memorial Day Weekend, several cable/satellite networks will be chock full of classic war movies this coming weekend. Namely Turner Classic Movies, Fox Movie Channel, and AMC. I’m sure there are many more but these are “The B