MovieChat Forums > Objective, Burma! (1945) Discussion > Recommendation

Recommendation

posted 20 years ago by salt_n_shake
11 replies | jump to latest

This is one of my all time favourite films and I think pretty much all the acting is superb, bar the couple of really cheesy grins from the pilot as Errol and the gang are due to take off on the mission.

I was shocked however when I saw at the bottom of the page that the recommendation "if you like this film" was none other than Pearl Harbour! There is absolutely no comparisson between these two films as far as I'm concerned. Objective Burma had everything that Pearl Harbour didn't or manage to create. I'm sure some peoples opinions will differ to mine but I much prefer the Objective Burma style of doing things. Old films all the way! :o)

*You've been thinking again haven't you? And behind my back!!*

[–] The_Khazi 20 years ago

Definitely comes in my top ten list of war films.One of Flynn`s best performances but still unfairly regarded in the u.k. mainly because of the controversy it aroused(Think it was banned here until the early 50`s)What were we moaning about -there`s a British Brigadier & we see two Gurkhas so it wasn`t a total U.S. effort.

What`s particularly appealing is a definite edge to the film helped by a gritty Flynn & some good location shooting.Thankfully we`re not limited to a horrible studio set like the abysmal Never so Few(Frank Sinatra)& indeed I read somewhere most of it was filmed in California(Had me fooled.)The gritt is further underlined when we discover that half the squad have been hacked to death by the foulest means the censor would allow & Flynn even sheds a tear.

Some really classic/corny lines telling a group of natives to "hang about in the jungle" & Flynn lamenting the journalist "gee Mr Williams"(now this really is good stuff!)

[–] salt_n_shake 20 years ago

Yeah it was mostly filmed in California. I think I read that in my wicked, wicked ways, but I'm not sure :o/

You're definitely right about the gritty side of things. The desperation at not going home was particulary well done. Flynn's performance when Sid Jacobs died, and then him having the strength of character not to let that take him down so much that he lost all hope. I thought those were some of the best bits.

To me it seems like the film was ahead of it's time. A lot of films that are banned have to wait a few years to be really recognised and accepted and this seems to be one of them. It really is stunning. It has also helped me educate my boyfriend as to the merits of old films :oP

On the lines side of things, these are some of my favourites....
"Would you like a nice stiff shot of Bourbon?" - "Yes" - "So would I"
"If you're dealing with monkeys, you have to expect a few wrenches"
"What happens if my parachute doesn't open?" - "Then you'll be the first one on the ground"
......I dunno, I like all of it :oD

*Cecil, you didn't blow your trumpet!*

[–] diavlo-1 19 years ago

sorry guys to bust ya bubble but i think that i should set the record straight.

this film is a pack a american bull**** nearly all of it is not true.
The british took back burmah with some american help.

[–] The_Khazi 19 years ago

Didn`t you know that Errol Flynn was a dashing U.S. Para rather than a film star & that the U.S. captured Burma & won the war single-handed ?Thought it was common knowledge-sorry to burst your bubble but some of us do have a bit more intelligence than that.

[–] Hollycon1 19 years ago

Still, it's an excellent film, even if there are no brits or aussies in the movie to show the real deal! I have to agree with you that there are folks out there that forget that these guys are ACTORS, like John Wayne or any of our other screen favorites! Its Memorial Day weekend! Let's never forget.

[–] corek1949 18 years ago

So Errol Flynn (born in Tasmania) was an American? Be interesting to other Australians that would.

[–] BlondeVixen 17 years ago

<So Errol Flynn (born in Tasmania) was an American? Be interesting to other Australians that would.>

Eh......well, depends how much you want to split hairs on the subject. He DID apply for U.S. Citizenship around the time the war broke out. So, technically, he was probably an American citizen when he did this movie. No matter he had the Brit-sounding accent either. Leslie Howard didn't mask his accent when he was supposed to be a Southerner (Ashley Wilkes) in GWTW.

In Hollywood, you can get away with such things.

[–] bux 18 years ago

Hate to burst your bubble, mate, but if it hadn't been for American Lend Lease, you'd be posting in German.

[–] jtyroler 17 years ago

It's a work of fiction. I don't know if a small group of American soldiers were dropped behind enemy lines to blow up a Japanese radar base, but it's an interesting story and movie. By 1945, some Americans felt that the war in the Pacific wouldn't end anytime soon - part of the reasoning behind dropping the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Seeing something positive in the "Pacific" theater was a morale builder for the folks at home.

This movie isn't about who took back Burma from Japanese occupation, it's about a group of soldiers getting trapped behind enemy lines and how the higher ups in the military thought they were expendable.

However, when the invasion started, it does look like it's only the Americans. Part of that might be due to the difficulty of getting some British planes.

[–] salt_n_shake 19 years ago

Well said The_Khazi!!

*Dance, Magic Dance*

[–] 17 years ago

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