I am delighted to have this hard-to-find film! It played like a charm! Thanks for the fine service.
Self-Redemption in Burma
While Gregory Peck heads the cast, "The Purple Plain" is a British World War II film, produced in 1954 by the J. Arthur Rank Studios (and presumably distributed by MGM). So far reviews seem to fall into two camps--people who love it and people who are unimpressed with it. I find myself somewhere between these two extremes. Unlike at least one other reviewer, I will try not to reveal too much of the plot for first-time viewers.
Mr. Peck plays Squadron Leader Bill Forrester, a Canadian pilot and veteran of the Battle of Britain, now assigned to the Asian theatre of the war, specifically Burma, against the Japanese. Having lost his young wife in the London blitz, Forrester feels he has nothing to live for, and flies his Mosquito missions accordingly. He is reckless, even suicidal, much to the chagrin of his navigator as well as the people on the ground.
The kind Dr. Harris (a "pre-M" Bernard Lee) tries to help Forrester out of his depression by involving him with some of the local Burmese people, including a lovely young woman, Anna (Win Min Than). Forrester becomes captivated with Anna, and slowly regains his self respect and will to live. His survival instincts are soon put to the test. On the next flight, his plane crashes in very harsh, and Japanese-held, territory. Forrester survives the crash along with his young navigator
(Lyndon Brook), who receives nasty burns, and an older scientist, Blore (Maurice Denham). With limited water, and the blazing Burmese sun, the three men face a harsh fate, with a questionable chance of survival. Can Forrester return to the woman who has rekindled his interest in life, and redeem a tattered reputation with his compatriots ?
Mr. Peck delivers a compelling performance--he remains one of the most watchable actors in movies. I should also mention that fine British character actress, Brenda De Banzie--her role is small, but she leaves an indelible impression as Miss McNabb, the indefatigable Scottish missionary.
The full-screen picture exhibits effective colour--the sound is mono--don't look for extras.
"The Purple Plain" may not be one of Gregory Peck's most famous films--nor can it be considered one of the classic films of the fifties. At the same time, I found it an absorbing drama, well-acted by Mr. Peck, Ms. Than and a fine British cast--there is action, romance, suspense and important, universal themes are explored. I am pleased to add this DVD to my collection.
The Perspiring Plain
World War II is soon to end. We're in hot and humid Burma where you can count on one hand the number of scenes in which people aren't perspiring or wearing sweaty clothes. This becomes noticeable because the characters and narrative, in their cliched predictability, don't hold your attention. Brenda de Banzie has a lively turn as a Scots missionary, and Gregory Peck is convincing as a daredevil flyer who connects with an educated beauty improbably helping out in a jungle village. There's no doubt whatsoever which men in a plane crash will survive the long trek back to base. You have seen this movie many times before. You might possibly enjoy seeing it again.
Not the typical WW2 spif. Plot is familiar with new Cmdr. trying to fit in and win the loyalty of his men. Enough action to keep the movie interesting. Shows importance of the Underwater Demolition Teams. If you like WW2 navy films, this would be worth viewing. More Info about this DVD Director(s): Lloyd Bacon DVD Release Date: Released the 24 May 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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I read the reviews before I purchased the DVD. Most of the previous reviewers gave this a 5 star rating. I've never seen nor heard of this film, and after watching it, I can see why. It feels like a low budget, thrown together film with actors that had other jobs at the same time (notice the hair on these men?) Wilde looks like he's never held a pistol before, and those tanks...WWII vintage??
The japs in the rear don't even act like they've been invaded. Drawing pictures of plants, sitting around eating rice, etc.
To its credit (thus not just 1 star), some of the graphic scenes are a "first". And there is a nude scene in one flashback.
Finally, the ultimate test. After watching about 15 minutes, my son asked "how much longer is this"? 'Nuff... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Cornel Wilde DVD Release Date: Released the 19 April 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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John Wayne personally produced many of his '50s films, which is why some of them have languished in corporate limbo following his death. The High and the Mighty was one of his most popular vehicles (no pun intended). This long, necessarily sedentary drama aboard an endangered airliner is a CinemaScope bridge between 1932's Grand Hotel and 1970s disaster movies. Despite Wayne's iconic presence as a pilot--now copilot--who survived the plane crash that wiped out his family, it's an ensemble movie with an impressive cast: Robert Stack sharing the cockpit, Oscar® nominees Claire Trevor and Jan Sterling, Laraine Day, Robert Newton, Paul Kelly, John Qualen, Regis Toomey, the ubiquitous Paul Fix, and director William A. Wellman's good-luck character actor Douglas Fowley.... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): John Wayne - Claire Trevor - Laraine Day Director(s): William A. Wellman DVD Release Date: Released the 02 August 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Out of circulation for a quarter-century following the death of producer-star John Wayne, Island in the Sky is a tale of survival focused on the pilot (Wayne) and crew of a DC-3 forced to crashland somewhere in the uncharted Canadian wilderness, and the fellow airmen (Lloyd Nolan, James Arness, Andy Devine, Paul Fix) determined to find them before hunger and the 70-below winter do them in. The movie, set in the post-WWII era when military and commercial aviation were still intertwined, was written by bestselling novelist Ernest K. Gann and directed by William A. Wellman, an aviation-movie veteran whose Wings won the first-ever Academy Award (1927–28).
Wellman resolutely downplays the histrionics and conventional heroics; Wayne indulges in none of the macho... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): John Wayne - Lloyd Nolan Director(s): William A. Wellman DVD Release Date: Released the 02 August 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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