The hero of Burma

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Movie
German title The hero of Burma
Original title Objective, Burma!
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1945
length 142 minutes
Age rating FSK 12
Rod
Director Raoul Walsh
script Ranald MacDougall ,
Lester Cole
production Jerry Woods
music Franz Waxman
camera James Wong Howe
cut George Amy
occupation

The Hero of Burma is an American war film directed by Raoul Walsh in 1945 . The script is based on a story by Alvah Bessie. In Germany the film was shown in cinemas for the first time on July 18, 1952, in a version shortened by more than three quarters of an hour.

action

To liberate Burma from Japanese occupation during World War II , a hidden Japanese radar station must first be destroyed. Command is led by Captain Nelson and Lieutenant Jacobs, who are assisted by two Gurkhas . The order is: parachute jump, destruction of the radar system and retreat through the jungle to a landing site. The war correspondent Williams is said to accompany the troops, although the men believe that Williams' age will prevent them from getting ahead quickly.

Errol Flynn as Captain Nelson

Early the next morning the group jumps off and lands in the jungle. They find the radar station and destroy it. A Japanese patrol prevents the plane that is supposed to pick up the men from landing. It was agreed over the radio that the squad would be picked up at another landing site two days later. The force is divided into two groups. One directs Nelson, the other Jacobs. Nelson's group arrives at the landing area, a plane drops supplies with the message that all other areas in the area are under Japanese control. The troops are to move through the jungle to the border with India .

When Nelson's group wants to withdraw, they are joined by two seriously wounded men from Jacob's group. They inform the others that Jacob's group has been attacked and captured. Nelson's men set off and reach a Burmese village. There they find the mutilated corpses of their comrades. Jacobs is alive but suffering from the pain of the tortures he has endured. He asks Nelson to release him with a bullet, but he dies before Nelson can do anything. The remaining group is attacked by the Japanese. The attack can be repulsed with heavy losses. The survivors move to the next location where supplies are dropped.

Nelson is ordered to return to a certain location in the middle of the jungle at the dropping point. The radio is destroyed in a Japanese attack from an ambush. The group manages to reach the place. The men dig in and wait. During the night, Williams dies of exhaustion. The men sight an American airplane, which Nelson can draw attention to himself with a mirror. More supplies are thrown from the aircraft. The Japanese attacked the following night. Nelson and ten more of his men hold out until morning and can be brought back to their camp by another plane.

Reviews

“Fight as an adventure in a thrillingly staged, atmospheric action film, which angered the British in its day because the British troops' contribution to the military success in Burma is not mentioned. The film is not free from the tendency to view the war as a lot of fun, but at the same time it impresses in some very human scenes. "

- Lexicon of international film

Awards

Academy Awards 1946

background

This Warner Bros. film was shot in California between May and August 1944, so uniforms, weapons, and equipment were original items in use at the time.

As mentioned in the “Criticism” chapter, the film led to problems between the United States and Great Britain. The liberation of Burma was primarily a British-Australian operation. Since there were no British soldiers in the film, British war veterans in particular felt their honor was hurt, especially since one of the two military advisers in the film was Major MH Whyte from the 8th Battalion of the British Colonial Army in India, the so-called Burma Rifles . The other adviser was Major Charles S. Galbraith of the US Army Parachute Troops . British Prime Minister Winston Churchill was so angry that the film did not hit cinemas in Britain until 1952. The fact that the native Australian Errol Flynn played the American hero, although unlike many of his well-known colleagues, did not do military service and stayed in Hollywood, also caused irritation.

William Prince was in front of a camera for the fourth time. Co-writer Ranald MacDougall first worked as a screenwriter. From 1971 to 1973 he was the president of the Writers Guild of America . Colleague Lester Cole was a founding member of the forerunner organization Screen Writers Guild in 1933 and its president from 1944 to 1945. He was later referred to as a un-American communist and became a member of the Hollywood Ten . Born in Silesia, Franz Waxman received the sixth of his twelve Oscar nominations for this film (in 1951 and 1952 he won the Oscar). The musical director was the Oscar-winning Leo F. Forbstein .

Raoul Walsh filmed the story again in 1951 in western format under the title The Devil's Brigade with Gary Cooper .

The German record company Naxos released the soundtrack by Franz Waxman on CD in 2007.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The Hero of Burma. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .Template: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used 

literature

  • Gerhard Midding: The hero of Burma . In: Film Genres. War Movie. Edited by Thomas Klein, Marcus Stiglegger and Bodo Traber. Stuttgart: Reclam 2006, pp. 73-77 [with references]. ISBN 978-3-15-018411-0 .

Web links