The Purple Plain

1955 "His peak of adventure!"
6.5| 1h38m| NR| en| More Info
Released: 10 April 1955 Released
Producted By: Two Cities Films
Country: United Kingdom
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Info

A RAF airfield in Burma in 1945, during World War II. Canadian bomber pilot Bill Forrester is a bitter man who lives haunted by a tragic past. He has became a reckless warrior, and is feared by his comrades, who consider him a madman. Dr. Harris, the squadron physician, is determined to help him heal his tormented soul.

Genre

Adventure, Drama, War

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Director

Robert Parrish

Production Companies

Two Cities Films

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The Purple Plain Audience Reviews

Glucedee It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.
AutCuddly Great movie! If you want to be entertained and have a few good laughs, see this movie. The music is also very good,
Rosie Searle It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.
Zlatica One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.
vincentlynch-moonoi Let's get the one bit of bad news out of the way first -- while there are not a lot of special effects in this film, the special effects of air warfare at the beginning of the film are about the worst I've ever seen...and it has nothing to do with it being only 1954. Just plain cheap.Okay, beyond that there is little to criticize. Well, maybe the ending wrapped things up just a little too quickly, but that is not uncommon in many films.The good news is that much of the film was filmed on location...well...not really. Sri Lanka is not Burma. But then again, "The Bridge On The River Kwai", which was supposed to be Thailand, was also filmed in Sri Lanka. I was a bit surprised by the arid nature of much of the film's on location filming (I at least lived in Thailand for a while), but sure enough, there are parts of Burma that can be that arid for parts of the year.The story -- which takes place in World War II Burma -- is a good, and very realistic. It is British story, not American.Gregory Peck's acting here is superb. Wasn't it always? Really, his depth as a man with troubling memories who had allowed those issues to cloud his character is remarkable. I would go so far as to say that this is one of his finer roles, although I was unaware of it until recently.Win Min Than is interesting as the love interest. It's worthwhile looking up her bio on IMDb or elsewhere. She is actually Burmese.Maurice Denham, Lyndon Brook, and Bernard De Banzie are very good as British officers. Brenda De Banzie, whom I remembered from "The Man Who Knew Too Much" is interesting.Highly recommended for Gregory Peck's acting ability.
Charles Stewart A really fine film and quite remarkable especially for it's time; shot on location (Ceylon standing in for Burma) in color and with an actual Burmese woman for the female romantic lead. As a war film the pacing and lack of any real 'battle scenes' might disappoint a few people. But the film is at its core is a character study of a RAF pilot (Peck) who has 'gone round the bend' suffering from what we'd call PTSD today and how his battle with it consumes him as much as the war with the Japanese.The other major character - other that the wonderful Win Min Than as the 'love interest' - is the location itself. 'Location as Charter' is something that David Lean latter became famous for but here in this film the immense expanse of jungle and plain becomes a beautiful but deadly antagonist The 'actual enemy', the Japanese Army, is tellingly, never seen. As this is a British film all the performances (except for -shockingly- the one Scotswoman in the film) are nicely understated. At one point Peck's character admits that he has been trying to get himself killed in battle ever since the death of his wife to which he drolly adds ' you think that would be pretty easy in a war....but all they kept doing was giving me medals....' WWII airplane geeks ( guilty as charged) will appreciate the shots of the De Haviland Mosquitoes in operation.
Marlburian This is a good war film, unusual in that we never get to see the enemy. The cast is small but effective. A couple of minor points grated a little - as Marlonius has already mentioned, Peck really should have picked up Blore's hat for his heroic trek with the injured navigator; early on in the film it was made clear to us how extremely hot the climate was, with the men's tunics soaked in sweat. And after the crash Peck quickly sprouted some impressive bristles, which then all but disappeared.SPOILER: We saw Peck realising he had found water, then there was an immediate switch back to the airfield where the CO explained what happened next.It was almost as if the makers of the film had realised they were running out of time or money and decided to omit a few scenes.But all in all this is a convincing production that merits a highish ranking among war films (say in the second quartile).
Michael Warburton A pot-boiler of a Film that is intelligently crafted by Director Robert Parrish. To some it may seem intolerably slow & lacking pace, but to others like myself the Film does something that nearly all Films in the Fifties and indeed many now do not even attempt to achieve, and that is take the time to investigate the main characters in depth and in detail. This is done not via long tracts of dialogue, but via the un-said. In particular Peck and the astonishingly beautiful and talented Win Man Than as 'Anna' develop their relationship in the Film in the subtlest and most delicate of manners. I can find no further information on Win Man Tan, but her performance in this period piece, is one part enchanting, one part mesmerising. We understand fully how Peck's psychiatric problems eventually dissolve as hie begins to find perspective courtesy of love for 'Anna'. This Film is not staggering nor the best piece of Cinema you will ever see, but it is superbly acted, wonderfully cast, sparingly written, adroitly directed, and deserves to be watched by anyone who has a love of Cinema. Recommended, because what we see at our Cinemas today has MUCH to learn from Movie making such as this.