Objective, Burma!

This film is not just one of those propaganda or moral raising movies. I remember seeing it in the early 50's when 'battle cry',or Audie Murphy's 'to hell and back' came out on screen- while this one was black and white. In those days the Israeli army used to show this film in the Israeli 'west point' compatible academy " "Bahad 1",as part of the new officers training program and for more than one reason. First of all it is a first class demonstration what a real combat is like. Not a very flashy adventure , especially when you are outnumbered and fighting your way out from the combat zone. Then , E.F demonstrate a determined commander who possesses true leadership and understanding of his own men.He never panics , never raising voice and he is a first class professional. He is an ancestor of the much later officer played by Tom Hanks in P-Ryan... I wonder if this movie ever re-hit screen during the Vietnam war.

I used to hate war movies, having seen all the terrible ones first. Now that I've made quite a study of them, and have seen all the good ones, I can say without a doubt that Objective, Burma! is the best WW2 movie I've ever seen. The performances are realistic, the screenplay is quick and full of obstacles to keep it moving, and the direction is superb. At the Rag Awards for 1945, we were happy to award Objective, Burma! with Best Picture, Director, and Supporting Actor for Henry Hull, as well as a nomination for Screenplay. This was a year with extremely stiff competition, so hats off to Raoul Walsh for his masterpiece.

WWII movies made during the war have a different feeling than ones reflecting on a war already won. This movie was made immediately after the real Burma campaign and was released in February of '45, when the American public were still worried about the eventual outcome. It's no wonder it was one of the most popular movies of the year!

The plot of the film can be summed up one sentence, but Lester Cole and Ranald MacDougal's screenplay is far from simple. A platoon parachutes into the Burmese jungle for a simple mission, but when the scheduled airplane is unable to pick them up the following day and return them to safety, they're forced to find their own way out of enemy territory. There are so many disappointments and twists and turns that follow the soldiers, it's really best to find out what they are by watching it instead of reading it in a review.

The realism in this movie is worth noting, and it's especially mature given the time period and the restrictions of the Production Code. In one scene, the Americans sneak up on Japanese sentries. They kill the guards silently and stealthily, and it's quite chilling. In another scene, the platoon leader comes across one of his men so badly cut up, he asks one of the other soldiers who he is. "How should I know? If he was my own brother I wouldn't know!" the other man replies. Of course, the dead man isn't shown in the frame, and the lack of seeing him is even more effective than if the audience had been privy to exactly what he'd suffered.

If you're not anxiously purchasing a copy of Objective, Burma! based on the incredible plot and execution alone, you might be swayed by the cast. Errol Flynn, who made countless war pictures during WWII to keep up morale, shines as the sympathetic but stern major. He cares about all his men but knows he's responsible for their lives and the mission, so he won't tolerate any lagging or complaining. One of his men is bleeding to death, but rather than leave him behind, he orders two other soldiers to create a stretcher and carry him along. But, when the man needs a blood transfusion, Major Flynn says it'll have to be done while they march because they can't waste time.

Even though he had no military experience in real life, he certainly acts like a seasoned soldier in this movie. He's clear in his instructions, and even when he wants to be helpful, you can tell he has no intention of repeating himself. Before everyone parachutes out of the airplane, he tells, with humor and efficiency, the newspaper correspondent tagging along with the platoon how to use his parachute. It's one of the greatest scenes in the entire film (which is a great compliment, since the movie is fantastic) to watch the platoon get ready to jump out of the plane. Errol orders an equipment check, and as every man sounds off his number, the tension builds. The correspondent's anxiety builds alongside the audience's, until finally the moment of truth arrives and there's no turning back.

Which brings us to the star of the show: Henry Hull. A veteran actor who accomplished training in silent pictures, talkies, and Broadway, he takes on a role that appears to be tailor-made for him. Henry has often played the crusty old newspaperman, as immortalized in Jesse James, and you can just imagine him wanting to take a risk and become a war correspondent during WWII. The platoon kids him about his age, calling him Grandpa and Pop, and even Errol Flynn warns him not to come along. He asks his age, and Henry quips, "That's a military secret." Even though he's significantly older than the other boys jumping out of the airplane, he's determined to keep up. "You boys aren't fighting this war from behind a desk, and I'm not going to write about it behind one."

Henry Hull has an important purpose in this story: to truly become a war correspondent. He has to bring the war and the human side of the soldiers to the audience, so it's very important that he be as interested, afraid, and shocked as everyone in the theater. Henry was a true professional. He loved his craft, and he always put his heart into his roles, no matter how much screen time he was given. Thankfully, in Objective, Burma!, he's given a lot of screen time and a very meaty role to sink his teeth into. I won't tell you what he has to live through, but I will tell you he deserved his Hot Toasty Rag award for Best Supporting Actor.

While this movie was popular at the time, not many people today have heard of it. So, if you haven't seen it yet (and there's a good chance you haven't) get yourself a copy. This is one you'll watch over and over again.

...probably one of the better ones about WWII made during WWII. In it a group of American paratroopers are dropped into the Burmese jungles to destroy a Japanese radar station. Things don't go as expected, of course, and instead of being picked up by an airplane after their mission is completed they are forced to trek through the jungles and battle the elements to make their escape.

Director Raoul Walsh was in good form when he directed this overlong but effective film which adopts a semi documentary approach. James Wong Howe also scored well with his striking photography which really adds to the film's realistic credibility. Howe captures the scorching heat of the jungle in this production, whose principle photography was largely done on "Lucky" Baldwin's Santa Anita ranch. There was also a fine musical score by Franz Waxman, including a impressive military march theme.

While the characters are the usual army stereotypes, the restrained performances of the cast add to the film's sense of realism. This includes Errol Flynn, who well portrays an ordinary guy who's in command. His commanding officer is not the belligerent macho type to be found in many military films but, instead, a humane officer who cares about his men who, in turn, respect him. Flynn regarded this film as one of the best of his career. Also look out for the terrific performances by several actors that later went on to well known TV roles such as George Tobias who played Mr.Kravitz on Bewitched and Hugh Beaumont who was The Beaver's dad.

The film has one dated over-the-top diatribe by Henry Hull as a newsman accompanying the soldiers in which he rants about the Japanese as "stinking little savages" who should be wiped off the face of the earth. Oh well, I guess if I'm going to watch the films of 1945, then I should be prepared to deal with the values of 1945.

At the same time, however, the film has some great dialogue. For example, after a soldier named Hollis is found dead, one of the paratroopers, in retrieving the soldier's dog tag, says, "So much for Mrs. Hollis's 9 months of pain and 20 years of hope." In speaking of the pain that a mother will feel when she receives the news about her son, the film briefly touches upon a common humanity we all feel with the grief and tragedy of war.

Rauol Walsh directs one the greatest war films that exceeds its criticism. Errol Flynn leads a group of U.S. paratroopers on a mission to destroy an enemy radar station in Japanese-occupied Burma. The objective is accomplished, but the patrol goes through Hell as it makes its way back to base. Realistic war scenes with the more savage implied and off camera. No phony heroics, just hard fighting soldiers doing what needs to be done. Flynn is flawless and this might just be one his finest roles. A very strong cast includes: James Brown(of TV's Rin Tin Tin), Henry Hull, Mark Stevens, George Tobias, Richard Erdman, William Prince and Hugh Beaumont. No complaints about the near two and a half hour run time. Top of the line war movie shot in beautiful black and white. Produced by Jerry Wald.

"Objective Burma" is a gritty WWII drama set in Burma and competently directed by Raoul Walsh. This film, as far as I can tell, has never gotten the praise it deserves among WWII movies. It contains one of Errol Flynn's best performances and, correct me if I'm wrong, is the only film of Flynn's in which there are no females.

Captain Nelson (Flynn) heads a group of paratroopers assigned by company commander Colonel Carter (Warner Anderson) to parachute into the dense Burmese jungle and destroy a Japanese radar station. The idea is for them to go "in like Flynn" and then be picked up by plane the next day on an abandoned airstrip. Well, since the film runs 142 minutes, you know that's not going to happen.

The 36 officers and men including Lt. Jacobs (William Prince), S/Sgt Treacy (James Brown), Cpl. Gabby Gordon (George Tobias), Nebraska (Richard Erdman), Hogan (John Alvin), Miggleori (Anthony Carouso), middle aged journalist Mark Williams (Henry Hull) and others, attack the radar station and destroy it in a relatively easy operation where the entire Japanese detachment is wiped out and without casualties to Nelson and his men.

As they are about to be picked up by a plane piloted by Lt. Barka (Mark Stevens aka Stephen Richards), the Japanese prevent the landing and Nelson and his group are then forced to walk out to their camp, a distance of some 200 miles. Along the way the group has several encounters with the Japanese and some are killed. Col. Carter has planes out searching for the men but eventually calls off the search.

Nelson continues to lead his men to the last rendez-vous point given him before his radio was smashed but................................

What makes this film so compelling is the inter play between the various characters and Nelson's efforts to keep them all focused on the task at hand while inwardly believing the situation to be hopeless. True the picture is somewhat a flag waver but it nonetheless conveys the horrors of war without the necessity of a love story or two inserted for Flynn. It's, in my opinion, the best acting job of his storied career.