Objective, Burma!

...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.

A good example of a Warner Brothers war drama, it's full of clichés appropriate to the times. The Japanese are "moral idiots," "savages," and "monkeys" (three times). Men shout and wave at a search plane two or three miles away (three times). The men are the usual congeries of ethnicity -- "Gabby" Gordon hollers "Mazeltov" at the departing Sweeney. (Hold on a moment. I'll have to think that one over. I'll also have to figure out how Lt. Sidney Jacobs acquired a Catholic dog tag.) Franz Waxman's music is just catchy enough, without being in the least distinguished. The jungle looks like a dressed-up Santa Anita with eucalyptus trees instead of ebony. The dialogue tends to run along lines like -- "Here we are in the muck and mire." "Hi, Muck!" "Hi, Mire!" Just at the end, when the remaining handful of paratroopers are in despair, the cavalry comes riding to the rescue.

I guess that gets the time-trapped stuff out of the way. This is far from an insulting cartoon of a movie. At its best, it captures the kind of utter physical exhaustion that Norman Mailer caught in his novel, "The Naked and the Dead." It's essentially a "journey" movie. Flynn, who is not bad, and his men are parachuted into Burma to destroy a radar station. Mission accomplished without casualties, they find their pick-up airfield swarming with enemy soldiers and must slog their way out through swamps and over mountains, the trip punctuated by bloody encounters with the Japanese.

Not that the battles are literally bloody. I don't think a drop of blood is spilled in the entire movie despite multiple opportunities. "Saving Private Ryan" is one way to tell a horrifying story -- very explicitly -- but the suggestion that is used in this film is equally effective, as hard as that may be to believe. Maybe the most jarring and moving moment in the film is when Flynn's group finds their friends tortured and killed by the Japanese. Flynn's friend, Jacobs, is barely alive. We see only his legs as Flynn kneels over him and identifies himself. The viewer can only imagine what Jacob's face -- and his eyes -- must look like as he whispers, "Nelson? Is that you, Nelson? Will you do me a favor, Nelson? Kill me?" The movie is a long one but it really needs to be long or we wouldn't so readily feel the agony and the desperation of these dying men. It's long enough for us to get to know the men as more than just anonymous soldiers too.

And the dialogue has its redeeming moments. When the middle-aged journalist is found dead near his foxhole, a supporting player, James Brown, stands over the body and says sincerely but not overdramatically, "Gee, I'm sorry, Mister Williams. Awfully sorry." And when Flynn leads his pitiful group of survivors finally into the base, his commanding officer shakes his hand, gives him a light, and tells him, "You don't know how important it was for you to take that radar station." Flynn says simply, "Here's what it cost," and hands him a fistful of identity tags.

It's an example not of art but of Hollywood craftsmanship. Engaging, and nicely done.

OBJECTIVE, BURMA!, Errol Flynn's last WWII-themed film (he'd done six in four years, the last four in a row) was his best, by far, but timing, always a factor in his career, would again work against him. By the time of the film's release, the war was ending, and audiences were beginning to tire of combat-themed pictures (a similar fate faced two other superb war films of 1945, A WALK IN THE SUN, and THE STORY OF G.I. JOE). Also working against the film was Flynn's reputation for making cartoonish WWII action movies, something OBJECTIVE, BURMA! certainly was not. Directed by Raoul Walsh (who had also helmed the most far-fetched of Flynn's WWII adventures, DESPERATE JOURNEY), this was an exceptionally well-made drama, of 'average' soldiers on a routine mission that becomes a fight for survival, in the jungles of Burma.

Working outside the sound stage (it was almost entirely filmed on locations near Pasadena, California), the film has an almost 'documentary' feel, re-enforced by the presence of an 'Ernie Pyle'-like reporter (Henry Hull, who is excellent as 'Pop'), chronicling the people and events. On the eve of the invasion of Burma, Major Nelson (Flynn), and his paratroopers are assigned to blow up an enemy radar station, and after a dramatic 'jump' into the jungle (punctuated by Franz Waxman's powerful music), they complete the mission successfully. However, the attempt to land an aircraft to retrieve them fails; the soldiers then must march through 150 miles of dense jungle, the Japanese hot on their trail, to be rescued (a premise similar to the pre-Revolutionary War MGM epic, NORTHWEST PASSAGE, filmed six years earlier). As the band is whittled down by the Japanese, the march gains an air of urgency, with the courage and endurance of each survivor tested.

While the entire cast is exceptional (of note is George Tobias, possibly Hollywood's busiest character actor in the 40s, playing another of his many G.I. roles), the performance of Errol Flynn should be singled out. In his ten years as a star at the WB, he had frequently requested more challenging roles, to prove he could do more than simply swing a sword and ride a horse. On a few occasions, he would be given a script that provided him greater range, and he would prove to be a far better actor than the studio realized. OBJECTIVE, BURMA! was one of these occasions. He is superb as the battle-weary, yet dedicated commander, who must rally his men, even as their numbers are decimated, and the situation appears hopeless.

Unfortunately, the WB would again fail to capitalize on his acting ability, and his next film, SAN ANTONIO, would be another of his string of Westerns...

A final 'slap' at OBJECTIVE, BURMA! would occur after the film was released. British reviewers condemned the film, claiming it glorified America's role in the invasion of Burma, while ignoring the British, who carried the brunt of the operation. The film was hastily removed from UK screens, and a new prologue was tacked on, emphasizing the fact that the invasion was a joint venture of the British, American, and other allied forces. Even with the new prologue, some British critics weren't appeased, and the film would not be widely released in England until 1952.

If you want to see Errol Flynn in one of his most enduring roles, in one of the finest, grittiest war films produced during WWII, OBJECTIVE, BURMA! should not be missed!

Objective Burma has to be one of Errol Flynn's best movies not to mention performances. he is unlike many of the swashbuckling roles that made him famous. There are other fine performances as well throughout the cast. There is only a small amount of the stereotypical Bronx or New York guy with an accent.Objective Burma is an entertaining movie about a paratrooper units mission to destroy a radar station and how it their escape route becomes blocked and they must fight their way out. It is a very underrated war movie that doesn't get the accolades that a Saving Private Ryan, The Longest Day or even the Dirty Dozen. It was a made up story about a small mission in the Pacific Theater of operation.It portrays the men's bravery, sacrifice and and heroism quite well. The acting, storyline and action make for a very well done and in some areas ahead of its time movie. I have never really been an Errol Flynn fan, but this has to rank as one of his better and yet more subdued performances. Henry Hull also gets high marks for his portrayal as a newspaperman. Rent this or buy it, you won't be disappointed!

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.