Um Punhado de Bravos

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.

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.

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!, 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!

This is one of the very best of the WWII battle films made during the war. It has excellent action sequences, and is full of the very intense emotions that were felt during that time. It's also one of Errol Flynn's best roles, as the captain of a parachute squad sent to blow up a Japanese radar station as a prelude to the allied re-conquest of Burma. Unlike many of the war films of the same era, this one is shot almost exclusively outdoors, and a considerable effort was made to make the shoot look and sound like it was actually in a jungle.

Considering the film's age, the picture quality of the DVD is very good. A few of the sequences have a lot of scratches and grain, but that was because the film makes good use of real jungle war footage.

A must see for fans of WWII films, or of Errol Flynn fans who want to see him in one of his best roles.