Alerte en extrême orient

Peter Finch is the eponymous doctor who, along with his estranged wife "Lee" (Mary Ure), is trying to make a go of his practice - and of their failing marriage - at a remote rubber plantation. He is a decent man who wants to improve the lot of the locals and that puts him at odds with the local employer "Patterson" (Michael Hordern) who rules the roost with little sympathy for his workforce. At the end of their tether, they organise a strike which gets out of control with tragic results. With "Patterson" gone seeking help from the authorities, it falls to "Windom" to try and avoid a full scale battle between the locals and the soon-to-arrive police. Finch manages to inject a little intensity to his performance, but the writing and the rest of the cast rather let it all down as does the lacklustre pace of the first half hour of the film. The narrative touches on the growing post-war insurgencies, across what was then the British Empire, amongst populations determined to make their own way - their desire to grow their own rice being emblematic of that stance here - and I suppose that would have resonated better in 1957, but looking at it now it is a rather light-weight melodramatic adventure film that I can't think I will ever watch again.

A downbeat and joyless drama, the film's politics are dull, but there some strong themes running throughout, and there is also a strong central drama concerning a marriage between persons with opposite views of life and the world. It is a shame that there is not more time dedicated to Finch and Ure's interactions, because the side of the film dealing with politics and the lives of locals just is not handled too well. The lack of background and setting detail is no help, but this side of the film simply fails to do more than what merely is adequate, and it is done in a manner so dreary that it is hard to swallow. Overall the film is okay viewing, but it had the potential to be more. Finch and Ure have some strong moments together but definitely not enough.

This is an intelligent film about an innocent -- perhaps naive -- man and village community caught up on the edge of national turmoil, and it avoids both obvious political cliché and easy answers. Into its widening canvas, from individual to village to province to ultimate future of a nation, it also weaves a tentative attempt at reconciliation between the eponymous English doctor and his ambitious ex-social butterfly of a wife: both have an alternative romance mutely on offer, although nothing is ever explicitly stated, and the broken marriage is on shaky ground at best.

So far so good -- personal and political combine, as they have done since 'Gone with the Wind', though with the political for once taking the leading role. There are beautiful location shots, some very effective action sequences, especially in the crowd scenes, good use of background music, skilfully understated dialogue that avoids the need for open exposition, and an unexpected humanity and depth in the treatment of all the characters. Ultimately, however, I found it curiously unsatisfying as a drama: I have a depressing suspicion that for all their merits, the equivocal realism and avoidance of the emotional broad brush seen here perhaps deprive the film of some of the force of pure entertainment.

We are enlisted in the conflict, drawn to take sides, tossed pawn-like in unsuspected undercurrents and then cast out, bruised and numb, to effectively wash our hands of the whole affair. It reflects the genuine messiness of real life, but it's not catharsis; this has more of a documentary feel. It's a well-made film, and held me riveted while it ran, but after the end credits I was somehow left feeling 'Is that it?'

Windom (Finch) is a doctor who is passionate about the welfare of people, saving lives and much less interested in social climbing. This may be the reason he left his estranged socialite wife Lee (Ure) back in the UK and went to Malaya. However she comes to Malaya for one last chance at reconciliation with him; their personal drama is played out at the same time as Malaya is in the midst of an 'emergency', teetering on the brink of revolt and civil war.

Finch's combination of an impassioned nature and a stiff upper lip is put to good use here; he and luminous beauty Ure do look like a mismatched couple in many respects. Their troubled and mismatched relationship is perhaps paralleled by the troubled and mismatched relationship between the government, the rubber business, and the people in that part of the world.

Much of the film was shot in Pinewood, with location filming done on Corsica; look in the background and you can see the hills are arid and practically barren, even if there are palm trees and verdant undergrowth placed in the foreground.

Every time I see Ure onscreen, I can't help but be reminded of her untimely death; she was only 42 when she passed away. Here she could have been little more than going through the motions but she does more than that. The rest of the cast is well chosen too; from Michael Hornden's uncaring plantation manager to Aslan's official.

Arguably this isn't an action film, it isn't a drama, and it isn't a political sounding board. However it does contain elements of all three. Today it perhaps serves best as a period piece; a snapshot of how goings on in the colonies were portrayed at the time.

If you see this film today the chances are that you are looking at a video transfer of mediocre quality, taken from a second or third generation print that has itself been well-used. It doesn't really do the camerawork, locations etc justice and a better restoration/transfer would be most welcome.

This is also Burt Kwouk's first (uncredited) appearance on celluloid.

This film is well worth watching and as period piece it gets 7/10 from me.

If you're a fan of the Painted Veil movies (I've seen three versions, and there might be other "knock-offs" I don't know about), you might want to check out Windom's Way. It's not exactly a remake, but it has the same basic idea. Peter Finch plays a dedicated doctor in a foreign land rife with revolution, disease, and terrible living conditions. He's been having severe marital problems, and in order to show she wants another chance, his wife Mary Ure follows him to a God-forsaken village and tries to be a dutiful doctor's wife.

The major difference between Windom's Way and the traditional story is that instead of Mary being tempted by another man, Peter is tempted by another woman. Why not; it's Peter Finch, right? His nurse, Natasha Parry, has stood by his side for years (unlike Mary) and they work well in tandem. As far as love triangles go, it's not the most suspenseful or interesting. Peter hasn't really shown any interest in Natasha, but she's hoping he'll choose someone steady. He bickers all the time with Mary, but when he sees her in a swimsuit, he forgets all about their problems. So, you might be more interested in the local rebellion side plot - but then again, as far as those types of movies go, it's not the most suspenseful or interesting. It's really just for die-hard Peter Finch fans who don't mind seeing him in a mediocre movie. I do like him, but I prefer The Nun's Story, where he also plays a doctor but a bit feistier.