The leading actor is Errol Flynn, one of those infrequent Hollywood actors who is so likable and believable that women swoon over him and men admire him. Harrison Ford would be a moder-day equivalent. You almost can't go wrong with a Flynn film, and he's great in here, too, in a very understated role. Often he played the dashing hero, but here's simply a rock-solid, calm leader of men during a bad situation in Burma.
"Objective, Burma" has as its director Raoul Walsh, a Hollywood legend, a man who directed "White Heat" and dozens of other famous movies. The cinematographer is James Wong Howe, one of the best ever, a man labeled for his craft as a "master." The music is by Franz Waxman, a man so talented in the movie business with his scores that he has his picture on a stamp as one of the six "Legends Of American Music." The transfer quality on this Warner Brothers DVD is fantastic. The pictures looks near-high-definition. It's absolutely amazing for a film this old.
So you see, the film has a lot going for it.
Having said that, and being objective about it all, not everything is peaches-and-cream. It took 42 minutes before any action occurred so modern viewers might get a little antsy wondering when something is going to happen. Also, normally, I like black-and-white with my classic films but with so much jungle footage, this would have looked awesome in color. With the great detail in this transfer, and with all the leaves, branches, trees and grasses, it all jumbles together many times and is almost hard to decipher.
As in most classic-era WWII films, there is a lot of talk and that involves the typical clichéd characters, such as the so-called comedian from Brooklyn. These stereotypes always had corny names and made all the corny jokes...the only ones in the platoon. In this case, it's "Gabby Gordon" (George Tobias). The rest of the crew is predictable but a lot of the dialog is dated, so be ready for that.
Actually, I thought the screenwriters had a good mix of talk, suspense and action, not overdoing any aspect except for the beginning, which needed more punch. For today's audiences, this 142-minute film would be too long. This movie would definitely be appreciated most by a post-60 audience. It's a "Blackhawk Down" length movie, but not "Blackhawk Down" action or intensity. That's not a criticism, just a description so that those who haven't seen this movie know more about what they're going to get.
I found this to be a good movie, a solid film, but not as a great as I had read over the years. That's the problem with a film getting great hype; as a late viewer to the film, I wound up expecting too much and therefore was slightly disappointed. Still, it's worth viewing.
"Objective, Burma" has as its director Raoul Walsh, a Hollywood legend, a man who directed "White Heat" and dozens of other famous movies. The cinematographer is James Wong Howe, one of the best ever, a man labeled for his craft as a "master." The music is by Franz Waxman, a man so talented in the movie business with his scores that he has his picture on a stamp as one of the six "Legends Of American Music." The transfer quality on this Warner Brothers DVD is fantastic. The pictures looks near-high-definition. It's absolutely amazing for a film this old.
So you see, the film has a lot going for it.
Having said that, and being objective about it all, not everything is peaches-and-cream. It took 42 minutes before any action occurred so modern viewers might get a little antsy wondering when something is going to happen. Also, normally, I like black-and-white with my classic films but with so much jungle footage, this would have looked awesome in color. With the great detail in this transfer, and with all the leaves, branches, trees and grasses, it all jumbles together many times and is almost hard to decipher.
As in most classic-era WWII films, there is a lot of talk and that involves the typical clichéd characters, such as the so-called comedian from Brooklyn. These stereotypes always had corny names and made all the corny jokes...the only ones in the platoon. In this case, it's "Gabby Gordon" (George Tobias). The rest of the crew is predictable but a lot of the dialog is dated, so be ready for that.
Actually, I thought the screenwriters had a good mix of talk, suspense and action, not overdoing any aspect except for the beginning, which needed more punch. For today's audiences, this 142-minute film would be too long. This movie would definitely be appreciated most by a post-60 audience. It's a "Blackhawk Down" length movie, but not "Blackhawk Down" action or intensity. That's not a criticism, just a description so that those who haven't seen this movie know more about what they're going to get.
I found this to be a good movie, a solid film, but not as a great as I had read over the years. That's the problem with a film getting great hype; as a late viewer to the film, I wound up expecting too much and therefore was slightly disappointed. Still, it's worth viewing.