Objective, Burma! (1945)

A platoon of special ops are tasked to parachute into the remote Burmese jungle and destroy a strategic Japanese radar station, but getting out isn't as easy.

Director:

Raoul Walsh

Writers:

Ranald MacDougall (screenplay), Lester Cole (screenplay)

Stars:

Errol Flynn, James Brown, William Prince

Nominated for 3 Oscars.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Errol Flynn	...	Capt. Nelson
James Brown	...	SSgt. Treacy
William Prince	...	Lt. Sid Jacobs
George Tobias	...	Cpl. Gabby Gordon
Henry Hull	...	Mark Williams
Warner Anderson	...	Col. J. Carter
John Alvin	...	Hogan
Mark Stevens	...	Lt. Barker (as Stephen Richards)
Richard Erdman	...	Pvt. Nebraska Hooper (as Dick Erdman)

Storyline

A group of men parachute into Japanese-occupied Burma with a dangerous and important mission: to locate and blow up a radar station. They accomplish this well enough, but when they try to rendezvous at an old air-strip to be taken back to their base, they find Japanese waiting for them, and they must make a long, difficult walk back through enemy-occupied jungle.

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Plot Keywords:

jungle | tropics | american soldier | jungle warfare | territory name in title | 

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Taglines:

Doorway to Japan !

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | War

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Japanese

Release Date:

17 February 1945 (USA)

Also Known As:

Objective Burma

Filming Locations:

Palm Springs, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

142 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to William Prince, the only direction given by Raoul Walsh was, "All right, boys, no 'Hamlets' in the jungle."

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Goofs

When Nelson and his men are about to be picked up at the airstrip, a sentry tells Nelson about a hundred Japanese are approaching. Nelson immediately radios the landing aircraft to abort because about two hundred Japanese are waiting.

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Quotes

Capt. Nelson: [Commenting on a sleeping soldier] That guy could go to sleep on a clothesline.

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Crazy Credits

Closing credits: This story has a conclusion but not an end- It will end only when the evil forces of Japan are totally destroyed. This film is gratefully dedicated to the men of the American, British, Chinese and Indian Armies, without whose heroic efforts Burma would still be in the hands of the Japanese.

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Alternate Versions

Some prints of "Objective Burma!" have been cut to 127 minutes. Also shown in computer-coloured version.

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Connections

Referenced in L'amico del giaguaro (1959)

User Reviews

Gritty WWII Drama!

"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.