The 7th Dawn (1964)

Political and personal intrigues surround a group of characters in Malaya, after the close of the Second World War.

Director:

Lewis Gilbert

Writers:

Michael Keon (novel), Karl Tunberg (screenplay)

Stars:

William Holden, Susannah York, Capucine

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award.

Cast

Cast overview:
William Holden	...	Major Ferris
Susannah York	...	Candace Trumpey
Capucine	...	Dhana Mercier
Tetsurô Tanba	...	Ng
Michael Goodliffe	...	Trumphey
Allan Cuthbertson	...	Cavendish
Sydney Tafler	...	Tom - Chief Petty Officer
Maurice Denham	...	Tarlton
Beulah Quo	...	Ah Ming

Storyline

The end of WW2 finds Major Ferris fighting alongside guerrilla groups in the jungles of Malaysia. Major Ferris is an American who was attached to the Australian 8th Army and stayed behind to co-ordinate native guerrilla groups. When the Japanese unconditionally surrender, everyone is rejoicing but a British officer pertinently comments that although the Malaysian people aided the British to defeat the Japanese their allegiance will shift and they might not be so friendly towards the British in the near future. Malaysia is a British colony and like many other colonies it struggles to gain its independence from the European powers. Major Ferris' closest friend and comrade during the war, Malaysian colonel Ng, is asked by Ferris to join him into a business venture. Ferris has purchased a few acres of land rich in rubber trees and tin mines. He offers Ng an equal partnership in the venture but colonel Ng refuses. He explains that he has to go to Moscow to study at a school for political ...

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Plot Keywords:

british colonialism | guerilla | based on novel | malaya | nubile woman | 

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Taglines:

A STRANGE LAND SLEEPS LIKE A BEAUTIFUL WOMAN - SO STILL...SO MYSTERIOUS...SO UNTOUCHED- UNTIL THE FIRST LIGHT OF DAWN AWAKENS THE PASSIONS OF MEN AND THE FURIES OF WAR!

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | War

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 August 1964 (UK)

Also Known As:

The Seventh Dawn

Filming Locations:

Merdeka Studios, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Company Credits

Production Co:

Holdean

Technical Specs

Runtime:

123 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

British film debut of Italian composer Riz Ortolani.

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Goofs

A Gloster Meteor aircraft is seen attacking the MRLA camp. At the time the movie is set, there were no Meteors in Malaya. The RAF was still using de Havilland Hornets, a propeller-driven airplane, at the time.

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Quotes

Ng: Even magic cannot protect you against stupidity.

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Soundtracks

The Seventh Dawn
Music by Riz Ortolani
Lyrics by Paul Francis Webster

User Reviews

My Favorite Movie (and Novel) But...

A British colony in Asia is under attack from terrorists. A suspected terrorist has been captured, tried, and convicted. The sentence is death. The terrorist group kidnaps the British governor's daughter. She will be killed if the execution proceeds. Time is running out. Only her lover, Ferrell, can save her. No mistake. It's Paul Ferrell and he's rescuing Caroline rather than Candace this time. The movie (actually a serial or in the States a miniseries) is "A Place of Execution" from 1953 eight years before "The Durian Tree" was published and eleven years before "The 7th Dawn" was released. Is this a strange coincidence or a reused plot line? Draw your own conclusions.