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 | hand to hand combat | showdown | 

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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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Ferris drives a 1953 Aston Martin DB2.

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Goofs

At one point Trumpey is referred to as the British Resident. Earlier in the film it was established that he holds the higher government position of High Commissioner.

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Quotes

Ng: Even magic cannot protect you against stupidity.

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Connections

Referenced in Inside 'You Only Live Twice' (2000)

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Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

No one has mentioned..

..the terrific opening titles by noted artist Maurice Binder. He is most famous, of course, for the BOND film titles.

This movie is indeed overlooked, though I remember seeing it on more than a few occasions on TV. Nowadays older movies don't make it on the tube in the U.S.; at least on regular (commercial-laden) channels.

I hope to acquire a copy of this movie someday, either tape or DVD. Format doesn't matter to me. The way old movie stars of this era (40's-50's-60's) are dropping like flies it's important to grab up as much of their work as possible. The up-and-coming generation of movie goers probably won't demand this kind of material unless they get a chance to view it.

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