Burn! (1969)

During a slave revolt in 1844, a British mercenary aids an Antilles island-colony gain its independence from Portugal but years later he returns there to manhunt a local rebel army leader and former friend.

Director:

Gillo Pontecorvo

Writers:

Franco Solinas (story), Giorgio Arlorio (story)

Stars:

Marlon Brando, Evaristo Márquez, Renato Salvatori

5 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Marlon Brando	...	Sir William Walker
Evaristo Márquez	...	José Dolores (as Evaristo Marquez)
Renato Salvatori	...	Teddy Sanchez
Dana Ghia	...	Francesca
Valeria Ferran Wanani	...	Guarina
Giampiero Albertini	...	Henry Thompson
Carlo Palmucci	...	Jack
Norman Hill	...	Shelton
Thomas Lyons
Turam Quibo	...	Juanito (as Joseph P. Persaud)
Álvaro Medrano	...	Soldier (as Alvaro Medrano)
Alejandro Obregón	...	Engl. Major (as Alejandro Obregon)
Enrico Cesaretti

Storyline

The professional mercenary Sir William Walker instigates a slave revolt on the Caribbean island of Queimada in order to help improve the British sugar trade. Years later he is sent again to deal with the same rebels that he built up because they have seized too much power that now threatens British sugar interests.

---

Plot Keywords:

caribbean sea | caribbean island | sugar | british | portuguese | 

---

Taglines:

The man who sells war. The bloodier the battle - the higher the price. He's going to make a fortune on this one.

---

Genres:

Action | Drama | War

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some violence and nudity

Did You Know?

Trivia

Evaristo Márquez said in an interview (November 1, 2009) that in several occasions, when Marlon Brando refused to act, he was the "peacemaker" between director Gillo Pontecorvo and the legendary actor (Brando).

---

Goofs

Looking through his spyglass, Sir William can see Jose Delores up close. Later, when he hands the glass to a British officer the view is much more distant. Spyglasses of that era (1850s) would have had 3X-6x magnification. The extreme close up view would be impossible.

---

Quotes

Sir William Walker: Now, listen to me, you black ape! Listen to me. It wasn't I that invented this war. And furthermore, in this case, I didn't even start it. I arrived here and you were already butchering one another.

---

Alternate Versions

The complete version of this film runs 132 minutes. A 112-minute version under the title "Burn!" was released in the USA and the UK.

---

Connections

Referenced in Scarface (1983)

User Reviews

response to synchonic's review

Synchonic says: >It would be a far more interesting story to try and figure out, or >juxtapose, >why revolutions in the Caribbean or Latin America, >generally led to civil >war ?and dictatorship while the revolution in >North America -- as in what ?>became the USA and Canada, became >peaceful wealthy democracies. Canada never ?>had a revolution, but it >peacefully transitioned from colony into sovereign >nation without a ?>shot or a death.

The revolution in the United States was a rebellion of white people against a white monarchy. American colonists, although in the service of British interest were not slaves and were not black. Further to that the class that revolted in the US were the ruling classes of that continent so when it came to negotiate they were not treated with the same racist vehemence that colored Carribbean people were. That doesn't excuse the the brutality of the eras that followed but it certainly didn't help economic matters, which as we all know is the key to the prosperity of any society.What was very obvious in Quemada was that there was a war of independence but also class crisis : between the ruling Portuguese and the domestic non black islanders and between the black ex-slaves and everyone else.

Also Canada did have rebellions which were put down rather violently. Aboriginal efforts aside, there was the rebellions led Louis Riel in 1869 and 1885, The Upper Canada Rebellion of 1837, Quebec's Silent Revolution that led to the FLQ crisis in 1970 where PM Trudeau instituted martial law and arrested several hundred people without charge.

And what pray tell does Brando's effeteness have to do with anything? all upper-crust gentlemen of that era are effete by our standards.

This is an excellent movie for Brando and history buffs alike. There are many parallels you can make with current events concerning globalization and the role that Multinational Corporations Play.

Details

Country:

Italy France

Language:

Italian Portuguese English

Release Date:

21 October 1970 (USA)

Also Known As:

Burn!

Filming Locations:

Cinecittà Studios, Cinecittà, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Box Office

Gross USA:

$431,817

Company Credits

Production Co:

Produzioni Europee Associate (PEA), Les Productions Artistes Associés

Technical Specs

Runtime:

132 min 108 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1