This film is set on a Malaysian rubber plantation. And, you can't help but wonder why Claudette Colbert was cast in this film. After all, having an Englishman there made sense--the British were heavily investigated in the country because of the need for rubber. But what's an American lady doing there? Also, my wife felt Ms. Colbert just looked a bit old to have such a young child in the film (she was 49 at the time). I assume they put an American in this role to supposedly improve the marketability of the film.
The film is set a few years after WWII--during the time when Malaysia was in the midst of a very long civil war. In fact, this is one of the only films I've ever seen that even mentions this period in Malaysian history. While I am no expert on this, I know that some of the Malaysians (particularly those of Chinese descent) resented their treatment and vented much of this on the rubber plantation owners--massacring some families. This film is about a family caught up in this. The husband (Jack Hawkins) is working desperately to hold on to his plantation--and spends just about ever waking minute fighting insurgents and trying to bring in his rubber crop. As for the wife (Colbert), she can't stand that he's so obsessed and he has no time for her or their son. In fact, he doesn't know it but she's contemplating leaving him. Fortunately for Hawkins, he does finally come to his senses and tells Colbert that he loves her and wants her to stay. Unfortunately, it comes only when the insurgents are about to stage a massive attack! And, in the process, the entire family and their workers have to fight for their very lies.
The film is very tense and interesting. Sadly, however, it really has nothing to say about the uprising. Why the natives are revolting (nice choice of words) is really uncertain to the viewer as they watch the film. As a result, you don't have a lot of insight into the situation but like films like "Zulu", it still is tense and satisfying. For the most part, it's well made and worth a look--even if it's not one of Colbert's better films and lacks depth.
