Escape to Burma

Robert Warwick is an independent Burmese price, and his son has been murdered, shot dead. All the evidence points to Robert Ryan. Local British commissioner Reginald Denny says that Ryan must be brought to Rangoon and tried, and orders the most able police officer available to him, David Farrar, to do so. But Ryan makes his way through the jungle to the teak plantation run by Barbara Stanwyck, and gains her trust and love. When Farrar shows up, she helps Ryan escape. Farar pursues him.

Director Allan Dwan's 399th movie is beautifully photographed by John Alton, and with Ryan and Stanwyck, there are some impressive pyrotechnics in the acting. Unfortunately, there's some annoying idiot plotting in the denouement, evidence that would have wrapped the entire story up in less than ten minutes. Of course, then we couldn't have seen Miss Stanwyck lording it over the locals, treating well-behaved elephants kindly, . Neither would we have witnessed a slugfest between Ryan and Farrar, nor a gun battle in which Warwick's troops try to murder the three principals in a savages-invading-the-fort dust-up that was hoary by the time this movie was made. If that's your idea of a good time..

it must have been quite impressive for it's time - Color film, old-time film noir star B. Stanwyck and film military hero Robert Ryan were the big attractions in this far-away-location B movie; one of the 2-movie pack in the discount bin from TCM. it DOES have crystal-clear color photography andexcellent sound. Lots of messing about with elephants and tigers, and actors reciting monotone lines; the script needed some more zing or something - not much of a plot in the first half, but it gets better as it goes along. This was made about 10 years before Stanwyck's starring role in "Big Valley". Robert Ryan redeemed himself by doing "Longest Day" and "Battle of the Bulge" after this. Directed by Allan Dwan, who had started in 1911 in silents, and had worked his way up in every occupation in the film industry.

Direction, acting and virtually everything else about this mid-fifties pulp action flick are too flat to make it more than mildly enjoyable in a camp way. Ryan and Farrar fare better than Stanwyck, whose performance here unintentionally verges on self-parody. Stanwyck is very watchable here, but the script is so lazy and routine that her typical (and admirable) energy in tackling the role works against her. Ryan more appropriately gives the script its due,expressing obvious contempt for some of his lines. For a fifties flick, the quick sexual hookup of Ryan and Stanwyck is surprising (though a 10-year-old kid could see the film and not know what was happening between them).

I think this and "Cattle Queen of Montana" are Stanwyck's only color films. Black and white works better for her; the heavy makeup here makes her look inappropriately feverish, even for a jungle flick.

"Escape to Burma" is enjoyably bad in a mild way. I loved the back-lot jungle sets and obvious tropical foliage decoration. Nice house Stanwyck has there in the jungle too. Super art direction (always an RKO forte).

"Slightly Scarlet," "Silver Lode" and "The River's Edge" are far more enjoyable and interesting Allan Dwan efforts from the fifties.

In Escape To Burma no time is referenced in the story. Knowing that Burma declared its independence from Great Britain in 1948 and in 1945 for the first half of the year they were in the middle of World War II being fought the actions here would seem to take place in the years before the war. That would seem to be the only explanation for the total lack of any reference to the reality of what was going in Burma, it wasn't the political landscape of the country as it was in 1955 the year the film came out.

Barbara Stanwyck is the owner of a teak plantation and she gets a pair of gentlemen callers. The first is Robert Ryan fleeing from a charge of murder of the son of the local maharajah. The second is David Farrar the British policeman sent by provincial governor Reginald Denny after him.

There's also the maharajah's own forces and they're not about to wait for justice British style. They've got their own nasty methods to deal with assassins even if they were business partners with the prince.

Escape To Burma is an interesting if rather pedestrian action/adventure film. Ryan is the best here. Given the kind of roles he's played and the ambiguous nature of his character we never know how this will turn out. In fact the story of the killing of the prince is something of a let down.

But fans of the stars should be happy.

The BBC aired this recently and as it was directed by super veteran Allan Dwan I happened to tape it.

Ryan plays the typical US macho hero of the fifties, a fightin',shootin'(a Luger no less!) and kissin'guy. Mrs. Stanwyck is the owner of a plantation near Rangoon and she is not to be messed with. Third character is your run-of-the mill British, slightly repressed policeman, on the hunt for Ryan who supposedly has murdered the son of the local potentate.

If you are a fan of Dwan's work better skip this one. The only good thing about it is the crisp clear color photography, the rest is pretty embarrassing. Clichéd would be putting it mildly. The script seems to be written in an afternoon and the same can be said of the movie itself.

It is a bit unfair to Allan Dwan, as he made countless movies and still turned out some excellent stuff near the end of his very long career, as the classic marine epic "The Sands of Iwo Jima" and the sexy "Slightly Scarlet". So do not judge him on this silly jungle epic.