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The Purple Plain

  • 1954
  • Approved
  • 1h 40m
IMDb RATING
6.5/10
2.6K
YOUR RATING
Gregory Peck and Win Min Than in The Purple Plain (1954)
ActionAdventureDramaWar

In World War II Burma, a Canadian bomber pilot becomes reckless after losing his bride in a Luftwaffe air raid.In World War II Burma, a Canadian bomber pilot becomes reckless after losing his bride in a Luftwaffe air raid.In World War II Burma, a Canadian bomber pilot becomes reckless after losing his bride in a Luftwaffe air raid.

  • Director
    • Robert Parrish
  • Writers
    • H.E. Bates
    • Eric Ambler
  • Stars
    • Gregory Peck
    • Bernard Lee
    • Win Min Than
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.5/10
    2.6K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Robert Parrish
    • Writers
      • H.E. Bates
      • Eric Ambler
    • Stars
      • Gregory Peck
      • Bernard Lee
      • Win Min Than
    • 45User reviews
    • 14Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 4 BAFTA Awards
      • 4 nominations total

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    Top cast20

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    Gregory Peck
    Gregory Peck
    • Squadron Leader Bill Forrester
    Bernard Lee
    Bernard Lee
    • Dr. Harris
    Win Min Than
    Win Min Than
    • Anna
    Brenda de Banzie
    Brenda de Banzie
    • Miss McNab
    • (as Brenda De Banzie)
    Maurice Denham
    Maurice Denham
    • Blore
    Lyndon Brook
    Lyndon Brook
    • Carrington
    Anthony Bushell
    Anthony Bushell
    • Group Captain Aldridge
    Josephine Griffin
    Josephine Griffin
    • Mrs. Bill Forrester
    Ram Gopal
    • Mr. Phang
    Dorothy Alison
    Dorothy Alison
    • Nurse
    • (uncredited)
    Peter Arne
    Peter Arne
    • Flight Lieutenant
    • (uncredited)
    Ernest Blyth
    • Man Dancing at Wedding
    • (uncredited)
    Kurt Christian
    Kurt Christian
      Richard Duke
      • Nightclub Patron on Dance Floor
      • (uncredited)
      Jack McNaughton
      • Sgt. Ralph Brown
      • (uncredited)
      Lane Meddick
      • Radio Operator
      • (uncredited)
      Harold Siddons
      • Navigator Williams
      • (uncredited)
      Mya Mya Spencer
      • Dorothy
      • (uncredited)
      • Director
        • Robert Parrish
      • Writers
        • H.E. Bates
        • Eric Ambler
      • All cast & crew
      • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

      User reviews45

      6.52.6K
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      Featured reviews

      dougdoepke

      Worth Looking Into

      Purple Plain is an obscure film in Peck's long list of movie credits. I don't know if this British production got much publicity or release stateside, despite Peck's movie star celebrity. Unfortunately, it's never been a TV regular, which is too bad because this tale of renewal and survival is an unusual and gripping one, in spite of the obscurity.

      The film opens in the Burmese jungle during WWII. Peck is a battle fatigued flyer on the ragged edge of breakdown. He's about to be relieved because of erratic behavior, all the while he's flashing back on his wife's death in a London air-raid. These are well-done scenes causing us to sympathize with his loss. Nonetheless, he's jeopardizing his comrades with reckless manuevers because the loss has undermined his will-to-live. Thus, we're torn between sympathy and concern, just like the flight station doctor (Bernard Lee).

      In an interesting move, Lee overcomes Peck's agonies by reconnecting him socially, in this case with a nearby missionary community. There Peck finds the vital human relationships so importantly missing from his death-dealing combat duties. As a result, his life takes on new meaning and purpose as a result of rejoining a human community where such life-giving affirmations can emerge. On the whole these are well-done scenes, especially the chaos from the Japanese air attack. In the midst of the carnage, Peck's combat flyer finds a new role in helping to bandage up survivors. Herein lies the movie's basic message and it's an important and humane one, conveyed in fairly subtle fashion, though the turn-around occurs more quickly than I would have liked.

      Nonetheless, it's interesting that the script avoids the usual officially sanctioned head-doctor therapies. Note that Peck is not sent to be counseled by an air force psychiatrist, nor to join a chest-baring therapy group, nor to have his past puzzled together Freudian style. Of course, the happy solution here remains a "movie" solution where-- as we all know-- anything can be made to magically happen. Still, for a war-movie setting, the simple affirmation that mental health lies through nurturing social relations and not through government sanctioned killing remains no less suggestive because of its movie origins.

      The remainder of the film amounts to a survival trek through the wilds of southeast Asia. It's a well-filmed and harrowing struggle against a forbidding landscape where the crash survivors must decide between staying put or hiking out against great odds. But most importantly, it's Peck's chance to regain his humanity by facing up to the odds, not just for his own survival, but for his two comrades as well. The movie's final scene could not have been better conceived. Indeed, no words are necessary. On the whole, this is a subtly and well thought out anti-war film, no less effective because it concerns the fate of one man rather than thousands.Too bad that its humane message remains so generally unseen.
      thinker1691

      " If War were a Mistress, I would love her more than a quick death "

      In every era of history where men are pitted against each other, there too great memories are lost and buried. As each loss is created, so too are the haunting images which etch across a soldier's face. Every man's countenance thereafter displays his loneliness and despair. Yet within his heart and soul is the yearning for redemption and another chance to live and love again. This movie called " The Purple Plain " is based on the novel written by H. E. Bates and is wonderfully directed by Robert Parrish. With the vast landscape of the Burmese jungle and it's idyllic locations, we have Bill Forester (Gregory Peck) a lost and war weary squadron leader, Bill Forrester (Gregory Peck) pushing his luck in an apparent attempt to commit suicide. Having lost his wife to the war, he now displays a reckless, carefree attitude boarding on the insane. However, those around him see a mutilated man racked by pain and despair, creating both fear and admiration. A doctor (Bernard Lee) is given a last chance to see if there anyway to save him. The film is a superb offering of Mr.Peck's great talent. In addition we see a great performances by Maurice Denham as Blore and Win Min Than as Anna. All in all, this film is one of the most overlooked milestones in cinematic history. ****
      10ekeby

      THE most underrated movie of the 1950s!

      I've had this movie on my 10 Best List for many, many years.

      This story of healing from loss through love is immensely powerful. It's exquisitely photographed; it looks much more art film than Hollywood. The direction is solid, and the pacing near perfect. Peck holds his own among a field of scene-stealing character actors. His performance gives us a clue as to what he was like on the stage. His good looks don't distract you; he's utterly convincing as a pilot who's lost the love of his life and no longer cares whether he lives or dies. In the first part of the movie his character is not a good guy, and it's believable. Hard to do when you look like Gregory Peck.

      Love conquers all, of course. The story turns on his love for a woman. But, as the movie progresses, we find that he loves his crew too, even "old Blore." The young navigator worships him, and the admiration is returned full force. Their relationship is a key element of the story, as important as the romance between Peck and the Burmese girl.

      This is one of those rare movies where men openly love each other--not in a gay sense--in a human sense. It's a love based on respect. This is something missing from almost all heterosexual movies. Probably because most men don't seem to be able to easily distinguish between sex, attraction, affection, and love. It all gets mixed up together, and homophobia damps down any positive emotions between men that isn't associated with some sport. Wartime seems to provoke these feelings too, evidently, but it's rare for a picture to show manly affection, except as a joke. It's just one aspect of this film, but one that shouldn't be overlooked.

      I can only hope this movie gets rediscovered and recognized for the fine, fine film that it is.
      10roy-buswell

      The Purple Plain

      I suppose the reason why I loved the film so much was that I was actually watching the film being made in Sigaria in Ceylon (Now Sri Lanka). I was part of an RAF Police team from RAF Columbo called to investigate the theft of some property from the set of the film. The visit also gave me the opportunity to actually have breakfast with Grgory Peck before the days shooting. I was astounded by the amount of detail that went into the making of the film, and the amount of responsibility put upon Jean, the continuity girl. Gregory Peck was a perfect gentleman, and I was so proud to actually be introduced to him by Brummie Benson, an RAF extra on the film set. To me, the film depicted courage at it's best, and as said by a previous critic , a simple story, with no over blown heroics,a good and believable cast, and a most enjoyable though somewhat predictable conclusion. But, NO bad language..... It's a pity more films of today cannot follow the same pattern. In all a very good example of the Royal Air Force at it's humble best, and a credit to the J.Arthur Rank Studios for its production
      8cstewart61-417-609527

      A fine, beautiful and unusual film

      A really fine film and quite remarkable especially for it's time; shot on location (Ceylon standing in for Burma) in color and with an actual Burmese woman for the female romantic lead. As a war film the pacing and lack of any real 'battle scenes' might disappoint a few people. But the film is at its core is a character study of a RAF pilot (Peck) who has 'gone round the bend' suffering from what we'd call PTSD today and how his battle with it consumes him as much as the war with the Japanese.

      The other major character - other that the wonderful Win Min Than as the 'love interest' - is the location itself. 'Location as Charter' is something that David Lean latter became famous for but here in this film the immense expanse of jungle and plain becomes a beautiful but deadly antagonist The 'actual enemy', the Japanese Army, is tellingly, never seen.

      As this is a British film all the performances (except for -shockingly- the one Scotswoman in the film) are nicely understated. At one point Peck's character admits that he has been trying to get himself killed in battle ever since the death of his wife to which he drolly adds ' you think that would be pretty easy in a war....but all they kept doing was giving me medals....' WWII airplane geeks ( guilty as charged) will appreciate the shots of the De Haviland Mosquitoes in operation.

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      Related interests

      Bruce Willis in Die Hard (1988)
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      Drama
      Band of Brothers (2001)
      War

      Storyline

      Edit

      Did you know

      Edit
      • Trivia
        Win Min Than's husband was so jealous about losing her to the film's "decadent" Hollywood star Gregory Peck, he ordered his wife to eat garlic before romantic scenes with Peck. Fortunately, the production crew was able to convince her husband that Peck and the others were respectful of her so he went home leaving her to finish the picture in peace.
      • Goofs
        When Peck's co-pilot looks out at the starboard engine, it is leaking some kind of fluid, but that fluid is running down the side of the engine. It's not showing any sign of what would have to be, at least a 200 mph wind, passing over the nacelle.
      • Quotes

        Anna: It's not good to die inside.

        Squadron Leader Bill Forrester: It's like living a bad dream.

        Anna: Here we bury the dead in the earth not in our hearts. Is the dream over now?

        Squadron Leader Bill Forrester: I think so.

      • Crazy credits
        Opening credits prologue: BURMA 1945
      • Connections
        Referenced in Toon in with Me: On This Day... June 25th (2024)
      • Soundtracks
        Onward Christian Soldiers
        (uncredited)

        Music by Arthur Sullivan and lyrics by Sabine Baring-Gould

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      FAQ17

      • How long is The Purple Plain?Powered by Alexa

      Details

      Edit
      • Release date
        • November 26, 1954 (Finland)
      • Country of origin
        • United Kingdom
      • Language
        • English
      • Also known as
        • Flammen über Fernost
      • Filming locations
        • Elephant Pass, Sri Lanka
      • Production companies
        • J. Arthur Rank Organisation
        • Two Cities Films
      • See more company credits at IMDbPro

      Box office

      Edit
      • Budget
        • $2,000,000 (estimated)
      See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

      Tech specs

      Edit
      • Runtime
        • 1h 40m(100 min)
      • Color
        • Color
      • Aspect ratio
        • 1.66 : 1

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