The 7th Dawn

For years I would notice this in television guides rated as one check or one star, right down there with Attack of The Killer Tomatoes. I have often puzzled at who is responsible for this and other way-off subjective ratings I have seen.

This movie was a two star movie just for Freddie Young's photography.

While not up there with The Bridge On The River Kwai, I believe this film is worthy of being rated higher than hundreds I have seen rated with two and three stars.

This film has some fine performances by Susannah York, Capucine, and Tetsuro Tamba, as well as William Holden.

This film has one of the most beautiful opening scenes of any picture I have seen, coupled with the music of Riz Ortolani, which I believe only Freddie Young's gifted artistic photo talents could have accomplished.

The only possible reason for it's low rating that I could think of, was the era it was released, when anti-war sentiments were building towards Viet Nam. At any rate, personal point of views should not affect the grading of art forms, and is a travesty to truth.

William Holden, Capucine, Susannah York, and Tetsurô Tanba star in "The 7th Dawn," a 1964 film done on location in Malaysia. At the end of World War II, Major Ferris (Holden) decides to stay in Malaysia, where he becomes a land baron. The woman who fought alongside him, Dhana, moves in with him. The third member of their trio, Ng (Tetsuro Tanba) who is like a brother to both of them, leaves to work with the communists.

Over the years, it becomes more dangerous to live in Malaysia due to Communist terrorism as the British prepare for Malaysian independence. As the situation worsens, Major Ferris and Ng ultimately have a difficult and painful decision to make.

"The 7th Dawn" is visually stunning, with some absolutely magnificent photography throughout, with an interesting story that was overshadowed in history by Vietnam. William Holden is perfectly cast as the world-weary Ferris, and Capucine gives a very dignified performance as the highly regarded activist Dhana. Susannah York plays a beautiful young woman who falls for Ferris, and handsome Tetsuro Tanba gives a powerful performance as the dedicated Ng.

Very good script without a typical Hollywood ending. I'm not quite sure why this film isn't more regarded.

The Seventh Dawn seemed a natural for William Holden given the spectacular success he had in that part of the world with The Bridge On the River Kwai. Unfortunately Seventh Dawn doesn't quite live up to the David Lean classic.

What The Seventh Dawn is, is a sincere attempt to look at the issues confronting Southeast Asia during the Fifties. Three people, American William Holden, and natives Capucine and Tetsuro Tamba have been involved in resistance to the Japanese. Holden like the country so much, he's going to settle down as a rubber planter. Capucine is going back to teaching school and agitating for eventual independence from Great Britain. Tamba is going to school himself, a scholarship awaits him at a university in Moscow.

Fast forward seven years or so from V-J day and all of them have succeeded more or less in their chosen paths. Unfortunately their paths put them on a collision course with each other.

Holden's a free-wheeling hedonist who just won't settle down and marry Capucine and he's got a new distraction in the form of Sussanah York the daughter of the new British administrator. Her role is the weakest here and the dumbest. Her offer of sacrifice to bring peace to Malaya just doesn't ring true at all.

I do like what Tetsuro Tamba did with his part. His people as he's been taught in Moscow can't feed themselves, let alone govern themselves. They need Red style tutelage and he's going to see they get it.

Measured against The Bridge on the River Kwai, The Seventh Dawn falls far short. Still it's nicely photographed in the Republic of Malaysia and the cast is earnest enough in their roles. William Holden fans will like it.

As others have noted, The 7th Dawn is a surprisingly good film and deserves more attention. It opens with a stunningly photographed title sequence that evokes the haunting atmosphere and strange tension of Henri Rousseau's jungle paintings. As soon as the titles fade, however, we are suddenly thrust into the middle of a brutal mass execution towards the end of World War II in Malaysia. The entire film plays off of this combination of sudden violence and the mysterious, unearthly beauty of the jungle.

In its quest for national independence for Malaysia, a guerilla army threatens British colonial society with acts of terrorism that leave the good civilized folk on edge. They ask an American ex-pat, William Holden, to intercede with the leader of the rebels, played by Tetsuro Tamba, because the two are old friends and served together in a guerilla army on the side of the Allies when they were all fighting the Japanese. Capucine also served with the two men in their guerilla days, and these three form an interesting romantic triangle that goes much deeper than those found in most films, involving loyalty to and betrayal of friends, lovers, family, nation, and ideology.

Though we've seen Holden's character, Major Ferris, in other movies (from Rick in Casablanca on down), it's a great role for the actor, who fills it with vigor, intelligence, and the necessary animal sensitivity. It helps that he has good writing behind him, and, in fact, the screenplay is one of the strengths of the movie, with complex characters involved in murky moral situations, a plot that keeps you intrigued and guessing, and some larger themes right out of Joseph Conrad. Susannah York's character may be a weak point of the film, but the acting in general is quite good. The Malaysian setting is quite exotic, and Freddie Young's (Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago, etc.) incredible photography adds to the moody, violent and lush atmosphere of the film. It all adds up to action, adventure, mystery, political intrigue, some refreshingly mature romantic relationships, and even a touch of humor. Though it doesn't quite rank up there with The Bridge on the River Kwai or Lawrence of Arabia, people who liked those films should find The 7th Dawn a surprisingly strong film and definitely worth watching.

I agree with most posts. I think this was an underrated film, surprisingly hard to find. It was quite critical of the British elements of counter terrorism. It seemed a little simplistic, but it told a story not usually found in most movies. I think that it was a good, balanced viewpoint of colonialism, terrorism as well as romance. This would be an intriguing remake, if today's times were a little different. Today's culture is far into the anti-terrorist mode to understand the psychology of insurgency. Vietnam was much more complex, with the S.Vietnamese bureaucracy betraying themselves and China masterminding the NVA for its own purposes. William Holden played the naive, if somewhat self-important voice of reason. He played the angle from his side, and was critical of the British viewpoint. The "loyalty" aspect was quite intriguing and prevalent throughout most of the film, and he distinguished that element again in the Wild Bunch. This was a pretty good movie.