Objective, Burma!

"An American platoon parachutes into Burma to take out a strategic Japanese outpost"

1945 2h 22m EN

👍

6.9

SOLID

★6.9TMDB · 105

WarAdventureDramaAction

Synopsis

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A group of men parachute into Japanese-occupied Burma with a dangerous and important mission: to locate and blow up a radar station. They accomplish this well enough, but when they try to rendezvous at an old air-strip to be taken back to their base, they find Japanese waiting for them, and they must make a long, difficult walk back through enemy-occupied jungle.

“An American platoon parachutes into Burma to take out a strategic Japanese outpost”

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Cast

Errol Flynn
Capt. Nelson
Henry Hull
Mark Williams
George Tobias
Cpl. Gabby Gordon
Anthony Caruso
Miggleori
James Brown
SSgt. Treacy
Richard Erdman
Pvt. Nebraska Hooper
Joel Allen
Cpl. Brophy - Radioman
John Alvin
Hogan

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Raoul Walsh
Writers: Ranald MacDougall, Lester Cole, Alvah Bessie
Languages: English, Japanese
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

81 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Japanese.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

AWARDS

Did you know

Directed by Raoul Walsh, shot by James Wong Howe. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Franz Waxman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor George Amy shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Errol Flynn and Henry Hull and George Tobias carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "An American platoon parachutes into Burma to take out a strategic Japanese outpost".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0037954 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Raoul Walsh directs. James Wong Howe behind the camera. Franz Waxman scores. George Amy cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

181 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Japanese.
3Directed by Raoul Walsh, shot by James Wong Howe. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Franz Waxman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor George Amy shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Errol Flynn and Henry Hull and George Tobias carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "An American platoon parachutes into Burma to take out a strategic Japanese outpost".
8IMDB entry: tt0037954 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: James Wong Howe
Original score: Franz Waxman
Editing: George Amy
Makeup / hair: Perc Westmore
Runtime: 142 min · 2h 22m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Objective, Burma! (1945)

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Raoul Walsh

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Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2019-08-28
★ 9/10
Come on, I'd follow that man down the barrel of a cannon. Errol Flynn stars as Major Nelson, who along with 50 other commandos parachute into Burma to destroy a Japanese radar station. The mission is a success but while waiting to be air lifted to safety they come under attack from the Japanese and are forced to trek thru the jungle, simultaneously fighting the terrain just as much as the enemy. There were two magnificently directed war films made in 1945, one was John Ford's supreme John Wayne vehicle, They Were Expendable, the other is this much unheralded Raoul Walsh classic. High on military detail and paced with the ultimate precision, Objective, Burma! is as tense as it most assuredly is thrilling. It also finds Errol Flynn turning in what is arguably his finest acting performance. Casting off his rapscallion prankster like persona, he delivers a straight and raw emotive performance that proves beyond doubt he was an actor of note. Short on flag waving sloganeering, courtesy of the source story from Alvah Bessie, pic holds its head high in the technical departments as well. Franz Waxman's brilliant score is tense and unnerving and it mixes seamlessly with the sound department's excellent work involving the noises of the jungle. It's now very much a relief to be able hear this picture through the benefits of home cinema systems. James Wong Howe's photography is suitably bringing the jungle to life, which considering the film was shot mostly at the L.A. Arboretum & Botanical Gardens is quite some achievement. On its release in the U.S. the film was a critical and box office success, my fellow countrymen here in Britain, however, were not so impressed. Angry about the lack of credit given to the British in the Burmese operation, the film was subsequently banned in the UK until 1952. Then, with common sense prevailing, new prints were issued with a prologue giving credit to the other armed forces involved in the campaign. Which all in all ends things on a rather tidy note I feel. It's a magnificent picture that never loses sight of the core story, it's widely available now on various formats so really you have no excuse not to see it. 9/10

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