Burn!
Encyclopedia
Burn! is a 1969 film directed by Gillo Pontecorvo
; starring Marlon Brando
. The plot is loosely based on events in the history of Guadeloupe
.
The main character is named after William Walker, the famous American filibuster
. While based on issues that Walker symbolically represented, the film is not based on the life of Walker.
sent to the island
of Queimada, a fictional Portuguese
colony
in the Lesser Antilles
island group in the Caribbean
. The film was originally set on a Spanish island called Quemada, meaning "burnt", but it was changed to Portuguese after the Spanish government found it insulting; however the language spoken in the film remained Spanish. Walker is sent to organize an uprising of black slaves to overthrow the Portuguese regime because Great Britain
wants to get economic control of the island, because it is an important sugar cane producer.
The plan is to replace the Portuguese administration by a formally sovereign state controlled by white latifundists
friendly to Great Britain. To realize this project, William Walker persuades the black slaves to fight for their liberation from slavery and for freedom.
José Dolores (Evaristo Márquez
) becomes the leader of the rebellion
, while white political leaders assassinate the governor and establish a provisional government. After the overthrow of the Portuguese regime
, British interests establish a corrupt puppet government, while Dolores is marginalized. While slavery had been formally ended and the former slaves in theory had rights, a legal and property system was established that forced them to continue to work in the sugar cane plantations in even worse conditions than before.
William Walker leaves the island after the revolution. He comes back to Queimada 10 years later, this time to destroy the black political movement he had helped create. José Dolores has taken Walker's ideas to heart and is now leading a rebel army
against the British puppet regime in Queimada. Walker is no longer working for the British government but for the Royal Sugar Company, which organizes its own army and manipulates Queimada politics
directly, including ordering the execution of one of its puppet presidents. After this, British troops land on the island, contributing artillery
and crack infantry for fighting the rebels. Their main strategy is setting fire to the forests and sugar-cane fields to draw out the rebels—a strategy that achieves its goal but also destroys the reason for Britain's interest in the island.
Eventually, the rebel army is defeated and Jose Dolores is captured. Dolores is offered his freedom in return for renouncing the rebellion. However, Dolores turns down this offer and is hanged, willingly sacrificing himself as a martyr. The movie ends when Walker is killed by a man in the street, seemingly as revenge for Dolores's death.
A clever framing device is used: When Walker debarks at the Queimada dock at the very start of the film, a young man (Jose Dolores) steps forward, asking "Your bag, senhor?" At the end of the film, when Walker is walking toward the ship that is to take him home, a young man resembling Dolores approaches, asking, "Your bag, Senhor?" stabbing Walker to death before he can reply.
who led a privately-backed invasion of Nicaragua
in the 1850s. He was overthrown when his government threatened the interests of railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt
. The chief protagonist's name and personality are an homage to this person, although they are of different nationalities.
Brando had the opportunity to have a role on Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
but chose instead to work on this film. He also had to turn down a major role in Ryan's Daughter
because of this film's production problems.
In his autobiography Brando claims, "I did some of my best acting in 'Burn!'".
, the film has an overall approval rating from critics of 82%. By comparison, its 2004 re-release was given an average score of 72, based on 4 reviews, by Metacritic
, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 top reviews from mainstream critics.
Gillo Pontecorvo
Gillo Pontecorvo was an Italian filmmaker. He worked as a film director for more than a decade before his best known film La battaglia di Algeri was released...
; starring Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando, Jr. was an American movie star and political activist. "Unchallenged as the most important actor in modern American Cinema" according to the St...
. The plot is loosely based on events in the history of Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe is an archipelago located in the Leeward Islands, in the Lesser Antilles, with a land area of 1,628 square kilometres and a population of 400,000. It is the first overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. As with the other overseas departments, Guadeloupe...
.
The main character is named after William Walker, the famous American filibuster
Filibuster (military)
A filibuster, or freebooter, is someone who engages in an unauthorized military expedition into a foreign country to foment or support a revolution...
. While based on issues that Walker symbolically represented, the film is not based on the life of Walker.
Plot
Sir William Walker (Marlon Brando), is an agent provocateurAgent provocateur
Traditionally, an agent provocateur is a person employed by the police or other entity to act undercover to entice or provoke another person to commit an illegal act...
sent to the island
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
of Queimada, a fictional Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
colony
Colony
In politics and history, a colony is a territory under the immediate political control of a state. For colonies in antiquity, city-states would often found their own colonies. Some colonies were historically countries, while others were territories without definite statehood from their inception....
in the Lesser Antilles
Lesser Antilles
The Lesser Antilles are a long, partly volcanic island arc in the Western Hemisphere. Most of its islands form the eastern boundary of the Caribbean Sea with the Atlantic Ocean, with the remainder located in the southern Caribbean just north of South America...
island group in the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
. The film was originally set on a Spanish island called Quemada, meaning "burnt", but it was changed to Portuguese after the Spanish government found it insulting; however the language spoken in the film remained Spanish. Walker is sent to organize an uprising of black slaves to overthrow the Portuguese regime because Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
wants to get economic control of the island, because it is an important sugar cane producer.
The plan is to replace the Portuguese administration by a formally sovereign state controlled by white latifundists
Latifundia
Latifundia are pieces of property covering very large land areas. The latifundia of Roman history were great landed estates, specializing in agriculture destined for export: grain, olive oil, or wine...
friendly to Great Britain. To realize this project, William Walker persuades the black slaves to fight for their liberation from slavery and for freedom.
José Dolores (Evaristo Márquez
Evaristo Márquez
Evaristo Márquez , is a Colombian actor of African descent, known for his rol as José Doloresin the film Burn!, with Marlon Brando and directed by Gillo Pontecorvo....
) becomes the leader of the rebellion
Rebellion
Rebellion, uprising or insurrection, is a refusal of obedience or order. It may, therefore, be seen as encompassing a range of behaviors aimed at destroying or replacing an established authority such as a government or a head of state...
, while white political leaders assassinate the governor and establish a provisional government. After the overthrow of the Portuguese regime
Regime
The word regime refers to a set of conditions, most often of a political nature.-Politics:...
, British interests establish a corrupt puppet government, while Dolores is marginalized. While slavery had been formally ended and the former slaves in theory had rights, a legal and property system was established that forced them to continue to work in the sugar cane plantations in even worse conditions than before.
William Walker leaves the island after the revolution. He comes back to Queimada 10 years later, this time to destroy the black political movement he had helped create. José Dolores has taken Walker's ideas to heart and is now leading a rebel army
Army
An army An army An army (from Latin arma "arms, weapons" via Old French armée, "armed" (feminine), in the broadest sense, is the land-based military of a nation or state. It may also include other branches of the military such as the air force via means of aviation corps...
against the British puppet regime in Queimada. Walker is no longer working for the British government but for the Royal Sugar Company, which organizes its own army and manipulates Queimada politics
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
directly, including ordering the execution of one of its puppet presidents. After this, British troops land on the island, contributing artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
and crack infantry for fighting the rebels. Their main strategy is setting fire to the forests and sugar-cane fields to draw out the rebels—a strategy that achieves its goal but also destroys the reason for Britain's interest in the island.
Eventually, the rebel army is defeated and Jose Dolores is captured. Dolores is offered his freedom in return for renouncing the rebellion. However, Dolores turns down this offer and is hanged, willingly sacrificing himself as a martyr. The movie ends when Walker is killed by a man in the street, seemingly as revenge for Dolores's death.
A clever framing device is used: When Walker debarks at the Queimada dock at the very start of the film, a young man (Jose Dolores) steps forward, asking "Your bag, senhor?" At the end of the film, when Walker is walking toward the ship that is to take him home, a young man resembling Dolores approaches, asking, "Your bag, Senhor?" stabbing Walker to death before he can reply.
Theme
William Walker was the name of a famous American filibusterFilibuster (military)
A filibuster, or freebooter, is someone who engages in an unauthorized military expedition into a foreign country to foment or support a revolution...
who led a privately-backed invasion of Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
in the 1850s. He was overthrown when his government threatened the interests of railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt
Cornelius Vanderbilt
Cornelius Vanderbilt , also known by the sobriquet Commodore, was an American entrepreneur who built his wealth in shipping and railroads. He was also the patriarch of the Vanderbilt family and one of the richest Americans in history...
. The chief protagonist's name and personality are an homage to this person, although they are of different nationalities.
Brando had the opportunity to have a role on Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is a 1969 American Western film directed by George Roy Hill and written by William Goldman...
but chose instead to work on this film. He also had to turn down a major role in Ryan's Daughter
Ryan's Daughter
Ryan's Daughter is a 1970 film directed by David Lean. The film, set in 1916, tells the story of a married Irish woman who has an affair with a British officer during World War I, despite opposition from her nationalist neighbours...
because of this film's production problems.
In his autobiography Brando claims, "I did some of my best acting in 'Burn!'".
Criticism
The original script referred to a Spanish colony. The Spanish government of Francisco Franco successfully pressured the producers to alter the script, so that the setting was changed to a colony of Portugal. Names in the film, however, remained Spanish. This is used as a criticism of the film, because it can be seen as an example of ethnic and language stereotypes in which the Portuguese language and culture are regarded as being relatively the same as those of the Spanish. In real life the British and Portuguese are long-standing allies, and it is extremely unlikely that the British would have attempted to overthrow a Portuguese colony.Critical response
The film received critical acclaim in the U.S. and abroad. Based on 11 reviews collected by Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
, the film has an overall approval rating from critics of 82%. By comparison, its 2004 re-release was given an average score of 72, based on 4 reviews, by Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 top reviews from mainstream critics.
External links
- Detailed review at Film Comment by Amy Taubin
- The Ecology of Destruction by John Bellamy Foster