The Long and the Short and the Tall
Encyclopedia
The Long and the Short and the Tall is a 1961
film
directed by Leslie Norman
and stars Laurence Harvey
, Richard Todd
, Richard Harris
, David McCallum
, John Meillon
, John Rees
, Ronald Fraser
and Kenji Takaki. The film takes place in a Burmese jungle in 1942 during the World War II
Malayan Campaign. Laurence Harvey took the role originally taken by Peter O'Toole
in the stage production as it was thought that he had more box office drawing power.
The name comes from the second line of the popular World War II song "Bless 'Em All
." In the U.S. the film was retitled Jungle Fighters and released through Continental Film Distributors.
beds down in a dilapidated store-hut in the Burmese jungle. Tension rises as Private Sam Whitaker fails to repair the malfunctioning radio, the rest of the men cannot guess whether or when to move on. The plot thickens when a lone Japanese
scout stumbles across the hut and his fate becomes the squad's second dilemma. Sergeant
Mitchem, the man in command of the Patrol wants to take the prisoner back to headquarters
for interrogation
but as they try to decide his fate, tempers flare amid the high tension as the men begin to fall out among themselves. The incompetent Sergeant Mitchem clashes with his contemptuous second in command Corporal
Johnstone and struggles to maintain discipline amongst his mutinous young charges. Chief culprit is the gruff Cockney
Private
Bamforth, a man who dislikes both authority and the army but gradually becomes the conscience of the platoon.
This unlikely group of people encounter an ethical situation, upon the capture a lone Japanese soldier who later becomes a prisoner of war. It explores war related issues about the treatment of Prisoners of War, and the justification of killing a man just because he has been labelled an 'enemy'.
1961 in film
The year 1961 in film involved some significant events, with West Side Story winning 10 Academy Awards.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :Academy Awards:* Atlantis, the Lost ContinentB...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
directed by Leslie Norman
Les Norman
Leslie A. Norman was a British director and producer. His career spanned nearly fifty years, from 1930 until 1978, and in that time he tried his hand at many different jobs, including editor, producer, and writer...
and stars Laurence Harvey
Laurence Harvey
Laurence Harvey was a Lithuanian-born actor who achieved fame in British and American films.- Early life :Harvey maintained throughout his life that his birth name was Laruschka Mischa Skikne. However, his legal name was Zvi Mosheh Skikne. He was the youngest of three boys born to Ber "Boris" and...
, Richard Todd
Richard Todd
Richard Todd OBE was an Irish-born British stage and film actor and soldier.-Early life:Richard Todd was born as Richard Andrew Palethorpe-Todd in Dublin, Ireland. His father, Andrew William Palethorpe Todd, was an Irish physician and an international Irish rugby player who gained three caps for...
, Richard Harris
Richard Harris
Richard St John Harris was an Irish actor, singer-songwriter, theatrical producer, film director and writer....
, David McCallum
David McCallum
David Keith McCallum, Jr. is a Scottish actor and musician. He is best known for his roles as Illya Kuryakin, a Russian-born secret agent, in the 1960s television series The Man from U.N.C.L.E., as interdimensional operative Steel in Sapphire & Steel, and Dr...
, John Meillon
John Meillon
John Meillon was an Australian actor, most widely known outside Australia for his role as Walter Reilly in the films "Crocodile" Dundee and "Crocodile" Dundee II. He also voiced Victoria Bitter beer commercials until his death.-Biography:Meillon was born in Mosman, Sydney...
, John Rees
John Rees
John Rees may refer to:*John Rees , British political activist *John Rees , American journalist*Conway Rees, John Conway Rees, Welsh rugby union international...
, Ronald Fraser
Ronald Fraser
Ronald Fraser was an English character actor, who appeared in numerous British films of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s whilst also appearing in many popular TV shows.-Background:...
and Kenji Takaki. The film takes place in a Burmese jungle in 1942 during the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Malayan Campaign. Laurence Harvey took the role originally taken by Peter O'Toole
Peter O'Toole
Peter Seamus Lorcan O'Toole is an Irish actor of stage and screen. O'Toole achieved stardom in 1962 playing T. E. Lawrence in Lawrence of Arabia, and then went on to become a highly-honoured film and stage actor. He has been nominated for eight Academy Awards, and holds the record for most...
in the stage production as it was thought that he had more box office drawing power.
The name comes from the second line of the popular World War II song "Bless 'Em All
Bless 'Em All
"Bless 'Em All" is a war song credited to have been written by Fred Godfrey in 1917 and first recorded by George Formby, Jr...
." In the U.S. the film was retitled Jungle Fighters and released through Continental Film Distributors.
Plot
During the Japanese invasion of Burma in 1942, a seven-strong British sonic warfare patrolPatrol
A patrol is commonly a group of personnel, such as police officers or soldiers, that are assigned to monitor a specific geographic area.- Military :...
beds down in a dilapidated store-hut in the Burmese jungle. Tension rises as Private Sam Whitaker fails to repair the malfunctioning radio, the rest of the men cannot guess whether or when to move on. The plot thickens when a lone Japanese
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
scout stumbles across the hut and his fate becomes the squad's second dilemma. Sergeant
Sergeant
Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
Mitchem, the man in command of the Patrol wants to take the prisoner back to headquarters
Headquarters
Headquarters denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the top of a corporation taking full responsibility managing all business activities...
for interrogation
Interrogation
Interrogation is interviewing as commonly employed by officers of the police, military, and Intelligence agencies with the goal of extracting a confession or obtaining information. Subjects of interrogation are often the suspects, victims, or witnesses of a crime...
but as they try to decide his fate, tempers flare amid the high tension as the men begin to fall out among themselves. The incompetent Sergeant Mitchem clashes with his contemptuous second in command Corporal
Corporal
Corporal is a rank in use in some form by most militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. It is usually equivalent to NATO Rank Code OR-4....
Johnstone and struggles to maintain discipline amongst his mutinous young charges. Chief culprit is the gruff Cockney
Cockney
The term Cockney has both geographical and linguistic associations. Geographically and culturally, it often refers to working class Londoners, particularly those in the East End...
Private
Private (rank)
A Private is a soldier of the lowest military rank .In modern military parlance, 'Private' is shortened to 'Pte' in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries and to 'Pvt.' in the United States.Notably both Sir Fitzroy MacLean and Enoch Powell are examples of, rare, rapid career...
Bamforth, a man who dislikes both authority and the army but gradually becomes the conscience of the platoon.
Synopsis
The name The Long And The Short And The Tall is used as a suggestion of inherent differences in the main characters, with their only shared trait being their membership of the patrol and their stationing in the Burmese Peninsula. The play addresses the issue of British public perception of the Japanese after the conclusion of World War II.This unlikely group of people encounter an ethical situation, upon the capture a lone Japanese soldier who later becomes a prisoner of war. It explores war related issues about the treatment of Prisoners of War, and the justification of killing a man just because he has been labelled an 'enemy'.
Cast
- SergeantSergeantSergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
R. "Mitch" Mitchem (Richard ToddRichard ToddRichard Todd OBE was an Irish-born British stage and film actor and soldier.-Early life:Richard Todd was born as Richard Andrew Palethorpe-Todd in Dublin, Ireland. His father, Andrew William Palethorpe Todd, was an Irish physician and an international Irish rugby player who gained three caps for...
) - The leader of the patrol. He is a confident, tough and experienced soldier. He had led a patrol into the jungle previously but failed to bring them back alive and was Reduced in rank to corporal, but has recently been promoted again to sergeant. He is shot in the eyeHuman eyeThe human eye is an organ which reacts to light for several purposes. As a conscious sense organ, the eye allows vision. Rod and cone cells in the retina allow conscious light perception and vision including color differentiation and the perception of depth...
by a JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese riflemanRiflemanAlthough ultimately originating with the 16th century handgunners and the 17th century musketeers and streltsy, the term rifleman originated from the 18th century. It would later become the term for the archetypal common soldier.-History:...
. He struggles in painPainPain is an unpleasant sensation often caused by intense or damaging stimuli such as stubbing a toe, burning a finger, putting iodine on a cut, and bumping the "funny bone."...
for a few moments, but dies shortly after.
- CorporalCorporalCorporal is a rank in use in some form by most militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. It is usually equivalent to NATO Rank Code OR-4....
Edward "Johnno" Johnstone (Richard HarrisRichard HarrisRichard St John Harris was an Irish actor, singer-songwriter, theatrical producer, film director and writer....
) - The Second-in-commandSecond-in-commandThe Second-in-Command is the deputy commander of any British Army or Royal Marines unit, from battalion or regiment downwards. He or she is thus the equivalent of an Executive Officer in the United States Army...
of the patrol. As tough and experienced as Mitchem, but is a lot and more cautious and far less relaxed. He is hit in the arm by a piece of shrapnel from a Japanese Type 91 GrenadeType 91 GrenadeThe was an improved version of the Type 10 fragmentation hand grenade/rifle grenade of the Imperial Japanese Army. Although superseded as a hand-thrown weapon by the Type 97 by the start of World War II it was still used by units in the Second Sino-Japanese War and by reserve forces, as well as...
. He surrendersSurrender (military)Surrender is when soldiers, nations or other combatants stop fighting and eventually become prisoners of war, either as individuals or when ordered to by their officers. A white flag is a common symbol of surrender, as is the gesture of raising one's hands empty and open above one's head.When the...
to the Japanese.
- Lance-Corporal A.J "Mac" Macleish (Ronald FraserRonald FraserRonald Fraser was an English character actor, who appeared in numerous British films of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s whilst also appearing in many popular TV shows.-Background:...
) - A ScotsmanScottish peopleThe Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
, who has been recently PromotedPromotion (rank)A promotion is the advancement of an employee's rank or position in an organizational hierarchy system. Promotion may be an employee's reward for good performance i.e. positive appraisal...
to Lance-Corporal, but has no more combat experience than the rest of the privates (All of whom have had no combat experience what-so-ever). He is later killed by a Japanese sniperSniperA sniper is a marksman who shoots targets from concealed positions or distances exceeding the capabilities of regular personnel. Snipers typically have specialized training and distinct high-precision rifles....
.
- PrivatePrivate (rank)A Private is a soldier of the lowest military rank .In modern military parlance, 'Private' is shortened to 'Pte' in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries and to 'Pvt.' in the United States.Notably both Sir Fitzroy MacLean and Enoch Powell are examples of, rare, rapid career...
C. "Bammo" Bamforth (Laurence HarveyLaurence HarveyLaurence Harvey was a Lithuanian-born actor who achieved fame in British and American films.- Early life :Harvey maintained throughout his life that his birth name was Laruschka Mischa Skikne. However, his legal name was Zvi Mosheh Skikne. He was the youngest of three boys born to Ber "Boris" and...
) - A Londoner, Has a good sense of humour, rebellious and hates authority. He is a classic Barrack-room lawyer. He often exploits the Stereotypes of his comrades' simply for his own amusement. He has a colossal hatred for Corporal Johnstone, which he openly displays, and appears to share a love/hate relationship with Private Evans. He dislikes Corporal Macleish simply because of his nationality. He is crushed by a rockslideRockslideA rockslide is a type of landslide caused by rock failure in which part of the plane of failure passes through intact rock and where material collapses en masse and not in individual blocks.The mode of failure is different from that of a rock-fall....
, triggered by shooting an explosive object whilst firing at the Japanese.
- Private Samuel "Sammy" Whitaker (David McCallumDavid McCallumDavid Keith McCallum, Jr. is a Scottish actor and musician. He is best known for his roles as Illya Kuryakin, a Russian-born secret agent, in the 1960s television series The Man from U.N.C.L.E., as interdimensional operative Steel in Sapphire & Steel, and Dr...
) - A GeordieGeordieGeordie is a regional nickname for a person from the Tyneside region of the north east of England, or the name of the English-language dialect spoken by its inhabitants...
, He is the youngest member of the patrol, manning the patrols radioRadioRadio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
, who appears to be constantly nervous. He rarely gets involved in any of the conversations amongst his fellow privates, though he seems to have more respect for Private Smith than anybody else. He often keeps to himself. He is later captured by a Japanese patrol. All references to his homosexuality in the playThe Long and the Short and the Tall (play)The Long and the Short and the Tall is a play written by British playwright Willis Hall. Set in World War II, the play premiered at the Royal Court Theatre in London in January 1959; it was directed by Lindsay Anderson and starred Peter O'Toole and Robert Shaw. It was Anderson's first major...
were removed from this film.
- Private P. "Smudge" Smith (John MeillonJohn MeillonJohn Meillon was an Australian actor, most widely known outside Australia for his role as Walter Reilly in the films "Crocodile" Dundee and "Crocodile" Dundee II. He also voiced Victoria Bitter beer commercials until his death.-Biography:Meillon was born in Mosman, Sydney...
) - A northerner. A quiet, family man. He has a wittyHumourHumour or humor is the tendency of particular cognitive experiences to provoke laughter and provide amusement...
personality, often making jocular remarks. He is killed by the same Type 91 GrenadeType 91 GrenadeThe was an improved version of the Type 10 fragmentation hand grenade/rifle grenade of the Imperial Japanese Army. Although superseded as a hand-thrown weapon by the Type 97 by the start of World War II it was still used by units in the Second Sino-Japanese War and by reserve forces, as well as...
that woundWoundA wound is a type of injury in which skin is torn, cut or punctured , or where blunt force trauma causes a contusion . In pathology, it specifically refers to a sharp injury which damages the dermis of the skin.-Open:...
ed Corporal Johnstone.
- Private T.E "Taff" Evans (John ReesJohn ReesJohn Rees may refer to:*John Rees , British political activist *John Rees , American journalist*Conway Rees, John Conway Rees, Welsh rugby union international...
) - A welshmanWelsh peopleThe Welsh people are an ethnic group and nation associated with Wales and the Welsh language.John Davies argues that the origin of the "Welsh nation" can be traced to the late 4th and early 5th centuries, following the Roman departure from Britain, although Brythonic Celtic languages seem to have...
, PolitePolitenessPoliteness is best expressed as the practical application of good manners or etiquette. It is a culturally-defined phenomenon, and therefore what is considered polite in one culture can sometimes be quite rude or simply eccentric in another cultural context....
, Pleasant, calm and easy going. He is killed by the same sniperSniperA sniper is a marksman who shoots targets from concealed positions or distances exceeding the capabilities of regular personnel. Snipers typically have specialized training and distinct high-precision rifles....
that killed Lance-Corporal Macleish.
- Japanese Soldier "Tojo" (Kenji Takaki) - The Japanese soldier that stumbles upon the patrol. Although he hardly speaks throughout the whole film, he still plays a major role. He is gunned down by Private Whitaker towards the end of the film (Whitaker believed "Tojo" to be attacking him, despite the fact he was just trying to offer crucial advice. After repeated warnings to back away, Whitaker shot him.) Although stage bullets were used during filming, Takaki was blinded in one eye during the stunt which went disastrously wrong.