The Purple Plain
Encyclopedia
The Purple Plain is a 1954 British war film, directed by Robert Parrish
, with Gregory Peck
playing a Canadian pilot serving in the Royal Air Force
in Burma in the closing months of the World War II
, who is battling with depression after having lost his wife. It was nominated for two BAFTA awards.
), a Canadian
pilot serving in the Royal Air Force in Burma, who flies a Mosquito
, a two seat, fighter bomber. Forrester is emotionally distraught after losing his new wife in the ‘’Blitz
’’ in London
and has become self destructive, seeking to end his life in action. "You'd think that would be easy in a war", he explains to a Burmese woman, Anna, "but I just kept getting medals instead." With Anna's support, Bill begins to recover his emotional stability.
Forrester and his navigator, Carrington (Lyndon Brook
), on a routine non-combat flight to Myitkyina
, with Flight Lieutenant
Blore (Maurice Denham
) as passenger in the Mosquito's bomb bay, is forced to go down in a remote desert area of Burma's central plain. When the three men struggle to survive in the hostile environment, the self destructive Bill finally realises that he can depend on support from others and that he may have someone to live for. Blore, however, abandons them and commits suicide.
, one of three novels he wrote after his travels to Burma and India in 1945, on military assignment to write short pieces portraying the Burmese war for American readers. The novel was first serialised in the Saturday Evening Post in September and October 1947. The film script was written by novelist Eric Ambler
in consultation with Bates.
The film was produced with a relatively modest budget by Two Cities Films
and was directed by the American director Robert Parrish
and colour photography was by Geoffrey Unsworth
. The film was shot in Sigiriya
, in what was then Ceylon (now Sri Lanka
), and utilised several locations later used in Bridge on the River Kwai. The aircraft in the film were repainted in accurate camouflage and markings, and were provided through the cooperation of the Royal Air Force, which also provided several staff on-site during the filming. Some of these are credited as extras.
Anna is played by Win Min Than, who was born Helga Johnson, the wife of Burmese politician and businessman Bo Setkya (1916-1969; aka Thakin Aung Than, Bo Set Kya or Set-kya), in her only film role. Her father was Australian and her mother Burmese. In 1964 she shaved her head and became a Buddhist nun in Rangoon
, adopting the name Daw Wanthalamar. Her husband had fled the country, went underground, and had not been heard of since General Ne Win
had taken over the county in March 1962. She left the convent a year later and went into business selling gourds. Both Bo Set Kya and Ne Win were members of the Thirty Comrades
.
The Purple Plain was successful at the box office and was ultimately nominated in the category of ‘’Best British film’’ of 1954 at the 8th British Academy Film Awards
, while actor Maurice Denham
was nominated for the award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his performance as Blore.
Robert Parrish
Robert R. Parrish was an American actor, film editor, film director, and writer. He received an Academy Award for Film Editing for the 1947 film, Body and Soul....
, with Gregory Peck
Gregory Peck
Eldred Gregory Peck was an American actor.One of 20th Century Fox's most popular film stars from the 1940s to the 1960s, Peck continued to play important roles well into the 1980s. His notable performances include that of Atticus Finch in the 1962 film To Kill a Mockingbird, for which he won an...
playing a Canadian pilot serving in the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
in Burma in the closing months of 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...
, who is battling with depression after having lost his wife. It was nominated for two BAFTA awards.
Plot
The protagonist is Bill Forrester (Gregory PeckGregory Peck
Eldred Gregory Peck was an American actor.One of 20th Century Fox's most popular film stars from the 1940s to the 1960s, Peck continued to play important roles well into the 1980s. His notable performances include that of Atticus Finch in the 1962 film To Kill a Mockingbird, for which he won an...
), a Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
pilot serving in the Royal Air Force in Burma, who flies a Mosquito
De Havilland Mosquito
The de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito was a British multi-role combat aircraft that served during the Second World War and the postwar era. It was known affectionately as the "Mossie" to its crews and was also nicknamed "The Wooden Wonder"...
, a two seat, fighter bomber. Forrester is emotionally distraught after losing his new wife in the ‘’Blitz
The Blitz
The Blitz was the sustained strategic bombing of Britain by Nazi Germany between 7 September 1940 and 10 May 1941, during the Second World War. The city of London was bombed by the Luftwaffe for 76 consecutive nights and many towns and cities across the country followed...
’’ in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and has become self destructive, seeking to end his life in action. "You'd think that would be easy in a war", he explains to a Burmese woman, Anna, "but I just kept getting medals instead." With Anna's support, Bill begins to recover his emotional stability.
Forrester and his navigator, Carrington (Lyndon Brook
Lyndon Brook
Lyndon Brook was a British actor, on film and television.Born in York, Brook came from an established acting family. His father, Clive Brook, had been a star of the silent movies and had moved to Hollywood to play quintessential Englishmen in a host of films...
), on a routine non-combat flight to Myitkyina
Myitkyina
Myitkyina is the capital city of Kachin State in Myanmar , located from Yangon, and from Mandalay. In Burmese it means "near the big river", and in fact "Myitkyina" lies on the west bank of the Ayeyarwady River, just below from Myit-son of its two headstreams...
, with Flight Lieutenant
Flight Lieutenant
Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many Commonwealth countries. It ranks above flying officer and immediately below squadron leader. The name of the rank is the complete phrase; it is never shortened to "lieutenant"...
Blore (Maurice Denham
Maurice Denham
Maurice Denham OBE was an English character actor who appeared in over 100 television programmes and films throughout his long career.-Life and career:...
) as passenger in the Mosquito's bomb bay, is forced to go down in a remote desert area of Burma's central plain. When the three men struggle to survive in the hostile environment, the self destructive Bill finally realises that he can depend on support from others and that he may have someone to live for. Blore, however, abandons them and commits suicide.
Production
The Purple Plain is regarded generally historically accurate with good production values and attention to detail, and depicts the native Burmese in a respectful manner. The film is based on the 1947 novel The Purple Plain by H. E. BatesH. E. Bates
Herbert Ernest Bates, CBE , better known as H. E. Bates, was an English writer and author. His best-known works include Love for Lydia, The Darling Buds of May, and My Uncle Silas.-Early life:...
, one of three novels he wrote after his travels to Burma and India in 1945, on military assignment to write short pieces portraying the Burmese war for American readers. The novel was first serialised in the Saturday Evening Post in September and October 1947. The film script was written by novelist Eric Ambler
Eric Ambler
Eric Clifford Ambler OBE was an influential British author of spy novels who introduced a new realism to the genre. Ambler also used the pseudonym Eliot Reed for books co-written with Charles Rodda.-Life:...
in consultation with Bates.
The film was produced with a relatively modest budget by Two Cities Films
Two Cities Films
Two Cities Films was a British film production company. Formed in 1937, it was originally envisaged as a production company operating in the two cities of London and Rome which gave the company its name....
and was directed by the American director Robert Parrish
Robert Parrish
Robert R. Parrish was an American actor, film editor, film director, and writer. He received an Academy Award for Film Editing for the 1947 film, Body and Soul....
and colour photography was by Geoffrey Unsworth
Geoffrey Unsworth
Geoffrey Unsworth OBE, BSC was a British cinematographer who worked on nearly 90 feature films spanning over more than 40 years....
. The film was shot in Sigiriya
Sigiriya
Sigiriya is a large stone and ancient rock fortress and palace ruin in the central Matale District of Sri Lanka, surrounded by the remains of an extensive network of gardens, reservoirs, and other structures...
, in what was then Ceylon (now Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
), and utilised several locations later used in Bridge on the River Kwai. The aircraft in the film were repainted in accurate camouflage and markings, and were provided through the cooperation of the Royal Air Force, which also provided several staff on-site during the filming. Some of these are credited as extras.
Anna is played by Win Min Than, who was born Helga Johnson, the wife of Burmese politician and businessman Bo Setkya (1916-1969; aka Thakin Aung Than, Bo Set Kya or Set-kya), in her only film role. Her father was Australian and her mother Burmese. In 1964 she shaved her head and became a Buddhist nun in Rangoon
Yangon
Yangon is a former capital of Burma and the capital of Yangon Region . Although the military government has officially relocated the capital to Naypyidaw since March 2006, Yangon, with a population of over four million, continues to be the country's largest city and the most important commercial...
, adopting the name Daw Wanthalamar. Her husband had fled the country, went underground, and had not been heard of since General Ne Win
Ne Win
Ne Win was Burmese a politician and military commander. He was Prime Minister of Burma from 1958 to 1960 and 1962 to 1974 and also head of state from 1962 to 1981...
had taken over the county in March 1962. She left the convent a year later and went into business selling gourds. Both Bo Set Kya and Ne Win were members of the Thirty Comrades
Thirty Comrades
The Thirty Comrades constituted the embryo of the modern Burmese army called the Burma Independence Army which was formed to fight for independence from Britain...
.
The Purple Plain was successful at the box office and was ultimately nominated in the category of ‘’Best British film’’ of 1954 at the 8th British Academy Film Awards
British Academy Film Awards
The British Academy Film Awards are presented in an annual award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts . It is the British counterpart of the Oscars. As of 2008, it has taken place in the Royal Opera House, having taken over from the flagship Odeon cinema on Leicester Square...
, while actor Maurice Denham
Maurice Denham
Maurice Denham OBE was an English character actor who appeared in over 100 television programmes and films throughout his long career.-Life and career:...
was nominated for the award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his performance as Blore.
Cast
- Gregory PeckGregory PeckEldred Gregory Peck was an American actor.One of 20th Century Fox's most popular film stars from the 1940s to the 1960s, Peck continued to play important roles well into the 1980s. His notable performances include that of Atticus Finch in the 1962 film To Kill a Mockingbird, for which he won an...
- Squadron Leader Bill Forrester - Win Min Than - Anna
- Maurice DenhamMaurice DenhamMaurice Denham OBE was an English character actor who appeared in over 100 television programmes and films throughout his long career.-Life and career:...
- Flight Lieutenant Blore - Lyndon BrookLyndon BrookLyndon Brook was a British actor, on film and television.Born in York, Brook came from an established acting family. His father, Clive Brook, had been a star of the silent movies and had moved to Hollywood to play quintessential Englishmen in a host of films...
- Flying Officer Carrington (navigator) - Brenda De BanzieBrenda De BanzieBrenda D. M. De Banzie was a British actress of stage and screen.She was the daughter of Edward De Banzie and his second wife Dorothy, whom he married in 1908. In 1911, the family lived in Salford....
- Miss McNab - Bernard LeeBernard LeeJohn Bernard Lee was an English actor, best known for his role as M in the first eleven James Bond films.-Life and career:...
- Dr. Harris - Anthony BushellAnthony BushellAnthony Bushell was an English film actor and director, who appeared in 56 films between 1929 and 1961. He also appeared on and directed various British TV series such as Danger Man.-Early life:...
- Wing Commander Aldridge - Josephine Griffin - Mrs. Forrester
- Ram GopalRam Gopal (dancer)Bissano Ram Gopal OBE was an Indian dancer who performed and toured extensively throughout his lengthy career. The Polish critic Tadeus Zelinski called him "the Nijinsky of India"....
- Mr. Phang - Dorothy AlisonDorothy AlisonDorothy Alison was an Australian stage, film and television actress.She was born in Broken Hill, New South Wales, Australia, and was educated at Sydney Girls High School. She moved to London, England in 1949 to further her career...
- Nurse - Peter ArnePeter ArnePeter Arne was a British character actor best known for various performances in British film and television, including supporting roles in the television series The Avengers, Danger Man, as well as villains in Blake Edwards' Pink Panther series, in a career that spanned 40 years...
- Flight Lieutenant - Jack McNaughton - Sergeant Brown
- Lane Meddick - Radio Operator
- Harold SiddonsHarold SiddonsHarold Siddons was a British film and television actor, appearing in Genevieve, The Dam Busters, Appointment in London, They Who Dare, The Purple Plain, Quatermass and the Pit, A Night To Remember and The Wrong Arm of the Law...
- Navigator Williams - John A. Tinn - Burmese Jeweler
Literary source
- Bates, H. E.H. E. BatesHerbert Ernest Bates, CBE , better known as H. E. Bates, was an English writer and author. His best-known works include Love for Lydia, The Darling Buds of May, and My Uncle Silas.-Early life:...
. The Purple Plain. London: Michael Joseph (publisher). 1947. ISBN 978-0745169347.
External links
- H.E. Bates Companion: The Purple Plain, article about the novel, retrieved 2011-09-02