(aka 'Operation Burma')
Directed by
Raoul Walsh
USA 1945
This 1944 war film is a very pure, almost abstract statement of Raoul Walsh's themes and style, with Errol Flynn as the leader of an American platoon sent on a jungle mission against the Japanese. The problem, essentially, is to travel from point A to point B; the enemy remains all but unseen, and the journey becomes a test of endurance and personal drive. The film is long (142 minutes), claustrophobic, and intense, yet it works with elegance and rigor, like a philosophical problem stated and solved.
Excerpt from Dave Kehr's capsule at the Chicago Reader located HERE.
Flynn and a handful of his fellow paratroopers are dropped behind enemy lines into Burma's 'Jap-infested jungle', to destroy an enemy radio station. Their task accomplished, they find themselves without a way to get back when the Japanese overrun their arranged pick-up point. A highly effective, action-packed war film of the old guard, Objective Burma! was banned in Britain after its initial release for failing to mention Blighty's role in the campaign. Its anti-war message is somewhat diminished by the glory it attributes to its bunch of invincible paratroopers, but this is an exemplary, old-fashioned war movie for the boys.
Excerpt from Channel 4 located HERE
Posters
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Theatrical Release: January 26th, 1945
Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews
DVD Review: Warner - Region 1,2,3,4 - NTSC
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The individual title is unavailable in many locations but it is in the upcoming WWII three-pack including Objective, Burma! / Never So Few and Go for Broke at a ridiculously low price. We assume the image quality (and extras) will be the same as in the individual releases.
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| Distribution | Warner Home Video - Region 1,2,3,4 - NTSC |
| Runtime | 2:21:40 |
| Video | 1.33:1
Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 5.54 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s |
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NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes. |
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| Bitrate: |
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| Audio | English (Dolby Digital 2.0) |
| Subtitles | English, Spanish, French, None |
| Features |
Release Information: Edition Details: • Featurette:
The Rear Gunner |
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Firstly, this is an amazing film. Two similar works crossed my mind as I watched - Anthony Mann's Men in War and Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan (the latter steals from it in some respects). A propaganda film with a slight anti-war edge. The image is very strong. Typical of Warner's best transfers of films from this period - sharp with excellent grey scale contrast. Audio is clear, consistent and defined. There are optional subtitles. Extras include two featurettes - The Rear Gunner (20:27) with Burgess Meredith and Ron Reagan and a Technicolor flag-waver The Tanks are Coming (20:04). Both obvious propaganda shorts played prior to main features in the theatre. The single-disc version of this disc appears to no longer be available but a very reasonably priced three-pack by Warner is coming out with Objective, Burma! / Never So Few and Go for Broke - it is only over 2 discs, but I'll still assume the same transfers (and probably the same supplements). A great deal that we recommend sight unseen! |
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| DVD Box Cover |
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The individual title is unavailable in many locations but it is in the upcoming WWII three-pack including Objective, Burma! / Never So Few and Go for Broke at a ridiculously low price. We assume the image quality (and extras) will be the same as in the individual releases.
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| Distribution | Warner Home Video - Region 1,2,3,4 - NTSC |
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Gary Tooze
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Thank You!
