NR | 1h 40m | Adventure, Drama, War | 1954
Burma, 1945. Squadron Leader Bill Forrester (Gregory Peck) is having yet another disturbed night of semi-sleep. His head turns violently back and forth as his sweat-laden body twitches in existential agony.
Suddenly, the loud sounds of bombs dropping make him bolt upright and his bulging eyes stare towards the heavens. He leaps out of his cot and strides out onto a moonlit airfield. There, he finds his mechanic, Sgt. Ralph Brown, sleeping soundly next to a 2-seat de Havilland Mosquito fighter-bomber aircraft. “Ralph! Why isn’t this plane ready to fly?” Forrester yells at Sgt. Brown as he snatches him up by his uniform’s lapel.
Seemingly on automatic pilot, Forrester proceeds to try and get the plane ready for action as the sounds of bombs dropping and exploding continue. That is until Brown has finally had enough and slaps Forrester hard enough to snap him out of his waking nightmare.
“Sorry, sir. Are you all right? Everything’s okay, sir. There’s no bombing,” Brown says gently. Then, his eyes narrow with concern. “Are you sure you’re feeling alright?”
After his wife was killed during the bombing of London, Forrester has tuned into a self-destructive Canadian Royal Air Force (CRAF) pilot stationed with England’s Royal Air Force (RAF) in Burma.
The day after his latest nightmare, Forrester is already flying his next mission with other Mosquito fighter-bomber pilots. Suddenly, anti-air gun flak begins to burst all around them. While the flight squad’s commander, Group Captain Aldridge (Anthony Bushell), orders the planes to rise in altitude in order to avoid the flak, Forrester begins descending towards the flak guns. In his reckless attempt to take out the guns, Forrester’s co-pilot is wounded by the flak, and when they land, the latter seeks an immediate transfer out of the unit.
On the Edge of Sanity
During his conversation with Dr. Harris, Aldridge tells the good doctor that everyone on base believes Forrester has gone “round the bend.” “Look, doc, I know he volunteered for this show, and I know he’s a good man … but I’m going to have to get rid of him,” Aldridge tells him. But Dr. Harris sticks up for Forrester and hatches a plan to try a unique form of therapy on the troubled pilot.Dr. Harris takes Forrester to a Christian Mission run by a slightly kooky woman named Miss McNab (Brenda de Banzie). There, Forester meets Anna (Win Min Than), a beautiful young Burmese woman who seems very fond of him. He, in turn, admires her and the rest of the missionary folks since they not only rescued many refugees from Rangoon, but also now care for them by providing medical aid, food, clothes, and shelter.
But just as Forrester and Anna become attracted to each other, one night, while they are singing Easter hymns, the sounds of bombers are heard with the rumble of their powerful engines is getting louder and louder. Soon, bombs will begin dropping, only this time Japanese ones instead of German. Will tragedy strike again for Forrester?
Realism at Its Best
First of all, the attention to detail that the filmmakers used in making the sets and wardrobes in the movie look wonderfully realistic. Director Parrish takes his time with many of the scenes, letting us take them in more fully. From the cramped interiors of the air base tents where the men live, to the sweat-drenched uniforms they haphazardly wear, everything looks lived in and real.This isn’t just a story about a person trying to get out of a dark place with the help and kindness of others; it also features some harrowing action scenes, adventuring in exotic locales, and a tender love story to boot. “The Purple Plain” is a rousing cinematic experience, indeed.
