The Purple Plain

Director: Robert Parrish Robert Parrish

Overview

An Eric Ambler novel was the source for this psychological wartime drama set in Burma. Canadian pilot Gregory Peck and two comrades-in-arms crash in the Burmese wilds. The three men are forced to hack and crawl their way to safety, surrounded on all sides by the Japanese.

Product Details

Release Date:	10/14/2014
UPC:	0883904304500
Original Release:	1954
Rating:	NR
Source:	Mgm Mod
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo]
Language:	English
Time:	1:42:00
Sales rank:	33,053

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Gregory Peck	Forrester
Win Min Than	Anna
Bernard Lee	Dr. Harris
Ram Gopal	Mr. Phang
Maurice Denham	Blore
Brenda de Banzie	Miss McNab
Lyndon Brook	Carrington
Anthony Bushell	Cmdr. Aldridge
Jack McNaughton	Sgt. Brown
Harold Siddons	Navigator Williams
Peter Arne	Flight Lieutenant
Mya Mya Spencer	Dorothy
Josephine Griffin	Mrs. Forrester
Lane Meddick	Radio Operator
John A. Tinn	Burmese Jeweler
Soo Ah Song	Old Woman
Dorothy Alison	Nurse
Kurt Christian	Actor

Technical Credits

Eric Ambler

H.E. Bates

Robert Parrish	Director
Charles Staffel	Special Effects
Bill Warrington	Special Effects
Eric Ambler	Screenwriter
H.E. Bates	Screenwriter
Earl St. John	Executive Producer
Eric Boyd-Perkins	Sound Effects
Gordon K. McCallum	Sound Effects
John Bryan	Producer

Editorial Reviews

The Purple Plain is one of the best movies that you have probably never seen, so when it's on, make sure to grab it. A significant box office flop which has never really made the leap from obscurity, Plain is one of those films that once seen never leaves you -- and which makes you wonder how it is not more widely known and appreciated. Plain accomplishes something that very few films can do -- two things, actually, that very few films can do: it manages to be both a feature-length character study that reveals its character subtly rather than in a ham-fisted way, and it is a film that manages to maintain a definite literary "feel" while being undeniably and intuitively cinematic. Credit for this has to be spread around widely, but chiefly among four men: cinematographer Geoffrey Unsworth, scenarist Eric Ambler, star Gregory Peck and director Robert Parrish. Unsworth's contribution is stunning, not merely because he successfully captures evocative and stirring visuals but, more importantly, because he creates -- with the help of director Parrish -- visuals that are truly psychological and dramatic, advancing both the story and our understanding of the lead character in ways that amplify, enhance and -- frequently -- replace what we learn from his words. Those words, however, are well chosen by Ambler, whose ability to know when words are important and when they just get in the way is unparalleled here. Peck is astonishing, giving the sort of layered, intense yet nuanced performance that deserves major awards yet rarely receives it. And Parrish turns in work that is brilliant from start to finish, making you wonder why he rarely demonstrated such a command of the form in his other work. Plain is a startling yet quiet film that truly and deeply deserves the words "haunting" and "lyrical."