11 Jan 2023 Garand Picture of the Day

[Mark in Rochester]

Coincidence? Yesterday the movie Objective Burma (45) was on TCM here, the movie had a scene that dealt with purifying their water. As good as the movie was for Errol Flynn fans it was not without it's fault's. A few decades ago I became aware of one of the controversies that ended with the movie being pulled from viewing in Britain and the Colonies, best described here as found in Wikipedia.

"Even though it was based on the exploits of Merrill's Marauders, Objective Burma was withdrawn from release in the United Kingdom after it infuriated the British public. Prime Minister Winston Churchill protested the Americanization of the huge and almost entirely British, Indian, and Commonwealth conflict ('1 million men')."

"Objective, Burma! London 1945 premiere was remarkable: At a line in the script, (by an American, to the effect) "We should head north, I hear there might be a few brits somewhere over there" - The entire (English) audience walked out in outrage. It got a second release in the United Kingdom in 1952 when it was shown with an accompanying apology. The movie was also banned in Singapore although it was seen in Burma and India."

Members of Merrill's Marauders, who were on location as technical advisers, critiqued the fact that Nelson's men killed all the Japanese at the radar station so quickly with none wounded or escaped. That was likely by design because any of the defenders left alive would have to be executed by the special ops troops, something that 1945 audiences would have found objectionable for American troops to do.