Burn!
by Gillo Pontecorvo
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Actor: Evaristo Márquez, Marlon Brando, Norman Hill, Renato Salvatori, Valeria Ferran WananiDirector: Gillo Pontecorvo
Brand: BRANDO,MARLON
Cinematographer: Giuseppe Ruzzolini
Cinematographer: Marcello Gatti
Writer: Gillo Pontecorvo
Editor: Mario Morra
Producer: Alberto Grimaldi
Writer: Franco Solinas
Writer: Giorgio Arlorio
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language); Portuguese (Original Language)
Format: Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.66:1
Running Time: 112 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-11-08
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
DVD Reviews of Burn!
DVD Review: flawed but viewable take on colonialism and imperialism.
Summary: 4 Stars
I see the main characters and setting of this film as purely symbolic. The island has a fictional name:Queimada, which refers to a once popular European spicy alcoholic drink. As part of its preparation, it underwent burning, which supposedly scared away evil spirits. This strongly relates to the film story. It is said to be a former Portuguese colony in the Caribbean. The Portuguese were once among the most ruthless colonialists, but they stayed clear of the Caribbean. Thus, the Portuguese connection is purely symbolic. Brando's character, William Walker, is the namesake for perhaps the most fanatical conquistador the US ever produced, whose ultimate ambition in his last years was to annex most of Central America, Cuba and maybe even more parts of Mexico, to be admitted as slave states, to bolster the flagging political power of the South in its competition with the North. Thus, he represents the unbridled ambition of Europeans to rule and exploit the other peoples of the world. The alluded to previous wholesale burning of the island's native vegetation and dramazied burning of much of the island's sugarcane and laborer villages symbolizes the total disregard of most colonialists for the physical environment of these foreign lands and for the well being of native and imported laborers. I believe Walker's ultimate demise represents the ultimate withering of colonialism, despite its apparently unshakable entrenchment the world over. The brief interlude showing Walker brawling in a slum in Britian only makes sense if it is saying that most colonialists were basically degenerate bullies, whether at home or abroad.
We can read further symbolism into the script, if we wish. Jose Doloris and the other rebels might be seen as representing those Negroes and their white supporters in the US who had recently fought and sometimes died to achieve true racial equality. Ditto for similar events in other countries. We might also see the Portuguese as stand ins for the French and the British as representing the US in the Vietnam situation, current when this film was made. The changing relationship between Walker and Doloris might be seen as symbolic of a similar change between the US and China during WWII vs. afterward, for example. A more recent example is the change in relationship between the US and Sadam Hussein.
I don't like Brando's general arrogant demeanor, nor do I like the his slovenly speaking style. Perhaps these were appropriate for this film.
The initial slave revolt, their transformation into free laborers and their subsequent realization that there was little practical difference between their former and present status was treated far too superficially to be satisfying to the viewer. Perhaps there was more about this in the 20 min longer version of this film. The person who played Doloris was not a professional actor and appears to lack the charisma that a successful rebel leader would need. I did enjoy the scenes of native festivals and village life, although they were sometimes too long.
You may have noticed that my name is William Walker, which is the initial reason I chose to see this film. I own a biography of "the" William Walker, written by Albert Carr. I understand another film was made: "Walker", which also alludes to the imperialist dreams of this facinating man. Unfortunately, this again was not a serious attempt to chronicle the real story of Walker, but was rather a political satire, relating to the then involvement of the US in the political struggles within Nicaragua as a follow up on Walker's long ago meddling in the politics of this country. Apparently, it portrays the critical relationship between Walker and Cornelius Vanderbilt as being the exact opposite of their true relationship! William Walker was a facinating enough man that his life deserves a straight treatment, without becoming a caricature of a message film.
Description of Burn!
No Description Available.Genre: Feature Film-Drama
Rating: R
Release Date: 8-NOV-2005
Media Type: DVD
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