Burn!
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Movie Reviews of Burn!
Movie Review: DVD Burn
Summary: 5 Stars
Marlon Brando called this his "best work" when interviewed a
year before he died. excellent acting . very enjoyable. first
saw the movie in Monterrey, Mexico with spanish subtitles.
great movie.
Movie Review: A Masterpiece
Summary: 5 Stars
If you have not seen it before, you should. It is among the best five movies of Brando where Brando offers a fine and nobel performance. I strongly recommend the movie....Movie 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.
Movie Review: I BEG TO DIFFER with the other Reviewers
Summary: 4 Stars
I happen to own a copy of the DVD and have actually watched it, unlike the previous reviewers. It IS a widescreen version of Burn (it's aspect ratio is 4:3, so just expand it to fill the screen if necessary.) I don't understand how this misinformation about there not being a widescreen version got out there, but it is widescreen. The transfer, considering the grainy aspect of the original movie is pretty good, but you may need to tweek your tv a bit (if you have a "movie" setting, that will work excellently.) I've seen BURN on AMC several times, and owned the VHS version, so I can compare. This is honestly the BEST version so far. In fact, since I can finally see it widescreen, I noticed that some "oddly" framed shots on my old VHS copy were actually slightly askew owing to the fact that I wasn't seeing the whole picture as it was originally intended to be seen. Those are the positives. Now, the negatives (why I didn't give it a 5.)
First, there are no extras on the DVD. That's a big disappointment. At least, I'd like some stills, or commentary. Second, the sound still is a bit tinny (the original sound was horrible, remember watching it on AMC?) The DVD sound IS better, but not by much. (The problem is that older european films from this era all had lousy sound.) Third, this isn't the supposed "director's cut" longer version. HOWEVER...nobody in the USA has seen that cut anyway...so that really doesn't make much difference to me. This is the exact film I saw in the theaters, on TV and with my VHS tape. Nothing is edited...however the "missing" footage isn't there...but since nobody in the USA ever saw it that doesn't matter. This isn't a "truncated" version...this is the version you saw in the theaters and on t.v.
In closing, for BURN fans, this is great, but sadly, not excellent. I LOVE seeing the shots now all balanced and centered! I love being able to see all the details finally! The sound (although still tiny) is loads better than the VHS tape, and picture wise there is NO comparison...this DVD is so much better than the Laser Disc or AMC versions, or VHS tape.
In closing, if you love BURN like I do, don't hesitate to buy a copy of the DVD. The price is great. Just remember that the aspect ratio is 4:3, so you will need to expand it to fill your widescreen (no big deal really.) Also, be aware that there are no extras at all (the big disappointment.) Rest assured, if they ever do release the editor's cut in the USA I will also buy a copy, but for now, this DVD copy is excellent...it blows my older VHS copy away completely and is superior to the Laser Disc too.
Movie Review: Remarkable film, decent release - rent for now and pray for Criterion to release the extended version!
Summary: 4 Stars
I won't repeat the details of the film, for they are described very well in other reviews. Suffice it to say: excellent performances, powerful music, brilliant direction and provocative themes. While the story may not be historically accurate, and the island it is set on is fictional, it is nevertheless a realistic depiction of the impact of colonization in the Carribeans, and a powerful indication of the difference between literal slavery and ideological and economic slavery. Unfortunately, this is not the best version out there.
This film was fairly severely cut by MGM for its release in the United States, and while the cut version (that you find on this dvd release) is still incredible, it makes some plot developments quite obscure. I didn't know this when I saw it with friends the first time, and we all commented that while we loved the film the middle of the film (when William Walker played by Brando goes back to England), was very abrupt and awkward. As it turns out, this wasn't the director's fault. A significant portion of the film had been cut.
Another concern about this version of the film is the dubbing. Pontecorvo, like a number of Italian directors of his generation (including Fellini and Leone), employed an international cast in his films, and the actors tended to speak their own language. Then, for Italians, it was all dubbed into Italian and for English speakers it was all dubbed into English. As it turns out, the newly released version with all of the footage intact is dubbed into Italian, so that you miss some of the nuances of Brando's incredible and subtle performance (that combines an uncaring and amoral attitude with a passionate devotion to his work and a subtle self-loathing).
The best case scenario would be for a special edition release of this film that included both the U.S. theatrical release and the original extended release, along with an option to hear it in the English or Italian dubbed versions or to just hear the original performances for all characters along with subtitles in the language of your choice. Are you listening, Criterion? Here's hoping they are, and can manage to get the rights to treat this remarkable film right.