A Graham Greenesque love quadrangle in the midst of turmoil in the British colony of Malaya.
the 7th dawn is an exotic film starting with the beautiful titles that has Malayan landscapes, the workers, water bodies and culture set to Riz Ortolani's heavenly soundtrack.
William Holden plays an American solider who is attached to the land and stays back after the war with Japan to become a successful plantation owner. He is involved in a love triangle with a Malayan rebel leader and an activist played by the beautiful Capucine. Holden effortlessly exudes authority and manliness. The so called macho actors of today look like chumps when compared to an actor like Holden. Capucine plays a stoic principled solider who is passionate about the rights of the Malays. This is the first time i'm seeing her in a film. She is a damn good actress and looked great too. Sussanah York, the daughter of a British dignitary covets holden. She is introduced wearing a bikini and bathing in the sea. She is a female white liberal character straight of of a VS Naipaul novel. The plot resolution at the end is thanks to her silly liberal antics. She surrenders herself as a hostage to the malayan reactionaries in the hope that the British authorities would refrain from hanging Capucine who is falsely accused of planting grenades.
But the film is an action adventure film that doesnt really take political sides and mostly present facts as they are. i enjoyed it.
Ortolani's score deserves special mention.
(7/10)
the 7th dawn is an exotic film starting with the beautiful titles that has Malayan landscapes, the workers, water bodies and culture set to Riz Ortolani's heavenly soundtrack.
William Holden plays an American solider who is attached to the land and stays back after the war with Japan to become a successful plantation owner. He is involved in a love triangle with a Malayan rebel leader and an activist played by the beautiful Capucine. Holden effortlessly exudes authority and manliness. The so called macho actors of today look like chumps when compared to an actor like Holden. Capucine plays a stoic principled solider who is passionate about the rights of the Malays. This is the first time i'm seeing her in a film. She is a damn good actress and looked great too. Sussanah York, the daughter of a British dignitary covets holden. She is introduced wearing a bikini and bathing in the sea. She is a female white liberal character straight of of a VS Naipaul novel. The plot resolution at the end is thanks to her silly liberal antics. She surrenders herself as a hostage to the malayan reactionaries in the hope that the British authorities would refrain from hanging Capucine who is falsely accused of planting grenades.
But the film is an action adventure film that doesnt really take political sides and mostly present facts as they are. i enjoyed it.
Ortolani's score deserves special mention.
(7/10)