"The Planter's Wife" (1952) is the last of an unintended rubber tree plantations' trilogy taking place over twenty years and set in Malaysia. And, if you can see these films in their appropriate order, it is a worthwhile experience.
"Red Dust" (1932), the first (and best) film, is set in 1932. It stars Clark Gable and Jean Harlow. Noted for its torrid romance, it also contains much information about rubber production. And, as you might suspect, while conditions were primitive, colonial planters ruled the roost. Noblesse oblige.
"Malaya" (1949), the second film, is set in 1942. It stars Spencer Tracy and James Stewart as American agents attempting to smuggle rubber out of the occupied peninsula. Now the Japanese are in control, and planters must comply, or die.
"The Planter's Wife" (1952), the last of the unintended trilogy, is set in 1952. It stars Jack Hawkins and Claudette Colbert as husband and wife planters in colonialism's waning days. It features an extremely well done action climax in which they struggle to defend their home against a sustained assault by indigenous communist insurgents (inexplicably called bandits). While Anthony Steel and Hawkins are both excellent, Colbert is the weak link. Prone to hysterical outbursts, for someone in her supposed position, she lacks the toughness one would expect. Also, the film has been weakened by the insertion of too many stock shots. However, the cobra/mongoose footage, while not matching, is, at least, quite exciting. Finally, despite this film's aforementioned drawbacks, it's still well worth watching and deserves a far better rating (I'd say about a 6.5) than it has currently received.
"Red Dust" (1932), the first (and best) film, is set in 1932. It stars Clark Gable and Jean Harlow. Noted for its torrid romance, it also contains much information about rubber production. And, as you might suspect, while conditions were primitive, colonial planters ruled the roost. Noblesse oblige.
"Malaya" (1949), the second film, is set in 1942. It stars Spencer Tracy and James Stewart as American agents attempting to smuggle rubber out of the occupied peninsula. Now the Japanese are in control, and planters must comply, or die.
"The Planter's Wife" (1952), the last of the unintended trilogy, is set in 1952. It stars Jack Hawkins and Claudette Colbert as husband and wife planters in colonialism's waning days. It features an extremely well done action climax in which they struggle to defend their home against a sustained assault by indigenous communist insurgents (inexplicably called bandits). While Anthony Steel and Hawkins are both excellent, Colbert is the weak link. Prone to hysterical outbursts, for someone in her supposed position, she lacks the toughness one would expect. Also, the film has been weakened by the insertion of too many stock shots. However, the cobra/mongoose footage, while not matching, is, at least, quite exciting. Finally, despite this film's aforementioned drawbacks, it's still well worth watching and deserves a far better rating (I'd say about a 6.5) than it has currently received.