BURN! Movie Review

Quemimada!

“Very often, between one historical period and another, ten years suddenly might be enough to reveal the contradictions of a whole century. And so often we have to realize that our judgments, and our interpretations—and even our hopes—may have been wrong. “So says Sir William Walker (Marlon Brando), the British agent who's sent to a Portugese-controlled Caribbean island in 1845 to help ensure the success of a slave revolt, by any means necessary. After doing so, the island's residents continue to suffer for ten more years, this time under the yoke of their British “liberators.” Gillo Pontecorvo (The Battle of Algiers) directed this extraordinarily intelligent action epic about the deadly cycle of colonialism, which was released during the height of the Vietnam war. Dumped unceremoniously into the American marketplace by its distributor, Burn! nevertheless quickly found a cult following and remains an amazingly potent piece of work. Brando is extraordinary as the imperious Walker (in 1969 he was still years away from his official “comeback” in The Godfather), but just as impressive is non-professional actor Evaristo Marquez as the slave who Brando hand-picks to lead his anti-Portugese revolt, but who years later finds himself fighting against his former “teacher.” Marcello Gatti's color cinematography is lush and intoxicating, and Ennio Morricone's score is one of his most memorable. An overlooked classic.

NEXT STOP … The Battle of Algiers, I Am Cuba, The Dogs of War

1970 (PG) 112m/C IT Marlon Brando, Evarist Marquez, Renato Salvatori; D: Gillo Pontecorvo; C: Marcello Gatti; M: Ennio Morricone. VHS, LV, Letterbox ?G?, CRC, FCT