View large image

Total playing time: 01:11:35

$8.99 (CD)

Just copy this code and paste it where you want the link on your website:
<script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.naxosdirect.com/templates/naxosdirect/includes/link.js.php?id=8557706&css=http://www.naxosdirect.com/templates/naxosdirect/title_link.css"></script>

Franz Waxman (1906-1967) Objective, Burma! Film Score, 1945 Score restoration by John Morgan The Making of Objective, Burma! By early 1944 the Allies were...

Franz Waxman (1906-1967)


Objective, Burma! Film Score, 1945


Score restoration by John Morgan The Making of Objective, Burma!


By early 1944 the Allies were no longer losing World War II; they were on the offensive. But certainly up until 1943 things were not going well and various films reflected those dire times. Wake Island (1942), Guadalcanal Diary (1943), Bataan (1943) and many others dealt with our losses during the period when Japan had made successful invasions in the Pacific.

But when Warner staff producer Jerry Wald had the idea in January 1944 to make a film about the Burmese campaign, the tide had turned.

Wald got the O.K. to proceed from Jack L. Warner and wrote his own story outline as well as having staff writer Alvah Bessie concoct another. Wald's approach had to do with an expeditionary mission to destroy a military objective which was followed by a heroic but thwarted retreat. Bessie, in his outline, detailed a behind-the-lines mission that ended as the returning troops passed a new group starting out.

The two outlines were blended somewhat and became the basis for the evolving script written by Ranald MacDougall, who was later joined by Lester Cole (in addition to ex-Warner writer Wald). Whereas other World War II film subjects were often mentioned officially or unofficially as being similar to, based upon, or reminiscent of previous works - such as Bataan and Sahara (1943) recalling the structure of The Lost Patrol (1934) - it seems that no one mentioned the parallels in story construction between Objective, Burma! and an M-G-M 1940 picture, Northwest Passage, which had derived from the first part of Kenneth Roberts' historical novel of the same name, it, in turn, having been based on real characters and incidents in upper New York state and Eastern Canada during a period of the French and Indian War (1759).

The plot: Major Rogers (Spencer Tracy), the leader of a group of trained men called Rogers' Rangers, at the request of the British, leads an expedition to destroy a hostile Indian village.

Following a successful surprise attack at daybreak, the Rangers encounter on their return numerous difficulties as well as their other enemy - the French.

Suffering from exhaustion, hunger, and waning morale, the Rangers split up into four groups, some of which are ambushed and tortured to death. When the survivors reach an English fort where food and supplies had been promised, they discover the fort has been abandoned. The Rangers are virtually starved and desperate. But the British arrive with food and supplies.

In his January 3, 1944 "notes," Wald wrote "Read Northwest Passage." The fictional plot of Objective, Burma! has Captain Nelson (Errol Flynn) and about fifty American paratroopers being dropped in a Burmese jungle in 1944 to find and destroy a Japanese radar station. After accomplishing their mission, the men trek through 140 miles of enemy-filled jungle when a plan to get them out by plane fails owing to the enemy's intervention. Nelson decides to split his men into two groups. The Japanese capture one group and kill everyone. The other group arrives at a predetermined rendezvous, but it is barren and bleak with no signs of rescue. Then the Allied airborne invasion begins, and Nelson and his few survivors are rescued.

Of course, the parallels are in the bare bones of the outline and the character of the protagonist - certainly not in dialogue or some other ingredients.

Primary co-writer Ranald MacDougall had an impressive career in radio before coming to Warner Bros. under contract in late 1943. He developed and was the head writer on the highly respected and awardwinning CBS World War II drama series, The Man Behind the Gun. The realistic stories were based on fact and interviews by MacDougall but developed as composite representations of military personnel.

MacDougall recalled, "The first film I worked on was Pride of the Marines [1945 - uncredited] and after that Objective, Burma! ... If there was any element of 'realistic detail' in any of those films, some of it at least was generated by Man Behind the Gun. I found it extremely difficult in Hollywood, at that time anyway, to sell realism." Objective, Burma! was planned from the outset as an Errol Flynn vehicle, but in a memo from producer Wald to Jack Warner on January 26, 1945, Wald says: "In those early days when we were getting Burma ready for production, there were times when Brother Flynn refused to become a part of the entire project and I know that it was you, injecting your confidence into the production, that succeeded in selling Flynn into making the picture." Flynn's reluctance probably stemmed from reading or hearing about Wald's January 12 "note" regarding "The possibilities of doing a story with a Burma background much along the lines of Desperate Journey." That 1942 Flynn vehicle, not to be taken seriously, portrayed in comedic Rover Boy-like fashion the exploits of an RAF bomber crew which, having destroyed an objective, is brought down by anti-aircraft fire in Germany where they make their way through that country via fun and games with the Nazis and back to England. Although the film was a success, Flynn did not want to do a follow-up. Objective, Burma! evolved in a completely different mood and tone.

With Warners' estimable Raoul Walsh set to direct, the two primary jungle locations were selected at Whittier Park just east of Los Angeles, and the "Lucky" Baldwin Santa Anita Estate (now the Los Angeles County Arboretum in Arcadia). Some of the other exteriors were filmed at the Warner Ranch in Calabasas and at Providencia Ranch (now Forest Lawn - next to Warners' Burbank studio). The old Metropolitan Airport in Van Nuys and the air field in Palm Springs doubled for air bases in India and Burma.

Shooting commenced on May 1, 1944, with the script still being revised and embellished throughout the filming. Sixty shooting days were allotted but owing to uncharacteristically bad weather, including rain and fog during the summer months, and the frequent script changes, the virtually all-exterior picture ran over by forty days! A good deal of time and care were obviously put into the film. A better than average script was given a semidocumentary approach and solid, exceptional execution. Raoul Walsh's direction and James Wong Howe's photography superbly captured the operating procedure of the paratroopers, the realistic tensions, the omnipresent danger in the jungles and swamps, the gradual breaking of the men's spirit, and the grim battle scenes.

Obtained from various newsreel, documentary, and government sources was actual footage of paratroopers jumping, gliders landing and expelling jeeps, tractors, cannon, etc. Also shots of Commander Mountbatten, British General Wingate, General Stilwell and his Chinese troops, America's Colonel Phil Cochran and his commandos, and Brigadier General Merrill of Merrill's Marauders fame.

Knowing that a good deal of military footage was going to be interspersed within the film, cinematographer Howe was careful to style his black and white shooting to be compatible with the real material.

Released in January, 1945, Objective, Burma!, made at a cost of $1,600,000, received generally excellent reviews. There were some comments about the picture's excessive length of 142 minutes, but audiences seemed to be engrossed from beginning to end.

The actors performed with restraint and believability, Flynn being particularly good. No bravura histrionics were part of his portrayal; he was professional and human. The actor regarded the vehicle as one of his few worthwhile works. After the film opened, producer Wald commented in a January 26, 1945, memo to Jack Warner that "I have received innumerable calls from friends of mine of the press, who commented mainly on how good Flynn was in the picture." Raoul Walsh said that "he was a much better actor than people realized." Cinematographer Howe felt "that it was one of Flynn's best. He really gave a fine performance. He was writing a book then; when he wasn't in a scene, he'd go in his tent and say, 'I'm going to do a little writing.' He was very serious about it." Director Walsh also remembered Flynn working on his novel during this period. The book was Showdown (published in 1946) and it dealt with the adventures of Shamus O'Thames, an Irish soldier of fortune - pretty much modeled on the actor himself. Flynn authority Peter Valenti stated that "As Flynn originally wrote the book, it presented a scathing picture of studio life.

Editors who feared that some of Flynn's characterization[s] might be libelous backed off from printing the entire novel, a revision which infuriated Flynn. The unused material, which would have told the adventures of Shamus in Hollywood, was tentatively entitled Charlie Bowtie in America." Raoul Walsh had previously directed five of Flynn's films, including They Died With Their Boots On (1942) and Gentleman Jim (1942). Walsh's forte was action. He once told writer- producer-director Roy Huggins: "Stick to Westerns and outdoor action movies ... Parlor directors have short careers." Veteran assistant director Ridgeway (Reggie) Callow worked on two of Walsh's films at Warners. "He taught me more about action [camera] set ups than anybody in the business," Callow said. "He was a great action director and very fast. I don't think Raoul was much help to the cast at any time." William Prince, who played Lieutenant Jacobs, a leading role in Objective, Burma!, recalled that "Walsh gave very little direction [to the actors]. The only direction I specifically remember is 'All right boys. No Hamlets in the jungle.'" "Walsh is a 'roughtough' director," James Wong Howe said. "He wants realism. . . . But he seldom tells the actors what to do." Objective, Burma! was not released in England until September, 1945 - shortly after VJ day. The timing couldn't have been worse. It played one week at the Warner Theatre in London's West End.

Sensitive critics were outraged that the major operations of the British 14th Army in Burma were deliberately slighted, making the invasion activities appear to be primarily and overwhelmingly an American show - whereas in reality, America's contribution was decidedly on the short end in that particular operation.

It has often been said that the picture was officially banned in England by the government and was "pulled" by order of the Lord Chamberlain. Absolutely untrue. Warner Bros. voluntarily withdrew it after one week. Ironically, the London audiences seemed to respond very well to the film. Indeed, when it finally was released in the United Kingdom in 1952, most Britishers - including film critics - wondered what all the uproar had been about.

Objective, Burma!, it should be emphasized, was made during World War II, and the enemy - in this instance the Japanese - was depicted as evil incarnate.

As for producer Jerry Wald who initiated the project, just a few years later he was the recipient of the prestigious Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award to a "creative producer whose body of work reflects a consistently high quality of motion picture production." His recent productions at that time included Mildred Pierce (1945), Johnny Belinda (1948), Key Largo (1948), and Adventures of Don Juan (1949) - the latter his second and last film with Errol Flynn.

Raoul Walsh directed Gary Cooper in a 1951 production released by Warners that took place during the Second Seminole War in Florida (1840). Distant Drums seemed to be very reminiscent of Objective, Burma! in terms of basic structure. "A fact," said one of the writers, Niven Busch, "that not one of the hundred or so American critics who spoke about the film noticed." The Score


Shortly after Jerry Wald became a full producer at Warner Bros. in 1942, composer Franz Waxman began his long-term contractual stay at that studio. He had previously been at M-G-M for several years and before that, Universal. When Waxman was on loan from M-G-M to David O. Selznick to score Rebecca in 1940, Lou Forbes, Selznick's music director, introduced the composer to Leo F. Forbstein, Warners' longtime music department head and Forbes' brother. Thus began the later realized plan to bring Waxman to Warner Bros. The first Wald- Waxman collaboration was Destination Tokyo in 1943. This was followed by eight other films before Waxman left Warners in 1948 (Wald left in 1950).

Later the two worked together on five films at other studios. The Warner titles included, among others, Pride of the Marines, Humoresque, Possessed, Dark Passage, and Task Force.

Objective, Burma! was Waxman's fourth score for Wald. By then they had developed a good working relationship as well as an enduring friendship that would last until Wald's death in 1962.

Lawrence Morton, orchestrator, music critic, and director of various music festivals, wrote an extended study of the score for Hollywood Quarterly periodical (which later became Film Quarterly) in the July 1946 issue. He discussed Waxman's approach to Objective, Burma!, beginning with the composer's utilization of motifs in this particular film:

None of these themes are attached to characters of the play ...They refer, rather, to general situations and serve as binding posts to which other materials can be tied. They are the unifying elements of the score; ... There is unity, too, in the whole harmonic texture of the score. This is a mark of distinction in Hollywood's film music, where, unfortunately, the spirit of eclecticism too often permits a variety of harmonic styles to be gathered together in a veritable Babel. In Objective, Burma! the normal harmonic level has a considerable degree of dissonance ...

Disc 1

Objective, Burma! (1945 film score restored by J. Morgan) (more info)
Performed by: Moscow Symphony Orchestra
Composed by: Franz Waxman
Conducted by: William Stromberg
Recording date: October, 1999
Produced by: Betta International, Inc.


1.   Main Title - Opening Scene - Briefing in an Hour - 6:39
2.   Take Off - In the Plane - 7:54
3.   Jumping - 3:12
4.   Killing the Sentry - Getting Ready - 3:37
5.   Stop Firing - No Landing - 5:06
6.   Andante - 2:37
7.   Two Came Back - Hollis is OK - 5:08
8.   Burmese Village - Jacob's Death - Burial - Retreat - 10:10
9.   Resting - Radio Gone - 1:43
10.   Missing the Plane - Waiting - Up the Hill - Williams' Death - 13:33
11.   At Night - 3:28
12.   Invasion - Landing - 5:19
13.   The Camp - Finale - 3:09

Reviews

Be the first to review this title