The Purple Plain
His peak of adventure!
1954 | 98m | English
Popularity: 2 (history)
| Director: | Robert Parrish |
|---|---|
| Writer: | Eric Ambler, H. E. Bates |
| Staring: |
| An RAF airfield in Burma in 1945, during World War II. Canadian bomber pilot Bill Forrester is a bitter man who lives haunted by a tragic past. He has became a reckless warrior, and is feared by his comrades, who consider him a madman. Dr. Harris, the squadron physician, is determined to help him heal his tormented soul. | |
| Release Date: | Sep 14, 1954 |
|---|---|
| Director: | Robert Parrish |
| Writer: | Eric Ambler, H. E. Bates |
| Genres: | Adventure, Drama, War |
| Keywords | world war ii, burma, struggle for survival, bomber pilot, airman, royal air force, raf, traumatized man |
| Production Companies | Two Cities Films |
| Box Office |
Revenue: $0
Budget: $2,000,000 |
| Updates |
Updated: Feb 02, 2025 Entered: Apr 13, 2024 |
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| Gregory Peck | Bill Forrester |
| Win Min Than | Anna |
| Brenda De Banzie | Miss McNab |
| Bernard Lee | Dr. Harris |
| Maurice Denham | Blore |
| Lyndon Brook | Carrington |
| Anthony Bushell | Aldridge |
| Josephine Griffin | Mrs. Forrester |
| Ram Gopal | Mr. Phang |
| Jack McNaughton | Sergeant (uncredited) |
| Harold Siddons | Injured Navigator (uncredited) |
| Mya Mya Spencer | Dorothy (uncredited) |
| John A. Tinn | Jeweler (uncredited) |
| Soo Ah Wong | Smoking Old Woman (uncredited) |
| Lane Meddick | Radio Operator (uncredited) |
| Name | Job |
|---|---|
| Robert Parrish | Director |
| Clive Donner | Editor |
| Eric Ambler | Screenplay |
| Geoffrey Unsworth | Director of Photography |
| Geoffrey Rodway | Makeup Designer |
| Dario Simoni | Set Dresser |
| Dudley Messenger | Sound Recordist |
| Jack Maxsted | Art Direction |
| Iris Tilley | Hair Designer |
| Gordon K. McCallum | Sound Recordist |
| David W. Orton | Assistant Director |
| Joan Foster | Continuity |
| Eric Boyd-Perkins | Sound Editor |
| H. E. Bates | Novel |
| Arthur Alcott | Production Supervisor |
| John Veale | Original Music Composer |
| Roy Goddard | Production Manager |
| Bill Warrington | Special Effects |
| Harry Miller | Sound Editor |
| Muir Mathieson | Conductor |
| Charles Staffell | Special Effects |
| James Bawden | Camera Operator |
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| John Bryan | Producer |
| Earl St. John | Executive Producer |
| Organization | Category | Person |
|---|
Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 9 | 12 | 7 |
| 2024 | 5 | 10 | 14 | 5 |
| 2024 | 6 | 8 | 16 | 4 |
| 2024 | 7 | 10 | 20 | 5 |
| 2024 | 8 | 8 | 17 | 5 |
| 2024 | 9 | 7 | 20 | 3 |
| 2024 | 10 | 10 | 25 | 4 |
| 2024 | 11 | 6 | 16 | 3 |
| 2024 | 12 | 6 | 9 | 3 |
| 2025 | 1 | 6 | 10 | 3 |
| 2025 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 2 |
| 2025 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 1 |
| 2025 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 2025 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
Trending Position
This films features quite a strong performance from Gregory Peck as "Forrester", a Canadian air force officer serving in Burma. Reckless and thoughtless, he has managed to irritate just about everyone until "Dr. Harris" (Bernard Lee) decides to try to get to the bottom of his behaviour. It turns out ... that a combination of his recently deceased wife and his own wartime experiences have ground him down so "Harris" decides it is time to rehabilitate him and he meets the delightful "Anna" (Win Min Than). In case you think that's it; well not quite. He takes a plane up with "Blore" (Maurice Denham) and his new room-mate "Carrington" (Lyndon Brook) but that comes a cropper and the three must do their best to ge home - at times a perilous journey exacerbated by an injured "Carrington" and a pretty recalcitrant "Blore". Peck is good in fits and starts, here. At the beginning he offers an intense, almost maniacal, performance and once we end up on the journey after the crash, that behaviour focuses much more on leadership and survival and is different, but equally effective. Brenda de Banzie offers a bit of light relief as the stoic Scot "Miss McNab"; it moves along consistently with a minimum of waffly dialogue and some fine cinematography from a rather stunning Ceylon. All in all, I really quite enjoyed this.