The British appetite for movies depicting different experiences in World War II was as strong as ever when this Jack Lee-directed film appeared in 1956. Based on Nevil Shute's best-selling novel, the twist here was that the movie principally dealt with the fate of a group of travelling English women of different ages and classes, along with some infant children too.and led by Virginia McKenna, are made to separate from their men-folk and forced to tramp from town to town in wartime Malaya seeking a boat which will repatriate them back to Britain. However every camp they reach is in the hands of the occupying Japanese Army where they are routinely and unsympathetically turned away and forced to march on and on with their numbers dwindling. The only assistance they really get from anyone is from a pair of captive male Australians now employed as drivers by the Japanese, until one act of sympathy by one of the two, Peter Finch in an early starring role, is discovered and offends the petty sensibilities of the Japanese commanding officer who exacts a bitter retribution out of all relation to the actual offence.
The film unstintingly documents their arduous trek but even as they suffer subjugation, humiliation and ultimately death, but ultimately this is a tale of self-discovery, courage and ultimately survival with McKenna's character's main motivation being the picture painted to her by Finch of his home town in Australia, Alice Springs. This romance between the two frames the main story of the women's march, the latter of which I personally felt was story enough, certainly it was enough to fuel several series many years later of the similarly-themed long running BBC TV series "Tenko". While I can understand the purpose of the surprise finish to send the audience home with a warm, feel-good glow, it nevertheless seemed to denigrate somewhat from the gritty realism of what had preceded it.
There are some interesting plot-points within the narrative, like when an attractive young women in the group who agrees to become the Japanese commander's concubine in order to ensure her safety and we do see women and children die in the journey too.
Ultimately though it's one of many post-war British movies celebrating our native determination, pluck and grit, which it certainly does capably if a little predictably. There are strong performances by the ensemble cast and McKenna and Finch especially. Inevitably there is a degree of stereotyping in the behaviour of the Japanese military although one at least is permitted to act against type and actually offer the British ladies some assistance.
If nothing else this typically solid Rank Organisation feature will save me from ever wading through umpteen episodes of "Tenko" for which I am certainly grateful.
The film unstintingly documents their arduous trek but even as they suffer subjugation, humiliation and ultimately death, but ultimately this is a tale of self-discovery, courage and ultimately survival with McKenna's character's main motivation being the picture painted to her by Finch of his home town in Australia, Alice Springs. This romance between the two frames the main story of the women's march, the latter of which I personally felt was story enough, certainly it was enough to fuel several series many years later of the similarly-themed long running BBC TV series "Tenko". While I can understand the purpose of the surprise finish to send the audience home with a warm, feel-good glow, it nevertheless seemed to denigrate somewhat from the gritty realism of what had preceded it.
There are some interesting plot-points within the narrative, like when an attractive young women in the group who agrees to become the Japanese commander's concubine in order to ensure her safety and we do see women and children die in the journey too.
Ultimately though it's one of many post-war British movies celebrating our native determination, pluck and grit, which it certainly does capably if a little predictably. There are strong performances by the ensemble cast and McKenna and Finch especially. Inevitably there is a degree of stereotyping in the behaviour of the Japanese military although one at least is permitted to act against type and actually offer the British ladies some assistance.
If nothing else this typically solid Rank Organisation feature will save me from ever wading through umpteen episodes of "Tenko" for which I am certainly grateful.