Burn! (1969)

Original title

Queimada

Directed by

Gillo Pontecorvo

Genre

drama film

Country

France, Italy

Runtime

2h 09m

Rated

16

Rating

6.8 of 10 from 133 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

A British agent poses as a merchant on a Caribbean island to stir up a slave revolt against a Portuguese colony. He manipulates the rebellion to benefit British sugar traders but loses control when the newly installed puppet government turns against him.

politically chargedgrimdeliberateunsettlingbleakprovocativeslow-burncynical

What happens

Burn! (original title: Queimada, Portuguese for "Burnt" or "Burned") is a 1969 historical war drama film directed by Gillo Pontecorvo. Set in the mid-19th century, the film stars Marlon Brando as a British agent provocateur sent to overthrow a Portuguese colony in the Caribbean by manipulating a slave revolt to serve the interests of the sugar trade, and the complications that arise from the formation of a subsequent puppet state. The film is said to be a celebration of the "proletarian strength of Third World faces, the Algerians and the slaves." The fictional plot is partly based on the activities of American filibuster William Walker, after whom the main character is named, and his 1855 invasion of Nicaragua. Screenwriters Franco Solinas and Giorgio Arlorio also drew on the experiences of intelligence agent Edward Lansdale, who served the United States government in the Philippines and Indochina in the 1950s through the 60s, and the Cuban Revolution. The film is an Italian and French co-production by Alberto Grimaldi, distributed internationally by United Artists. It features a musical score composed by Ennio Morricone. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

More like this

• Benito Cereno (1969)
• Army of Shadows (1969)
• The Lion Has Seven Heads (1970)
• The Pleasure Pit (1969)
• Pigsty (1969)
• H2S (1969)
• Revenge (1969)
• Mississippi Mermaid (1969)