Great political movies

Great political movies (No17) Queimada (Burn!) Posted on February 7, 2011 by matthewashton

 Everyone seems to have seen The Battle of Algiers, which I reviewed last week. However for some reason it’s follow-up, Queimada, better known by its title in the US, ‘Burn!’, is now undeservedly forgotten. The director Gillo Pontecorvo revisits many of the themes of his earlier work, such as colonialism and revolution but this time has a significantly bigger budget to play around with. As result the film is made in colour and features Hollywood’s most mercurial talent, Marlon Brando, as it’s star. Queimada is a historical epic that tells the story of a decade in the life of a small Portuguese colony in the 19th century. Sir William Walker, played by Brando, is an English agent sent to the colony to help stir up revolution for the benefit of the British Empire. He arrives to discover that the man who was going to be the leader of the rebel army has just been executed by the authorities, and so sets about manufacturing himself a new one. He quickly tricks porter Jose Delores, played by newcomer Evaristo Marquez, into first robbing a bank, then killing a Portuguese guard and then taking up arms against the government. At the same time he is also fermenting revolution amongst the white settlers by making them promises of the benefits free trade will bring. The revolution is a success, but parties on all sides quickly discover that once taken power is a difficult thing to wield. Of course this isn’t Sir Walker’s problem as he is seen departing the island for similar work in Indo-China (a nod to the ongoing Vietnam War). The film then flashes forward ten years as he returns to the island to help put down the native rebellion that he created in the first place. This is one of the best ever films to explore the issues of racism and colonialism from a Marxist perspective. For instance, in the scene below Walker explains to the colonists the benefits of freeing their slaves, not because it is the right things to do, but because of the economic benefits of having a more flexible workforce, (warning: some nudity and a lot of sexism): Later in order to destroy the rebel army, Walker orders all of the crop fields to be burnt down. A representative of the sugar trading company is appalled because it will damage their profits. Walker coolly tells him that it will only impact their profits for a few years and that they have hundreds left to exploit the island. He also points out that the company has dozens of possessions like this one where the workers might be encouraged to rebel, which is why the revolution must be put down with such force. Rarely has the relationship between big business and colonial empire been given such a thorough economic critique on film. While Brando is clearly the villain of the piece, it’s a fantastic piece of acting on his part. He plays Walker as being cheerfully amoral, a man who knows the value and price of everything but is largely unconcerned by the consequences of his actions. At one stage he even admits that he is not well paid for his services but does it because he enjoys it. Apparently the film shoot was a nightmare for all concerned and they were beset by technical and language difficulties. There should probably be a rule for filmmakers that if you want to film an epic, don’t film it in the jungle with Marlon Brando. As Francis Ford Coppola discovered a decade later with Apocalypse Now, it rarely ends well. The lessons of Queimada are still relevant today. For instance, the idea of a colonial power creating a rebel movement for its own ends, but then loosing control of it, has parallels with the USA’s role in supporting the Taliban in the 1980s. It also asks the question of what happens when a revolution leaves you less free than before? Finally if that doesn’t convince you then the film also boosts one of Ennio Morricone’s best scores, as used here over the opening credits:

L'originale è qui:
http://drmatthewashton.com/2011/02/07/great-political-movies-no17-queimada-burn/