Guns at Batasi (1964)

A British sergeant major's battalion keeps order during an African bid for independence.System Requirements:Features: Full Frame Feature with Commentary by John Leyton Theatrical Trailer Fox Flix: Back Door To Hell & Immortal Sergeant Running Time: 103 MinFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA Rating: NR UPC: 024543238867 Manufacturer No: 2233886 Product Description

Sunset For the Raj

I have watched this film multiple times over the years. It is a great piece of miltaria, and a fine example of Sir Richard's tremendous range as an actor of the old school. The details of a mixed BA/native contingent Battalion in the last days of the Empire are spot on. The frustration of a proper RSM doing his duty in the manner that has served his sovereign and country well for decades only to be stimied by politics can be appreciated by current and former NCOs of all nations. I simply adore this movie. March 21, 2008

Attenborough at his best

This film is one of those "quiet" pieces of work that didn't make much of a splash when it came out, yet more than 40 years on, remains a compelling and absorbing production. Attenborough gives an inspired performance as Regimental Sergeant Major Lauderdale, a consummate professional soldier who collides head-on with political expediency. Attenborough's Lauderdale is utterly convincing-- a soldier who is unbendingly loyal to centuries of military tradition, experienced and effective in combat, and fiercely protective of those underneath his command. He also has a wry sense of humour. He is faced with what is essentially a mutiny, and an officer wounded by the mutineers takes refuge in the Sergeants' Mess. Lauderdale defies the threats of the mutineers, and destroys the guns they have trained on the mess... only to find that a change in government means they weren't actually mutineers after all...

This is a great film that will not fail to move you-- as well as make you laugh.

October 20, 2007

Excellent military suspense drama

I bought this film due to seeing it pop up on Amazon's recommendations. I'd never even heard of it before but I was amazed to find that it's a superlative film. I was expecting standard British stiff-upper-lip fare that the British did so well in the 1950s and '60s, but what I wasn't expecting is that a film I'd never even heard of rivals and even exceeds top-notch British dramas like Sidney Lumet's 'The Hill'.

The film stands squarely on Richard Attenborough's performance as a Regimental Sergeant Major - the performance of a lifetime, especially when you consider that Attenborough is the complete opposite of the character he plays in this film - in reality he's soft-spoken and unassuming, yet the character he's playing is not at all those things. To say that this role was a stretch somehow doesn't do the performance justice - Attenborough literally becomes the RSM, and every moment he's on screen is incredible.

Not that Attenborough is doing it all alone - the other performances are perfect too, as is the direction. The fact that the film was made in a studio in England makes you realise what a great job a truly great crew can do for a film - there's no way you'd think this movie wasn't made in Africa.

Altogether a fantastic movie - probably the best new film (new to me anyway) I've seen in the last two years. This blows everything else out of the water.

Oh, and for those worried that it's a war film - definitely not. It's a drama set in a military barracks, but psychological drama is what we have here, and unlike a lot of those kinds of films this one has a heart and a sense of humour. Don't miss this one!

A few technical details: this film is filmed in black and white. It's in 2.35:1 widescreen and it is an anamorphic transfer, so for those of us with widescreen TVs it's great! There's also a nice commentary by John Leyton (the guy who's carrying the sub-machinegun on the DVD cover). Leyton gives some nice background info regarding the film and it seems he's as much in awe of Attenborough's performance as I am. Altogether a very nicely done DVD treatment. July 27, 2007

Attenborough, the quintessential British RSM

Guns at Batasi is a great movie. Not only does it tell a story about the old British Commonwealth countries obtaining home rule and going through the typical violent political changes most of these nations experienced then and some are still experiencing today, but it showed accurately the life of a British Empire soldier and his professionalism.
Flora Robson played the typical do-gooder middle class socialist MP - a breed that exists even today.
The rest of the cast did an excellent job and the movie moved at a goodly pace right up to the (almost) predictable end.
Excellent entertainment and for anyone who has served in the army, a realistic and somewhat nostalgic reminder of a time when things were more black and white. July 23, 2007

I Have Seen Calcutta

This is an exceptional character study. The power of one mans will to stand by his duty is a clasic. June 8, 2007

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