The Purple Plain

Gregory Peck is a stalwart hero in Robert Parrish's 1955 World War II survival tale. Peck stars as Forrester, a Canadian pilot serving in the R.A.F. in Burma. He's known for recklessness, and indeed harbors a death wish, unable to come to terms with the loss of his wife during a German raid on London. But when Forrester is assigned to fly an officer over dangerous territory and the plane is brought down by enemy fire, he's faced with the task of carrying his severely wounded navigator over miles of rugged territory to safety—all the while having to put up with the endless complaints of the plane's passenger, Blore (Maurice Denham), who insists that they abandon the injured man—and eventually sneaks off on his own, leaving Forrester to try to save his comrade by himself. The Purple Plain also features a romantic subplot centered on Forrester's dalliance with a lovely native girl who has revived his desire to live, but the meat of the tale lies in the long slog toward a river that offers hope of survival, and here Peck brings his customarily steely resolve to his character's determination to leave no man behind. Shot on location by Oscar-winning cinematographer Geoffrey Unsworth, The Purple Plain sometimes feels like an ordeal for viewers, but it's a solid, realistic tale of heroism under extreme pressure. Recommended. (F. Swietek)