Customer Reviews

Escape to Burma [VHS]

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a great movie, with a great story line. The acting was superb, and the scenery is most delightful. I saw this film upon its release, back in 1955. It's good to see this movie again. Best of all, I now have it in my collection.

iN THE 1950s, when good roles for women of Stanwyck's age were hard to come by, she had to relegate herself to doing "B" pictures that were mediocre to just plain awful. This movie is quite possibly the worst she ever made. The labyrinthine plot is a 'snoozer' with Stanwyck running a teak plantation in the Burmese jungles. When the animals are more entertaining than the stars, we have to worry. I am Barbara Stanwyck's biggest fan.....she always pulled low class stuff up to her level and she does it with this as well. Unfortunately, the production values do not measure up and I'm sure she would be the first to tell you not to waste your time with this rotten piece of work. Stanwyck is first-rate and it is worth a look just to observe her work with bad material and see what a great actress she was. But don't spend money for this unless you are a bona fide Stanwyck fan who wants a copy of ALL her work in good or bad pictures. This is a great example of a BAD PICTURE.

'groan' This is the depth of "B" pictures. Barbara Stanwyck was a workaholic who gave her professional best to whatever she did. That explains why she appeared in this movie. I can't imagine what everyone else in the film was thinking, unless the money was the bottom line. Granted, this film is easy on the eyes; the sets are lush and green, and the musical score is beautiful. And, of course, Miss Stanwyck is wonderful. One scene, early in the film, will give you some insight into the quality of this undertaking...Stanwyck and Ryan are tracking a marauding tiger; when Ryan shoots the tiger, an obviously sleeping tiger is filmed, breathing; once he's shot, they simply stopped the film. I laughed my head off. I've seldom seen anything that corny. There is a lot of overacting (except for Miss Stanwyck and Robert Ryan, both of whom look, frankly, embarrassed). And some of the lines..."We have a small trouble, but it has become a small trouble several times. Thus it becomes a large trouble." "If we face it together, it will only be half as large. Tell me about it." Reminds me of that old tv show, "Kung Fu," with those supposedly deep philosophical insights that everyone pretended to be stunned by and no one really understood. Well. "Escape To Burma" is fun to watch, in a campy sort of way. See it. You'll laugh.

"Escape To Burma" is loads of fun to watch. Man, it's corny, but the photography and the settings are lush and beautiful. Barbara Stanwyck and Robert Ryan do their best with an awesomely awful script and storyline. I especially love the scene when Ryan shoots a marauding tiger; someone filmed a tiger sleeping, making it look as if the tiger had just collapsed from Ryan's bullet; then, when Ryan shoots again, they just stop the film, so that it looks like the tiger stopped breathing. I laughed my head off first time I saw it. Stanwyck was such a brilliant and professional actress that she managed to do justice even to this pathetic script. So did Ryan. Both looked embarrassed from time to time. I don't blame them. At least the musical score for this movie rates well; it's actually a beautiful movie theme. Campy and tons of fun. Thank God Stanwyck didn't HAVE to work by the time this was filmed; only her being the workaholic that she was explains why she appeared in this thing.