Let's get the one bit of bad news out of the way first -- while there are not a lot of special effects in this film, the special effects of air warfare at the beginning of the film are about the worst I've ever seen...and it has nothing to do with it being only 1954. Just plain cheap.Okay, beyond that there is little to criticize. Well, maybe the ending wrapped things up just a little too quickly, but that is not uncommon in many films.The good news is that much of the film was filmed on location...well...not really. Sri Lanka is not Burma. But then again, "The Bridge On The River Kwai", which was supposed to be Thailand, was also filmed in Sri Lanka. I was a bit surprised by the arid nature of much of the film's on location filming (I at least lived in Thailand for a while), but sure enough, there are parts of Burma that can be that arid for parts of the year.The story -- which takes place in World War II Burma -- is a good, and very realistic. It is British story, not American.Gregory Peck's acting here is superb. Wasn't it always? Really, his depth as a man with troubling memories who had allowed those issues to cloud his character is remarkable. I would go so far as to say that this is one of his finer roles, although I was unaware of it until recently.Win Min Than is interesting as the love interest. It's worthwhile looking up her bio on IMDb or elsewhere. She is actually Burmese.Maurice Denham, Lyndon Brook, and Bernard De Banzie are very good as British officers. Brenda De Banzie, whom I remembered from "The Man Who Knew Too Much" is interesting.Highly recommended for Gregory Peck's acting ability.

The Purple Plain is competently transferred to the big screen, but with a degree of amendment from the book that just takes the edge off it a little too much. Performances all round are first rate with Brenda De Banzie particularly worthy of note as the slightly manic Miss McNab. It's a good film, but it's not a great one and this really is one of those stories which deserves to be remade. Special effects, even for 1954 are pretty crude and this film is a good example of why rear projection quickly went out of fashion in colour films. Even the most sympathetic viewer will find most of the effects distract rather than enhance.H.E Bates wrote perhaps the greatest of all WWII stories and although Eric Ambler put together some of the best WWII screenplays on film, here I think he just made some of the lead characters a little too nice and a little too cosy for the situation they find themselves in. The film is still worth watching, but to fully appreciate the depth of the story, you really need to read the book as well.

The Purple Plain is a true classic. Has a simple but great plot and Gregory Peck does a fine job. Good movie for a rainy afternoon.The Purple Plain is a 1954 British war film, based on the 1947 novel The Purple Plain by H. E. Bates.[1] Produced with a relatively modest budget by J.Arthur Rank Studios, the production was directed by Robert Parrish, with screen writing by novelist Eric Ambler in consultation with the author. Color photography was by Geoffrey Unsworth. The film was produced on location in Sigiriya, in what was then Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), and utilized several locations later used in Bridge on the River Kwai. The film was successful at the box office and was ultimately nominated in the category of ''Best British film'' of 1954 at the 8th British Academy Film Awards. The award was presented to the dramatic comedy Hobson's Choice. Actor Maurice Denham was also nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his performance as Blore.The Purple Plain is generally historically accurate with good production values and attention to detail, and depicts the native Burmese in a respectful manner. The war based survival film also includes several eccentric characters, including Miss McNab, an elderly missionary, played by British actress Brenda De Banzie. The aircraft in the film were repainted in accurate camouflage and markings, and were provided through the cooperation of the Royal Air Force (RAF). RAF members were on-site during filming, and several are credited as extras.

In The Purple Plain Gregory Peck became the latest in a long list of American stars playing Canadians in order to appear natural in a British production. At least Peck did not attempt an English accent as he did in The Paradine Case where he drifted in and out of one during the course of the film.The Purple Plain is set in the China-Burma-India Theater of World War II and Peck is a pilot with the RAF. He's a man who takes reckless chances on missions because he's got nothing to live for, his wife having been killed in the blitz in wartime London. But a doctor friend, Bernard Lee, decides what Peck needs is a new woman and a new purpose in life. He introduces him to missionary Brenda DaBanzie and also to a lovely Eurasian played by Win Min Than in her one and only film. If The Purple Plain has a glaring weakness it's her, she's beautiful, but can't act. Peck may have a new outlook on life and a reason to live, but that fact is lost on Maurice Denham his bunkmate and copilot. On a routine mission, Peck, Denham, with new navigator Lyndon Brook crash in the Burmese jungle. Will they all survive as Peck's leadership is put to the test?If the jungle looks familiar, The Purple Plain was shot in Sri Lanka, Ceylon at the time which was for a brief period, a most popular place for film locations. Around the same time Elephant Walk was done here and later on the acclaimed Bridge on the River Kwai. The Purple Plain is beautifully photographed in that jungle.The Purple Plain is not as good as The Bridge on the River Kwai, it certainly is much better than Elephant Walk. Peck delivers a stalwart performance and gets able assistance from the rest of the cast with the exception of his leading lady. It's worth a look the next time it is broadcast.