Rent The Long and the Short and the Tall (1961)

Jungle war. - The Long and the Short and the Tall review by Steve

Revisionist war film set in the Malayan jungle during WWII adapted from Willis Hall's debut play. A patrol of British soldiers are engaged in sonic experiments to confuse the Japanese, but spend more time fighting each other. Aside from incessant bickering and indiscipline, the film explores the hypocrisy of military ethics.

Eventually, the ensemble cast is picked off by the enemy. Some viewers will be amenable to Laurence Harvey's gobby Cockney taking a stray bullet early on, but he later becomes the film's conscience as he defends the rights of their Japanese prisoner when the senior officer (Richard Todd) intends to kill him, prompted by his second in command (Richard Harris).

This all adds up to an obvious attempt to break with the traditions of the patriotic memorials of fifties British war films. This unit is a rabble. The men are not heroes. Most of the dialogue is just inane quarrelling and provocation; but there is something compelling about how panic, prejudice and incoherent pragmatism grips the flawed command.

Ultimately the film restates that war is hell. The jungle setting was created in an obviously limited space in the studio, but there is a rich atmosphere, with the constant tropical rainfall. Apparently the cast all hated each other, which probably helped. It's a potent war film, but mainly interesting as a point when British cinema began to show a different side of WWII.