Queimada (1969)

Director:

Gillo Pontecorvo

Writers:

Franco Solinas (story) &
Giorgio Arlorio (story) ...

Release Date:

21 October 1970 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

The man who sells war. The bloodier the battle - the higher the price. He's going to make a fortune on this one.

Plot:

The professional mercenary Sir William Walker instigates a slave revolt on the Caribbean island of Queimada...

Plot Keywords:

Sugar | England | Portuguese | Rebel | Island

Awards:

2 wins

Cast

Marlon Brando	...	Sir William Walker
Evaristo Márquez	...	José Dolores (as Evaristo Marquez)
Norman Hill	...	Shelton
Thomas Lyons	...	Gen. Alonso Prada
Renato Salvatori	...	Teddy Sanchez
Valeria Ferran Wanani	...	Guarina
Giampiero Albertini	...	Henry Thompson
Carlo Palmucci	...	Jack
Dana Ghia	...	Francesca
Joseph P. Persaud	...	Juanito
Álvaro Medrano	...	Soldier (as Alvaro Medrano)
Alejandro Obregón	...	Engl. Major (as Alejandro Obregon)
Enrico Cesaretti

Also Known As:

Burn! (USA)
The Mercenary (Canada: English title)
Isyan (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
La quemada (Colombia) [es]
Queimada (Greece) [el]
Queimada (Finland) [fi]
Queimada - Insel des Schreckens (West Germany) [de]
Queimada! (Argentina) [es]
Quemada! (Spain) [es]

MPAA:

Rated R for some violence and nudity. (2005 re-rating; 1970 rating GP)

Runtime:

Argentina:115 min | Italy:132 min | UK:112 min | USA:112 min | USA:132 min (restored version) | Germany:121 min

Country:

Italy | France

Language:

English | Portuguese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Australia:M | Finland:K-16 (cut) (1971) | UK:12 (video rating) (2004) | South Korea:15 | UK:AA (original rating) | Argentina:13 | Sweden:15 | USA:GP (original rating) | USA:R (re-rating) (2005)

Filming Locations:

Cartagena, Bolívar, Colombia

Company:

Europee Associate SAS

Trivia:

The film's original title was Quemada (the spanish word for "burnt"), as the action took place in a Spanish colony. When the Spanish government officially complained and threatened a boycott of the film (objecting to the script's supposedly anti-Spanish bias), Gillo Pontecorvo agreed to alter the setting to a Portuguese island and the release title became Queimada ("burnt" in Portuguese).

Quotes:

Sir William Walker: Gentlemen, let me ask you a question. Now, my metaphor may seem a trifle impertinent, but I think it's very much to the point. Which do you prefer - or should I say, which do you find more convenient - a wife, or one of these mulatto girls? No, no, please don't misunderstand: I am talking strictly in terms of economics...
[...]

Movie Connections:

Featured in Brando (2007) (TV)

"If a man gives you freedom, it is not freedom. Freedom is something you take for yourself."

Marlon Brando's involvement in the making of "Burn" came about directly as the result of his politician idealism and his desire to make films with a comment on the human situation… In 1968 he was deeply concerned in supporting civil rights causes, particularly those to have reference to black and Indian conditions, and, according to his friends, he was greatly disturbed and depressed by the assassination of Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King…

"Burn" begins in 1845 as Sir William Walker (Brando) arrives on the island of Queimada, truly as far as can be judged as a harmless traveler but actually an agent of the British government ordered to incite a revolution that will shatter the Portuguese control on the island and permit the British to put their hand on the valuable sugar-cane total product… Queimada has a population of two hundred thousand, of whom only five thousand are Europeans…The main town is a well-protected port with a fort and a garrison, a governor's palace, a cathedral, a bank, a hotel and a brothel…

The English gentleman recognizes he must play the part of a political Pygmalion… He looks around for a suitable subject to train as a revolutionary and he selects José Dolores (Evaristo Marquez), a large, handsome black dock-worker with an air of confidence… Walker also recruits Teddy Sanchez (Renato Salvatori), an almost-white clerk with political ambitions… Walker persuades José Dolores to steal the bank of the island, and once he does, Walker reveals his name to the government, thereby turning Dolores into a hunted bandit… The ingenious Walker then teaches Dolores and his followers in the use of firearms and gradually absorbs in them ideas and feelings to overthrow the Portuguese government…

The film is quite obviously political in tone, and is a passionate piece of propaganda in the anti-colonial struggle… Brando's interpretation of Sir William Walker is apt to call up memories of his Fletcher Christian… This is another Englishman, whose gentle speech and soft manners disguise with courage and determination…Walker is not a villain but a cold, inflexible pragmatist with a hard work to accomplish…