The 7th Dawn – 1964 – William Holden

The Story …

As the Japanese occupiers in Malaya during World War II surrendered, three friends who fought in the Resistance emerged from the jungle.

Ferris is an American who fought alongside the Malayans. Dhana is a half-French, half-Vietnamese woman Ferris is in love with. Ng is a Communist revolutionary, raised by Dhana’s family. They meet Trumpey, the commanding British officer, during the Japanese surrender ceremony. Ng leaves Ferris and Dhana to travel to Moscow for training.

1953 – The Malayan communist insurgency erupts as Britain prepares to grant Malaya independence. Ferris is a prosperous rubber plantation owner.

Dhana is his mistress and the head of a schoolteacher’s union. Ng has returned as a committed revolutionary, commanding Communist partisan attacking British economic interests.

Ferris’s friendship with Ng has protected his rubber plantation from attack. British officials ask Ferris to convince Ng to halt his attacks until independence is granted. Ferris journeys to Ng’s headquarters, but Ng does not trust the British and refuses.

On his return, Ferris meets Trumpey’s daughter Candace. Trumpey has returned to Malaya as High Commissioner of the United Kingdom for Malaya. Candace invites Ferris to a party at their residence, the Carcosa Seri Negara. When Ferris arrives there, Dhana is leading a protest of bicycle riders, demanding Trumpey rescind a new law, designed to prevent terrorist attacks, forbidding cyclists to ride at night. Eager to build bridges with the locals, Trumpey agrees. Ferris attends the party and sparks fly with Candace, before a terrorist bombs the event.

Candace has fallen in love with Ferris and visits Dhana in prison. Dhana asks Candace to help Ferris deal with her death. Candace is moved by this selfless request and convinced Dhana is innocent.

She gives herself up to Ng as a hostage, to be traded for Dhana’s life.

Ferris decides the only way to save Dhana is to kill Ng. He treks into the jungle to Ng’s headquarters. The British authorities give Ferris seven days to find Ng before they will execute Dhana. Candace is horrified to find she was naive. Ng is a zealot who cares more about his ideals than individual life. Candace is now a real prisoner. Ng is perfectly willing to actually kill her if Dhana is executed.

The British learn the location of Ng’s camp and attack it, just as Ferris arrives. Ng escapes with Candace. Ferris follows them through the jungle. Ferris rescues Candace and takes Ng prisoner.

They trek to the coast. Ferris hopes to bring Ng to the British before Dhana’s execution. Ng turns on Ferris. They fight, forcing Candace to shoot Ng. Dying, Ng reveals he planted the explosives in Dhana’s bicycle. He sacrificed her, though he loved her because he knew the death of a beloved community leader would cause protests against the British.

Ferris and Candace struggle to bring Trumpey word of Ng’s death, before the morning of Dhana’s scheduled execution.

They nearly reach their goal, but the bridge they must cross gets washed out by floods. Dhana is executed. Ferris and Candace are rescued by the British.

Sometime later, Ferris visits Candace, who is recuperating from her ordeal in the jungle. She professes her love, but he says he is too old for her, and that he must leave Malaya.

It reminds him too much of Dhana. Ferris says farewell to Candace and wishes her father good luck dealing with the Malayans, who have already begun protesting about Dhana’s death.

Credits :

Directed by : Lewis Gilbert
Written by : Karl Tunberg
Based on : The Durian Tree by Michael Keon
Produced by : Charles K. Feldman
Cinematography : Freddie Young
Edited by : John Shirley and Jeremy Saunders
Music by : Riz Ortolani
Distributed by : United Artists
Release Date : 2 September 1964

Genre : #Romance – #Drama – #Adventure

Cast :

William Holden as Major Ferris
Capucine as Dhana Mercier
Tetsurō Tamba as Ng
Susannah York as Candace Trumpey
Michael Goodliffe as Peter Trumpey
Allan Cuthbertson as Colonel Cavendish
Maurice Denham as Tarlton
Sydney Tafler as Police Commissioner Tom
Beulah Quo as Ah Ming

Film Information Source :

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_7th_Dawn

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