Burn! (1969)

[Queimada]

Director: Gillo Pontecorvo
Starring: Marlon Brando, Evaristo Márquez, Renato Salvatori

Synopsis:
Mercenary William Walker incites a slave revolt on the Portuguese colony of Queimada to advance British interests.

Impressions:
I was drawn to this movie thinking it was an account of the historical William Walker, but the name of the character is only an oblique reference to the fabled Grey-Eyed Man of Destiny. You can definitely tell this is an Italian film and even feels somewhat like a spaghetti Western in terms of cinematography and general grittiness. Appropriate then, that we've got a score by Ennio Morricone. Marlon Brando considered this his best performance and he does a great job as the cynical soldier of fortune who's nevertheless pricked by his conscience from time to time. What really impressed me was the gravitas and quiet dignity of Evaristo Márquez as José Dolores, who was not a trained actor but was outstanding as the hero antagonist to our villain protagonist. This is definitely worth a watch and I highly recommend it.

Rating:
Watch It