Guns at Batasi (1964)

Very best movie i ever watch

Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.

The story-telling is good with flashbacks.The film is both funny and heartbreaking. You smile in a scene and get a soulcrushing revelation in the next.

"Said England unto Pharaoh, "I must make a man of you, That will stand upon his feet and play the game; That will maxim his oppressor as a Christian ought to do," And she sent old Pharaoh Sergeant Whatisname"Rudyard Kipling wrote the above over a century ago, but no doubt it was what the author of "Guns at Batasi" had in mind when he created the remarkable character of Regimental Sergeant-Major Lauderdale.Set in the 1960s, at a time when Britain's former African colonies were in the process of achieving independence as members of the British Commonwealth, "Guns at Batasi" is the story of how the members of the sergeant's mess deal with a combination of simultaneous crises. Along with the visit of a British female MP (Dame Flora Robson playing a sort of Labor Party version of Margaret Thatcher), comes the eruption of a coup d'etat staged by the native officers and troops, followed by the arrival of a native officer wounded by the rebels. In charge of dealing with the situation is Regimental Sergeant-Major Lauderdale, the ultimate British Senior N.C.O., played to perfection by the great Richard Attenborough.And deal with it he does! While "Guns at Batasi" is a great story, as in the case of most of the great British films, it is character rather than action that prevails here. In R.S.M. Lauderdale, Richard Attenborough may well have created the finest performance of his illustrious career. If you haven't heard of this great but little-known movie, give it a chance. The story and the characters will grab you!

I enjoyed this film considerably. The production values were nice, the acting good, and it had a good sense of humor I wasn't expecting. The Sergeant Major's character was obviously clichéd, but they rounded him out enough to save him from being a mediocre character. There are some really nice touches in the script, and many of them are humorous. I though that the wounded captain's collapse just as he's giving himself up to his African countrymen is a bit coincidental, but dramatically speaking, he needs to be kept in the mess hall. And for what it's worth, and although I've never been a big fan of hers, Mia Farrow has never looked hotter.

Let me preface that I am a huge militaria buff, history books, TV shows and especially movies, if they are British they are even better (even though I'm American, go figure). I also live and travel in parts that were once part of the British Empire and let me tell you, there remains a little of that colonial sense to these places concerning whites and the natives at least thats the way I feel about it. in the I bought this DVD from Amazon for about $10.00, not really knowing what to expect. Well I was expecting a tense escape from the heart of Africa of the last of the white Brits to be honest, kind of like a Wild Geese escape. Did it turn out that way, not at all. That's the best part of not reading IMDb before you see a movie, it won't spoil the movie for you! So what do I think this movie is? I think it's the last of the line in many ways. While probably not the absolute last one made, this is a pro military guys movie. While probably not the absolute last one made, it's also a black and white film from a large studio in the 60's. God, I'm listening to John Leyton's commentary on the DVD as I write and he just said (again) "I don't mean to remind you, this film was all shot on a stage", now that was really cool to hear it at 30 seconds into it (I kid you not that was his first point) but this is minute 45 and he has told us over ten separate times how this was all made on an indoor stage, hurrah already! That gets old really fast after the 5th time, lol. John Leyton also has glowing comments about everyone here EXCEPT, you guessed it, the black actors, unbelievably shallow and so obvious a mistake. OK now I probably sound like a liberal who bashes others, on the contrary I'm not. But even though the black actors will not go near the heights that Lord Attenborough will, he could have at least acknowledged Errol John who plays the mutinous officer and has a lot of face time, Leyton didn't once say his name or anything about him. Errol John would also play a mutinous African officer in an episode of Dangerman made around the same time, he plays an effective nemesis in my opinion. OK my pluses of the film, Attenborough's RSM in a verbal debate with the liberal MP (she fits the part too, doesn't she?), pretty much summing up England's future with the conservative pro empire voice ceding to the guilt trip liberal voice that trusts everyone except those defending their own countries interest's. Mia Farrow, for Mia Farrow fans , this was her first film role, she's very hot. In the commentary Leyton said a lot of their footage was cut out. Why was it cut? Well you have Attenborough in this great dramatic performance and in the context of a small group of whites in a revolutionary African nation where anything could happen. And than you have a light hearted Mia Farrow/Leyton young 20's fling and everyone else not really showing any tension that they really could be in a serious predicament, I'm glad they trimmed their bits down or this film would have been horrible. So, in summary, good time piece film. Its a guys feel good movie (white guys), not to be taken too seriously, with a great performance by Attenborough. In war movies from then on the action would get heavier, and there would be much more moral consequences to be introduced. Also, if your looking for a British black and white military drama made close to the same time, I recommend "The Hill". Guns Of Batasi 7/10

It's the early 60's, Africa is being decolonised and a supposedly peaceful transition from colony to independent nation goes awry. All that stands between order and "enemies of the new state" being butchered is Dickie Attenborough's RSM and his Sergeant's mess. He has to defend his barracks, put up with a naive left wing politician, a young girl who's taken a fancy to a conscript private who wants his last day in the army to go without a hitch, a wounded African officer who is greatly respected by the RSM, but is an enemy of the new army he's supposed to be in charge of and a largely absent British officer corps. But this won't get Dickie down; the worse things get, the more determined and resolved he gets. Some of his dialogue is fantastic and his calm (and not so calm) put downs of those who threaten him or complain to him are brilliant. Like Anthony Hopkins in "Remains of the Day", his is a lifetime of service and duty; but one that kicks serious ass.It's one of Attenborough's finest performances: Certainly up there with Brighton Rock.