Burn!

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Burn!

PG

1969

1h 52m

Adventure

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Popcornmeter

80%

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15 Reviews

80%

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1,000+ Ratings

During the 1840s, Britain sends secret agent Sir William Walker (Marlon Brando) to break up Portugal's sugar monopoly on the fictional Caribbean island of Queimada. Walker incites the slaves to revolt under the leadership of a dock worker, José Dolores, while simultaneously convincing plantation owners to turn against the government. A decade later, however, Walker must return to Queimada to confront his one-time pupil, Dolores, who now leads a revolt to throw out the British.

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Pauline Kael

The New Yorker

Maybe it was one of those ambitious ideas that look great until you try to carry them out; if there was a way to make it work, Pontecorvo didn’t.

Sep 11, 2023

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Michael O'Sullivan

Washington Post

Pontecorvo's pointed 1969 drama of the politics of war feels surprisingly timely.

Oct 15, 2004

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Stephen Hunter

Washington Post

I don't think Queimada is as great a movie as Battle of Algiers, but it retains its vitality, its outrage, its savagery and its spirit.

Oct 15, 2004

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Tom Meek

Cambridge Day

Am amazing collaboration between Marlon Brando and Italian director Gillo Pontecorvo...

Rated: 3.5/4

Jul 28, 2020

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Adam Lippe

Examiner.com

If there's a better filmic explanation for how people can justify exploitation and colonialism, I don't know what it is.

Mar 5, 2012

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Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

As a follow-up to Battle of Algiers, Burn! is a flawed film, but it's worth seeing for its tone of outrage and provocative ideas about colonialism, big business, and slavery.

Rated: B-

Jul 28, 2011

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Mike W

I gave up half way through. It wasnt worth more time than that. Brando did not give much to the movie other than his brooding self. There was noise, action, and chaos. But the story was difficult to follow.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

01/03/25

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andrea m

The film shows that inviting to start a rebellion is not as administering a country.At the end what happens is only to replace one colonial power with anoter. Music is also appropriate and give a special mood to the story.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

11/10/24

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Audience Member

A very good film . It tells us the role of who is organizing a social change just because no social change occurs aside from the change of the dominant foreign Country power (like Gattopardo). Fantastic as usual is the music by Morricone. I do not love Brando in all films he played but here his interpretation is one of his best

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/12/23

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ashley h

Burn! is an incredible film. It is about Sir William Walker who instigates a slave revolt on the Caribbean island of Queimada. Marlon Brando and Evaristo Marquez give amazing performances. The screenplay is well written. Gillo Pontecorvo did a great job directing this movie. I enjoyed watching this motion picture because of the action and drama. Burn! is a must see.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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s r

Ambitious, but not much going on here. It was a chore to get through.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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robert m

The best Brando movie that "nobody ever heard about." This movie is about race, imperialism, global economics, and some other controversial topics. It explains how the British Empire functioned during the 1800s. Sometimes the Brando character seems progressive and sometimes he's a ruthless puppet master. The movie frightened Hollywood and it was quickly dumped into obscurity.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

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Gillo Pontecorvo

Director

Marlon Brando

Sir William Walker

Evaristo Márquez

José Dolores

Renato Salvatori

Teddy Sanchez

Norman Hill

Shelton

Thomas Lyons

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Synopsis

During the 1840s, Britain sends secret agent Sir William Walker (Marlon Brando) to break up Portugal's sugar monopoly on the fictional Caribbean island of Queimada. Walker incites the slaves to revolt under the leadership of a dock worker, José Dolores, while simultaneously convincing plantation owners to turn against the government. A decade later, however, Walker must return to Queimada to confront his one-time pupil, Dolores, who now leads a revolt to throw out the British.

Director: Gillo Pontecorvo
Producer: Alberto Grimaldi
Production Co: Produzioni Europee Associate (PEA), Les Productions Artistes Associés
Rating: PG (Nudity|Some Violence)
Genre: Adventure
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 11, 2017
Runtime: 1h 52m

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