The 7th Dawn (1964)

Very disappointing...

Too much of everything

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

In post-WW2 Malaya, political tensions rise between the British rulers and the revolutionaries. This is one of a series of clunkers that Holden made in the 1960s, when he unwisely chose film roles based on shooting locales rather than script. Here he looks disinterested playing a wealthy American business man who tries to broker peace between the warring factions. Coming off her success in "Tom Jones," York plays the daughter of a British commander who throws herself at Holden. Holden is apparently attracted to her but also has feelings for Capucine, an earnest school teacher who is sympathetic to the revolution. Holden and Capucine had an off-screen romance going at the time. The film's not as bad as its reputation would suggest.

There is a haunting, lost quality to this film that is really special. The mysterious jungles, ethereal sunrises, lost colonial world are all woven together beautifully. The life-enhancing youth of Susanna York, and exotic Capucine at the peak of her career converge at just the right moment in time to play off of the wasted, weary Holden (though still an effective acting presence). Few viewers at the time realized that the famous globe-trotting Holden was perfectly suited to this role as an aging man who accumulates wealth but realizes that he has thrown away all his opportunities for success in a personal life. Now we know that age and mistakes were catching up with Holden himself, just like the character he portrays here. Expensively made, fine cinematography, beautiful but haunting musical score written at the perfect time.Sincere acting conveys the simplistic ideals believed by everyone in those days (The British, the Communist leader Ng, the naive Americans). Simplistic thought by so many people who did not realize that the world was becoming very complicated. The USA that very year on the brink of massive effort and tragedy in Vietnam. The early 1960's with so many nations on the cusp of independence as colonialism was literally dying as this film was being made. Viewers in 1964 were still expecting movie-star Holden and happy endings. Instead, Holden gave them the truth here and they couldn't handle it. So, this movie was long forgotten, only shown a few times over the years in various chopped-up prints, and achieved obscurity. We are lucky that a full-length version was preserved. This kind of independent-minded, carefully photographed, rare unique movie is seldom encountered and should be treasured, despite how uneven or flawed it may be.

..the terrific opening titles by noted artist Maurice Binder. He is most famous, of course, for the BOND film titles. This movie is indeed overlooked, though I remember seeing it on more than a few occasions on TV. Nowadays older movies don't make it on the tube in the U.S.; at least on regular (commercial-laden) channels.I hope to acquire a copy of this movie someday, either tape or DVD. Format doesn't matter to me. The way old movie stars of this era (40's-50's-60's) are dropping like flies it's important to grab up as much of their work as possible. The up-and-coming generation of movie goers probably won't demand this kind of material unless they get a chance to view it.

This is one of those films that goes unnoticed for some reason, despite having an excellent story, superb cast and breathtaking scenery.Although it is "entertainment", art does imitate life and we see the brutal reality of how a dedicated (and duped) Marxist revolutionary lets deep, committed friendships fall to the wayside, in fact uses those very friendships, to further his political cause.The film came out about the time the war in Vietnam became an American War and this may be the reason it did not do as well as it should have at the box office.A young Suzanna York is stunning; Capucine is the classic beauty she remained until her untimely, and sad, suicide in 1987. Bill Holden was the perennial Bill Holden. The Asian commie rat was a typical Asian commie rat. Those guys still don't have a clue. China will eventually fall not from within but from without-they can't keep the internet out and once its citizens see the real world out there, communism is finished.Well worth watching whenever you can catch it.