The 7th Dawn
 Original film poster by Howard Terpning | ||
| Starring | William Holden Capucine Tetsurō Tamba Susannah York | |
| Directed by | Lewis Gilbert | |
| Produced by | Charles K. Feldman | |
| Written by | Karl Tunberg | |
| Editing by | John Shirley Jeremy Saunders | |
| Based on | based on The Durian Tree by Michael Keon | |
| Music by | Riz Ortolani | |
| Cinematography | Freddie Young | |
| Distributed by | United Artists | |
| Released | 2 September 1964 | |
| Runtime | 123 minutes | |
| Country | United Kingdom and United States | |
| language | English | |
The 7th Dawn is a 1964 Technicolor drama film directed by Lewis Gilbert and starring William Holden, Capucine and Tetsurō Tamba. The film, set during the Malayan Emergency, is based on the 1960 novel "The Durian Tree" by Michael Keon and was filmed on location in Malaysia.
Plot
Three friends who fought the Japanese occupiers in Malaya during World War II find themselves on opposing sides in the communist insurgency following the war. Ferris (Holden) becomes a prosperous rubber-plantation owner, while his mistress Dhana (Capucine) is head of a schoolteacher's union. The third, former guerrilla Ng (Tetsurō Tamba), goes to Moscow to obtain an education. He returns an even more committed revolutionary than he was during the war, and Dhana is torn between the two men.
Ferris, whose friendship with Ng protects him from attack, tries to avoid the conflict. Still, he is inexorably involved when Dhana is arrested and sentenced to death for carrying explosives for the insurgents. As an additional complication, Candace Trumpey (Susannah York), the daughter of a British resident whom Ferris had met at the end of the war, is infatuated with the worldly Ferris. The naive Candace (York) offers herself as a hostage and falls into Ng's hands. He threatens to kill her if Dhana's sentence is executed. Ferris offers to flush Ng out in exchange for Dhana's life, but he is given only seven days to do so.
Cast
- William Holden as Major Ferris
- Capucine as Dhana
- Tetsurō Tamba as Ng
- Susannah York as Candace Trumpey
- Michael Goodliffe as Trumphey
- Allan Cuthbertson as Colonel Cavendish
- Maurice Denham as Tarlton
- Sydney Tafler as Police Commissioner Tom
- Beulah Quo as Ah Ming
Production
"The Durian Tree" was published in 1960. It was written by Australian journalist Michael Keon, and the lead character Ferris was an Australian. The New York Times called it "a serious and ambitious novel" but said Keon was "a good reporter but a poor novelist." The Los Angeles Times called it "suspenseful, provocative, ultimately illuminating." The film rights were bought by Charles K. Feldman.
The script included a nude scene for Susannah York, who did not want to do it, but on location, the filmmakers insisted. She appeared in one take, and her stand-in appeared in another. Photos of York shooting the scene were later published in Playboy. York explained, "Someone had a long-distance camera. I'd just like to forget about it. It's an unfortunate business."
Reception
The film generated $2.3 million in revenue and ranked 89th among American films for 1964.
Soundtrack
The film's score was composed by Riz Ortolani following the popularity of his score for Mondo Cane which was released in the U.S. in 1963. The theme song "The Seventh Dawn" was sung by the Lettermen on the film soundtrack. Sergio Franchi recorded the song as a 1964 single and Roland Shaw provided an instrumental cover version.
External links
- Review The 7th Dawn at the Turner Classic Movie Database
- Review The 7th Dawn at the Internet Movie Database
- The 7th Dawn at All Movie Guide
- Seventh Dawn on YouTube
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