In an interview following a standing ovation for his latest film as director ‘Hacksaw Ridge’ at the Venice Film Festival, Mel Gibson listed Raoul Walsh’s ‘Objective, Burma’ – and our man Flynn – as his war movie touchstone:
“I love that film [Objective, Burma] and its way of dealing with war in the Pacific, in hindsight. Things were heavily censored back then and you couldn’t show a lot of awful things, but it was kind of suggested. Raoul Walsh directed it and Errol Flynn parachutes into Japanese-occupied Burma in hopes of destroying a critical radar base. The mission is a success but the group reaches the air strip where they expect to find planes ready to fly them to safety. Walsh was one of the f*cking greats. He had an eye patch, like some kind of pirate. Walsh made some great movies. The choices he makes inObjective, Burma, they really horrify you about war, and this was in the ’50s.”
Read the full article here:
deadline.com…
— Philip
Gentleman Tim
September 9, 2016 at 11:14 am
What a fantastic interview, Phiip! Thank you! So great to see Mel Gibson back!
I recall in the early Eighties when Gibson was being hailed as a sort of heir apparent to Errol’s Hollywood-Australian throne, particularly after his stellar performance in Gallipoli. As a Hearst related site put it in 2011:
“Like our own era’s Mel Gibson, Flynn managed the mean feat of being a heartthrob for female moviegoers and a rugged man’s man type with males.”
Can’t wait to see The Barbary Coast!
[img]https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/b5/94/bb/b594bb23ed2217027a7837619aec0ef4.jpg[/img]
Philip
September 9, 2016 at 12:38 pm
Cheers Tim.
Great to hear from you.
I hope ‘Hacksaw Ridge’ puts Mel back in the map, or at least, considering the bad media he’s attract over the past decade, garners him the credit and plaudits he deserves.
And yes, Barbary Coast sounds a good one. Mel’s film company Icon have also just purchased the rights to an Australian SAS (special forces, similar to navy seals in US) soldier’s autobiography, Crossroads.
He was recipient of a Victory Cross ( equivalent to Purple Heart) in Aghanistan. So, could be another war related movie coming up for Mel.
Cheers,
P
twinarchers
September 9, 2016 at 3:58 pm
Gotta love Mel
The Zaca
September 14, 2016 at 8:07 pm
I love Mel too and feel he’s been dealt a bad hand by a prejudiced media. Thanks for the post!
shangheinz
September 15, 2016 at 3:05 pm
[img]http://www.theerrolflynnblog.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/mad-mel.jpg[/img]
Well Mad Mel was walking in Errol`s bootstraps ever since he became a moutineer on the Bounty. Or even before when he joined the Lad Brigade at “Gallipoli”. He even would have been good as new age Robin Hood. Another Aussie that knows rebel rousing`n´carousing well…