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Bombs Over Burma
Bombs Over Burma
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Joseph H. Lewis
Screenplay by	Joseph H. Lewis; George Wellington Pardy
Story by	Milton Raison
Produced by	Arthur Alexander; Alfred Stern
Starring	Anna May Wong
Cinematography	Robert E. Cline
Edited by	Charles Henkel Jr.
Music by	Lee Zahler
Distributed by	Producers Releasing Corporation
Release date	June 5, 1942;
Running time	65 minutes
Country	United States
Languages	English; Mandarin

Bombs Over Burma (also known as The Devil's Sister) is a 1942 American war film directed by Joseph H. Lewis, based on a story by Milton Raison.^[2] To depict the Chinese character faithfully, the star, Anna May Wong, and other characters speak Mandarin in the first few minutes.^[3]

Plot

In 1942, Chinese guerrillas fighting for the Allied cause in Burma during World War II are helping to build a road. During the construction of a military supply road like the Burma Road and Ledo Road, the project is sabotaged by an English nobleman who is a German agent.

Using a scientific device, the English nobleman is instrumental in the coordination of a Japanese air attack on supply trucks attempting to cross a key bridge. A Chinese school teacher (Anna May Wong) reveals the schemes of the traitor, and brings about his destruction at the hands of Chinese peasants armed with picks and shovels.

Cast

As appearing in Bombs Over Burma, (main roles and screen credits identified):^[4]

Anna May Wong as Lin Ying
Noel Madison as Me-Hoi
Leslie Denison as Sir Roger Howe
Nedrick Young as Slim Jenkins
Dan Seymour as Pete Brogranza
Frank Lackteen as Hallam
Teala Loring as Lucy Dell
Dennis Moore as Tom Whitley
Connie Leon as Ma Sing
Hayward Soo Hoo as Ling
Richard Loo as Col. Kim
Paul Fung as Toy Vendor
Richard Wong as Servant

Production

Lack of an adequate budget and a two-week shooting schedule hampered the production, limiting Bombs Over Burma to "B-fare".^[5]^[6]

Reception

Production values doomed Bombs Over Burma both at the box office and with critics. The review in The New York Times succinctly called it a "dud", loaded with stock shots, even recognizable "California architecture."^[7] Later reviews such as that of Leonard Maltin, noted that the film was an "... interesting if failed attempt to make a hard-hitting, topical film ... Director/cowriter Lewis' visual flair can't save a talky, pedestrian script. Wong comes off well, as usual."^[8]

Availability

Alpha Video released the film on region-1 DVD on June 28, 2005.^[9]

References

Notes

^ Bombs Over Burma (1942) at IMDb
^ Evans 2000, p. 30.
^ Leong 2005, p. 191.
^ "Credits: Bombs Over Burma (1942)." Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved: May 7, 2012.
^ Leong 2005, p. 101.
^ Erickson, Hal. "Bombs Over Burma." Archived April 26, 2006, at the Wayback Machine Allmovie. Retrieved: March 22, 2012.
^ T.S. "Movie Review: Bombs Over Burma (1942)." The New York Times, August 10, 1942.
^ "Leonard Maltin Film Review: Bombs Over Burma (1942)." Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved: May 7, 2012.
^ "Bombs Over Burma." oldies.com. Retrieved: March 22, 2012.

Bibliography

Evans, Alun. Brassey's Guide to War Films. Dulles, Virginia: Potomac Books, 2000. ISBN 1-57488-263-5.
Leong, Karen J. The China Mystique: Pearl S. Buck, Anna May Wong, Mayling Soong, and the Transformation of American Orientalism. Berkeley, California: University of California Press, 2005. ISBN 0-5202-4422-2.
Taves, Brian. Joseph H. Lewis, Anna May Wong, and Bombs Over Burma. In Gary Rhodes, ed. The Films of Joseph H. Lewis. Detroit, Michigan: Wayne State University Press, 2012. ISBN 978-0814334621.