Malaya (film)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Malaya | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Richard Thorpe |
| Produced by | Edwin H. Knopf |
| Written by | Manchester Boddy (story) Frank Fenton |
| Starring | Spencer Tracy James Stewart Sydney Greenstreet John Hodiak Valentina Cortese |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| Release date(s) | 27 December 1949 |
| Running time | 98 min. |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
Malaya is a 1949 war film starring Spencer Tracy, James Stewart, John Hodiak, Valentina Cortese, Lionel Barrymore, and Sydney Greenstreet.
[edit] Plot
Smuggler Carnaghan (Tracy) is let out of prison by government agent Kellar (John Hodiak) on condition that he help John Royer (Stewart) sneak the entire vitally-needed rubber crop out of Japanese-held Malaya during World War II. They slip into the country and contact Carnaghan's associate, the Dutchman (Greenstreet), who conveniently recruits a gang of cutthroats for them from customers in his saloon, including Romano (Gilbert Roland).
Using money and intimidation, they succeed in purchasing all the available rubber, but eventually the Japanese commander, Colonel Tomura (Richard Loo), gets wind of the scheme. On the last trip to transport the remainder of the cargo to a waiting freighter, Carnaghan smells an ambush, but Royer disregards his warning and is killed by the waiting soldiers. The cynical Carnaghan then turns patriotic and completes the mission.
[edit] Cast
- Spencer Tracy as Carnaghan
- James Stewart as John Royer
- Sidney Greenstreet as The Dutchman. This was Greenstreet's last film.
- Richard Loo as Colonel Tomura
- Gilbert Roland as Romano
- John Hodiak as Kellar
- Valentina Cortese as Luana, bargirl and Carnaghan's former girlfriend
- Lionel Barrymore as John Manchester, a fictionalized version of newspaper publisher Boddy.
- Roland Winters as Bruno Gerber, a plantation owner
- DeForest Kelley, as Lieutenant Glenson, a minor role. He later became better known as Dr. McCoy in Star Trek.
