The Long and the Short and the Tall (1961) on Netflix
In 1942 Burma, a British unit records jungle sounds so other troops can play them back to mislead the Japanese. Out of radio contact, the men seize a Japanese scout.
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Plot summary
During the Japanese invasion of Burma in 1942, a British sonic deception unit of seven men goes into the jungle on a short exercise. The men record jungle and troop noises so other units can play the recordings back to mislead the enemy. Rain drives them into a shelter at a disused tin mine, where Corporal Johnstone bullies and Private Bamforth mocks. Radio contact with base fails, and the only clear signal is a Japanese broadcast. A Japanese scout appears, and Sergeant Mitchem decides the patrol must take him back for questioning.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about The Long and the Short and the Tall (1961)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Richard Todd called The Long and the Short and the Tall the most unpleasant film he ever worked on, blaming Laurence Harvey for causing trouble on set; he said Harvey was a poor influence on Richard Harris and that Leslie Norman could not control either until Todd spoke to Harris.
- Richard Todd took it for granted that Peter O'Toole, whom he called "marvelous on stage", would be cast in The Long and the Short and the Tall, but the producers told him they wanted a "name" instead.
- Leslie Norman's jungle war film was made entirely in a studio, and nobody set foot outside for a month; he asked to shoot on location but was refused, saying a jungle is "pretty claustrophobic, for sure".
- Richard Harris later claimed that Richard Todd would stand on top of mounds of dirt to seem as tall as his co-stars.
