JAPANESE BOMB THE PADDY FIELDS

This film is held by the Imperial War Museum (ID: BAY 245-5-8).

Synopsis

I. Long shots of explosions and a fire in a paddy field, filmed from behind some trees. Another view over paddy fields panning past a set of football goal posts.

II. Atmospheric, semi-silhouette dawn shots by the lake at Meiktila, showing the pagoda across the lake, a horse drawn carriage and various civilians and bullock carts passing by the water's edge.

III. Scenes at "Dirty Water Creek" at tributary to the Irrawaddy river, showing men, women and children washing in the river.

IV. Multiple views of the oil fields at Yenangyaung. Numerous shots of the large number of small oil derricks. Shot of a pagoda with some oil derricks in the background. Shots of workers working on the pump and drill on a derrick. View looking skywards through the framework of an oil derrick. View along the oil pipeline. Long shot of the oil pipeline. View of the bridge carrying the pipeline over the river at Myingun.

V. Maymo, Upper Burma, 14 March 1942. Shots of various personalities in the grounds of Government House, including Lieutenant-General Sir Harold Alexander talking with Sir Reginald Dorman-Smith, Governor of Burma. Portrait shot of General Alexander. Portrait shot of General Tu Yaming of the Fifth Chinese Army. Portrait shot of Chinese Delegate General Fisher T Hou. Group shot of members of the Burmese Government, from left to right, Hon. U Htoon Aung Gyaw (Minister of Finance and Revenue), the Honourable Major U Eye (Minister of Home Security), the Honourable Sir Paw Tun (Prime Minister), the Honourable Sir U Ba On (Minister of Labour) and the Honourable U Tharawaddy Maung Maung. Portrait shots of the above (in reverse order). Shots of General Joseph W Stillwell with members of his staff and Chinese Generals, Major General Franklin Sibert, General Shang-Chen, Lieutenant-Colonel W G Wyman, Major Frank Merrill, Colonel George Vaughn, General Tsenghei Kuei, Colonel Frank Dorn and Lieutenant Richard M T Young. Portrait shots of General Stilwell.

Mute, unedited footage shot by British Paramount News cameraman Maurice Ford in Burma, probably February 1942, showing a Japanese bombing raid on a paddy field, dawn by the lake in Meiktila, "Dirty Water Creek", a tributary to the Irrawaddy river and Burma oil fields at Yenangyaung on the banks of the Pinkyaung river. Various personalities at Government House, Maymo, Burma 14 March 1942.

Notes

Identification of locations, personalities, and their spelling, taken from the cameraman's original Dope Sheet.

See cameraman's original Dope Sheet. Footage relates to shipment nos 138, 141, 142 and 143.

With the exception of the Government House footage, the cameraman's original Dope Sheets do not include a filming date.

For the British Paramount newsreel including footage shot by Maurice Ford in Burma, 1942, see issue no 1173, IWM film ref NPA 1173.

 

Titles

  • BURMA - OIL FIELDS (Allocated)
  • BURMA WORKERS AT DAWN AND AT DIRTY WATER CREEK (Allocated)
  • JAPANESE BOMB THE PADDY FIELDS
  • PERSONALITIES IN BURMA 14 MARCH 1942
 

Technical Data

Year:
1942
Running Time:
10 minutes
Film Gauge (Format):
35mm
Colour:
B&W
Sound:
Silent
Footage:
1060 ft
 

Production Credits

Production Countries:
Burma
cameraman
Ford, Maurice
Production company
British Paramount News