A number of forces converged to create the “Malayan Emergency” (1948-1953).  For one thing, Western European economic reconstruction required a lot of raw materials.  Tin and rubber were enormously valuable raw materials.  Malaya produced both in abundance.  For another thing, as a result of the Second World War and its aftermath, Britain owed heaps of money to other countries (the US and British Commonwealth countries).  A steady supply of tin and rubber would help both European reconstruction and the British balance of payments.[1]  For yet another thing, Malaya had a large minority population of ethnic Chinese.[2]  They were at odds with the Malay majority.  The Malaysian Chinese could not but be engaged with the civil war between the Kuomintang and the Chinese Communists.  Unrest rooted in the Chinese population fit within the context of the developing Cold War.  So, the British fought. 

            The Malaysian Communist Party (MCP, overwhelmingly ethnic Chinese) had little difficulty standing-up a competent insurgent force.  The British had trained and armed Malayan Communists for guerrilla war against the Japanese from 1942 to 1945.  The insurgent strategy lay in launching terrorist actions from the safe-haven of the jungle against British economic interests, institutions, and individuals.  In June 1948, ethnic Chinese Communists killed the British managers of three plantations.  In 1950, after a year or so of fiddling about, the British carried out a huge campaign of relocating the rural Chinese to “new villages.”  This cut off the guerrillas in the jungle from their base of support.[3]  Combined with military operations, these measures largely crushed the insurgency by early 1953. 

By the early 1950s, the Rank Organization—Britain’s Hollywood—was looking for topical movies that could make a solid profit.  For Britain, the loss of the Empire was about as topical as you could get.  A first effort came in “The Planter’s Wife” (dir. Ken Annakin, 1952). 

            The story takes place in a compressed period of time.  Understandably wrought-up by Communist insurgents’ murder of his neighbors, resolute British planter Jim Frazer (Jack Hawkins) busily fortifies his house and roots out suspicious employees.  His American wife Liz (Claudette Colbert) feels neglected, but also afraid of the rising tide of violence.  She wants Jim to sell out and take them and their son, Mike, home to Britain.  Jim won’t agree, so—she confides to a friend, the local British police chief—Liz plans to scarper with the boy and never come back.[4]  The rebels short-circuit her plans with a series of attacks on the house.  Forced to choose, Liz fights hard for their safety.  At the last moment, patrolling British troops fall on the rebels clustered around the house.  Afterwards, Liz decides that she will stay in Malaya with Jim.  Still, just to be safe, Mike gets shipped off to Britain.[5] 

            “The Planter’s Wife” is a simple, formulaic story.  However, it captures one thread in the British debate on empire.  Does a war-weary country pre-occupied with domestic reform stand and fight against savages?  Or do fears that Britain isn’t strong enough, or revulsion at harsh measures, or disgust with Empire counsel retreat?  See: The Planter’s Wife (1952) – YouTube 

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[1] See Corelli Barnet’s essay.  BBC – History – British History in depth: The Wasting of Britain’s Marshall Aid

[2] See: Malaysian Chinese – Wikipedia 

[3] See: The Briggs Plan.  Briggs Plan – Wikipedia 

[4] Probably, Jim represents Britain, Liz represents the United States, and Mike represents the colonies. 

[5] Probably to Gordonstoun School.  See: Gordonstoun – Wikipedia