The Purple Plain the three men struggle to survive in the hostile environment, the self-destructive Bill finally realises that he can depend on support from others and that he may have someone to live for. Blore, however, abandons them to attempt to return to the crash site and commits suicide. "The Purple Plain" is regarded generally as historically accurate with good production values and attention to detail, and depicts the native Burmese in a respectful manner. The film is based on the 1947 novel "The Purple Plain" by H. E. Bates, one of three novels he wrote after his travels to Burma and
George E. Bates (professor) George E. Bates (professor) George E. Bates (1902-1992) was an American academic. He was a Professor of Investment Management at the Harvard Business School and the editor of the "Harvard Business Review". George E. Bates graduated from the University of Missouri. He also earned a master in business administrator (M.B.A.) from the Harvard Business School in 1925. Bates started his career as an Assistant Dean at the Harvard Business School in 1925. Over the course of his forty-year career as a faculty member, he became the Winston Professor of Investment Management at the Harvard Business School. He authored two books