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) moved to Camden, Maine. Bates was a member of the Society of Colonial Wars, the Somerset Club, the Country Club of Brookline and the Vine Book Hunt Club. He was also an honorary trustee of the New England Historic Genealogical Society. Bates died on September 25, 1992 in Camden. Bates is the namesake of an endowed chair at the Harvard Business School held by William E. Fruhan Jr.. 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".