Bataan

Plot synopsis:
The film opens with long lines of tired and grim soldiers and civilians moving through a congested town away from the advancing Japanese (who are not shown but the hopelessness of the situation hangs heavy). Sergeant Bill Dane (Robert Taylor) of the 31st Infantry and his companion Corporal Jake Feingold (Thomas Mitchell) are seen manning a defensive position. They casually discuss the possibility that they will be ordered to retreat again back toward the presumed safety of Bataan.Their commander orders them to report to a Captain Lassister for a special assignment. The town then suffers a violent Japanese air attack with civilians and soldiers caught in the open and killed. Dane and Feingold reach Lassiter. A pretty American nurse boards the last ambulance out while casting a long, soulful look back at Lassier (Lee Bowman). Lassiter puts Dane in charge of a group of 13 men, all of whom had been separated from their commands, with orders to hold a a strategic bridge after the last refugees cross. Lassiter makes it clear they are to demolish the bridge, stop the "Japs", and hold until MacArthur can consolidate in Bataan. They are given such equipment and supplies as is available and left alone.After the army and some civilians cross the bridge, Dane, Feingold, and a group of eleven hastily assembled soldiers from different units is assigned to blow it up and delay Japanese rebuilding efforts as long as possible. In addition to Sgt. Dane, Cpl. Feingold and Captain Lassier, the rear guard is a mixed lot, making up of:Corporal Barney Todd (Lloyd Nolan), who claims to be a signalman;Private Felix Ramirez (Desi Arnaz), a Mexican American California National Guardsman;Private Wesley Epps (Kenneth Lee Spencer), a black demolitions expert;Private Matthew Hardy (Phillip Terry), a conscientious objector in the Medical Corps;Private Francis X. Matowski (Barry Nelson), an engineer;Private "Yankee" Salazar (Alex Havier), a Philippine Scout;Private Sam Molloy (Tom Dugan), a cook;Seaman Leonard Purckett (Robert Walker), a naive young navy musician;Army Air Corps Lt. Steve Bentley (George Marshall), a pilot;Corporal Juan Katigbak (Roque Espiritu), Bentley's Philippine mechanic.The group sets up camp and firing positions on a cliff overlooking the bridge, blow the bridge, and settle down to wait for the Japanese. Following is several minutes of exposition which set the tone for the rest of the film. Quinine, food and ammo are in short supply. Dane establishes his credibility and toughness as Sgt. of the group. Bentley reveals that he is an Army AF pilot repairing his damaged plane, Todd is soon revealed to be a prickly bully who clashes with everyone. Dane suspects Todd is using an alias and may be the man who seven years earlier murdered a young private in a barracks card fight and ruined Dane's army officer career in the process. Todd is evasive and Dane elects not to push the issue.The Japanese move up and work at night on the bridge. The Americans talk, eat, sit by their weapons, and wait. The calm is interrupted when an unseen sniper catches Capt Lassiter in the open and shoots him dead with a bullet through his head. Purckett wants to play taps at the burial but Dane angrily orders him not to - explaining that the Japs know taps and will start counting the dead. At the burial it is sadly revealed that Lassiter had recently married the nurse seen on the ambulance.That night, Ramirez finds a battery powered radio and tunes in the Tommy Dorsey band live from Hollywood. The aching contrast between these familiar sounds of home and their own isolation and mortal peril is not lost on the men or the viewer. Dane orders Matowski to climb a tree and report on enemy movement. He carelessly shows himself, is shot by a sniper, and falls with a blood curdling scream to his death.The next day Dane and Todd go out alone, hurl grenades at the bridge, and blow it up one more time. Dane notes that Todd throws left handed like the murderer of seven years ago but again doesn't push the issue. Alone with Feingold afterwards, Dane begins to question whether he and the men will break from the strain and run, but the brave Feingold calmly assures him they will do their duty to the end.In succession, more men die as the Japanese pressure increases. Their Phillipino guide tries to break through the Japanese lines and get to Bataan for help, is captured, tortured and strung up for the Americans to see. Ramirez dies of malaria, Malloy is killed in a strafing air attack.Bentley repairs his plane and attempts to fly out under cover of night. They succeed, but Katigbak is killed (with a samurai sword one night) and Bentley is mortally wounded when he tries to lift off in his airplane. He asks Dane to load two boxes of dynamite on the plane. Dane refuses until Bentley pulls rank and orders him to do it. In a last dying act, Bentley flies into the bridge and demolishes it in a tremendous explosion.The remaining soldiers repel a massive frontal assault, inflicting grievous losses on the attacking Japanese troops, ultimately fighting hand-to-hand with bayonets fixed on their M1903 Springfield rifles. Epps and Feingold are killed. Only Dane, Todd and a wounded Purckett are left.Purckett is shot by an another unseen Japanese sniper, and Todd stabbed in the back by a Japanese soldier who had only feigned being dead. Before he dies, Todd admits to Dane that he is Burns.Now alone, Dane stoically digs his own marked grave beside those of his fallen comrades and waits in it. The Japanese troops crawl close to his position before opening fire and charging at Dane. Dane fires back, yelling, "We're still here.....we'll always be here, why don't you come and get us!" When his Tommy gun runs out of ammunition, he continues firing with the heavy machine gun as the Japanese close in on him.... the machine gun points to the audience as the final credits roll (rather then showing his death at the hands of the Japanese).The end story board states that the sacrifice of the defenders of Bataan helped slow the Japanese down, making possible America's later victories in the Pacific War.

Tags: cult, violence

Review:
Lloyd Nolan does a good job as a professional soldier with a past, Thomas Mitchell is good as the older career soldier, perhaps a bit out of shape from years of peace time duty.
1943 audiences already knew how Bataan would end before they went to see the film, but they went anyway, since this Tay Garnett-directed combat picture is a rugged tribute to the 'expendable' men of the Philippines of 1942.
I can't do better than James Agee's fine review when the movie came out, but would like to add a few things of my own.Rather than try to show the entire evacuation and abandonment of the Phillipines, which would be perhaps overwhelmingly depressing, the film-makers decided to focus on one small, fictional incident that could, in effect, stand in for everything else.
What happens is that we watch a group of soldiers defend and then destroy a bridge, so as to slow down the Japanese army's advance, if only by a few hours, to buy precious time for everyone else.
It is largely covered by jungle and is traversed north to south by steep mountains...After the Japanese invasion of the Philippines in December 1941 and the fall of Manila (January 2, 1942), the defending Americans and Filipinos withdrew to Bataan, foiling Japanese efforts to split the forces of U.S. General Douglas MacArthur...
Landings were then made at Mariveles Harbor in the south and on Corregidor Island, thus securing Manila Bay for the U.S. Navy..."Bataan" is the fictional story of 13 men who stayed behind, holding a bridge, and fighting to the death a rear guard action to ensure the success of the Allied forces retreat from the Philippines...The audience live with the soldiers their last heroic days: George Murphy, an Air Force Lieutenant secretly reliable; Lloyd Nolan, the smart Corporal with compassionate qualities; Thomas Mitchell, a career NCO; Deni Arnaz, a friendly Spanish soldier; Barry Nelson, the competent Matowski; Lee Bowman, the Captain who falls with a bullet; Robert Walker (in his screen debut) who almost breaks down from homesickness; Kenneth Spencer, the black soldier with an undisturbed force and simple dignity, and Robert Taylor, the tough heroic Sergeant alive in the face of the enemy, who sets up his machine gun and keeps it firing until the end...All are representatives of the heroism existing in all Americans, symbol of the heroic resistance....
Taylor shines in gritty war film...Robert Walker's debut....
Robert Taylor holds the whole gritty film together with his realistic depiction of a sergeant leading a small troop of men in an effort to hold back the Japanese attack by blowing up a crucial bridge.
Taylor, Robert Walker as a gum-chewing homesick sailor, Lloyd Nolan, Dezi Arnaz (surprisingly effective in a dramatic role) and others make splendid contributions.
(He had other good roles in Olivia de Havilland's TO EACH HIS OWN and Ray Milland's THE LOST WEEKEND).The jungle setting (although filmed on the studio lot) is impressive with its exotic foliage and adds to the realism.
All in all, a gripping war film that more than holds its own with contemporary stories like SAVING PRIVATE RYAN.
A small group of soldiers (Thomas Mitchell , LLoyd Nolan , Desi Arnaz , among others) flee from Japanese repeatedly attack and they head for blowing-up a bridge on the Bataan location and their final destination : Corregidor .
The Bataan of the film's title refers to both the World War II Battle of Bataan and the place Bataan which is a Central Luzon region province on Luzon island in the Philippines which occupies the whole of the Bataan Peninsula on the island .
This classic warlike movie is nicely starred by Robert Taylor at one of his best roles as a tough sergeant , he's accompanied by a plethora of first-rate secondaries .
This is one of a handful of feature films that have featured the story of the World War II Battle of Bataan , they include ¨So proudly we hail¡¨ by Mark Sandrich (1943) ; ¨They were expendable¨ (1945) by John Ford and ¨Back to Bataan¨ (1945) by Edward Dmytryck .
The motion picture was professionally directed by Tay Garnett, a good Hollywood craftsman.The actual deeds about Bataan concern an unsuccessful attempt by US and Filipino troops under General Douglas MacArthur to defend the peninsular against the Japanese 1 Jan-9 April 1942 .
For a war movie, this was a bit unusual in that almost the whole film took part in one place.
The closing scenes feature that attack and some are quite brutal.At least half of the story is not action but melodramatic looks at the soldiers, particularly of the squad's sergeant leader Robert Taylor and one of his men who has an attitude problem: Lloyd Nolan.
We also get some shorter profiles of combat men played by Robert Walker, Thomas Mitchell and Desi Arnez (yes, Lucy's husband).The special effects are more than passable considering they weren't too advanced in the film industry compared to today's technology.
I swear I saw several of them drop over before anyone hit them!Taylor was the best in this movie "army" and Walker was the annoying character, playing an extremely young and generally stupid Navy guy (don't ask) who never stopped talking in this irritating voice.
The Horrors of War. My Mom saw this movie at the time it was released and said it gave her more nightmares than any horror film she ever saw.
As for Robert Taylor, his weariness and resolve at the end are stirring and the last scene is not one you will soon forget.Ignoring the propaganda aspects of the movie, the last half works as almost a pure horror movie, as our cast gets gruesomely picked off by unseen foes lurking in the jungle.Exciting and gripping, it's easy to overlook the faults of this most violent and gritty of WW2 films made at the time."Bushido, Bushwa!
This is one of the best war films of its era, and it is actually less anti-Japanese than many that came later, such as John Wayne's "Back to Bataan".
Here, a small number of Americans  are acting as a rear guard preventing the invading Japanese from driving south on Bataan in 1942.
In some ways I think it does a better job realistically portraying war than some modern films I've seen.
Baatan is a good movie superb cast NOLAN TAYLOR...even DesiArnaz makes me wish he had done more of this type of role.A good ending splendid visual effect.....TAY Garnett did it again.
This with So PROUDLY We Hail has got to be one of the greatest war movie ever.....and i also forgot the wonderful work of Thomas Mitchell and George Murphy.
The message is clear, this may be tantamount to a suicide mission, because, well, war is indeed hell, but sacrifices are necessary to achieve the bigger freedom objective.Nicely directed by Tay Garnett {The Postman Always Rings Twice} and tightly scripted by Robert Hardy Andrews {The Cross of Lorraine}, the film stars Robert Taylor, George Murphy, Thomas Mitchell, Robert Walker, Desi Arnaz & Lloyd Nolan.
Violent and brutal for its time {the hand to hand bayonet sequences are brilliantly realised}, Bataan is also notable for portraying a racially integrated fighting force having to come together for the greater good.
High on suspense and beating a real brave heart, Bataan is up with the best that the war genre of film has to offer.
The efforts here were of extreme importance and the men died with honor.Tough guy Robert Taylor stars, and there is a great performance by Desi Arnaz.The crazy/heroic ending may be trite, but it was good..
All quite realistic.Being made in 1943, the film uses US weapons of the time of the battle, adding to the authenticity.Good performance by Robert Taylor in the lead role.
this WWII movie wasn't what i would call spectacular,but it was decent enough as war movies go.it's about as subtle a being hit over the head with a sledge hammer.this movie aims high on entertainment value,but low on realism.still,it's got its effective moments,and there's nary a dull moment.the acting is not the greatest as far as war movies go,but it is serviceable.unfortunately it didn't really linger with me,like some movies do.so in that sense,it's fairly forgettable.on the other hand,it wasn't a complete bomb either,as i sat thorough it no problem.i likely wouldn't watch it again anytime soon though.for me,Bataan is a 5/10.
Not to worry with this gritty action film with Robert Taylor, Loyd Nolan, and other tough second leads who made these movies so entertaining.
Still, the movie qualifies as a good propaganda film for the Homefront, especially since American forces were suffering their greatest defeats in the history of the Republic about the time of the fall of Bataan.
Hollywood cannot turn defeat into victory, but it can claim, and does in this film, that the course of history was changed by the heroic defenders of Bataan.
"Bataan" is an outstanding World War II film.
For an early WW II film, made when the U.S. had just been in the war a little over a year, "Bataan" is uncanny in its realism.
This film clearly has the best hand-to-hand combat action of any modern war movie ever made.
So, the Allies were nothing like the organized divisions of battle-hardened Japanese that landed on Luzon.The ages of the men in the volunteer squad also reflected the reality of the time, with the possible exception of Thomas Mitchell as Corp.
Sergeant Robert Taylor heads this small unit and we watch to see how many of his troop of 13 soldiers survive.This is one of the better war films from this period.
Several of the actors were overweight, obviously out of shape grandfatherly types clearly way too old for combat, some of the scenes were obviously painted, and like all these old war films the viewer is subjected to the "comical" soldier in the unit.
Has the Hollywood view of the World War 2 American Soldier changed in the past 50 years?
In addition to Bataan being one of the finest World War II films ever done, it also marked the final transformation of Robert Taylor from romantic leading man to tough action star.
After this one Taylor, NEVER got cast in any powder puff roles.He's a tough, believable army sergeant who's in command of a squad that's been cobbled together from remnants of other squads and given a suicide rear guard mission to hold off the Japanese from taking and crossing a key bridge.
Some of the other men of his squad are Lloyd Nolan, Thomas Mitchell, Robert Walker, Barry Nelson, Desi Arnaz.
There's an army pilot with a plane to be repaired played by George Murphy and when Captain Lee Bowman is killed Taylor is in command.So they hold the Japanese off, the Battle of Bataan in microcosm, hoping for aid that never came because the United States had no aid to give at that point.
This is a very good war film with so many excellent performances and wonderful writing.
Since the film was made during the war, it was meant to encourage and rally the folks at home, so they made sure to put in some clichéd characters to illustrate certain themes (such as the sweet sailor, the jive-talking Chicano or the proud and hardworking Black soldier).
As far as losing the battle goes, this can't be changed, but the Americans in the film are practically super-men because they kill off so many Japanese soldiers and make some incredibly lucky shots.
Again, this is because the film was intended as positive propaganda, so I can look past this as well.As for the rest of the movie, despite a very simple plot, the film did a very good job of keeping my attention and providing a lot of realism.
BATAAN is one of my very favorite war movies and is based on an actual endeavor in the Phillipines.
Sgt. Bill Dane(Robert Taylor) leads a small platoon of thirteen devoted men in the mission of blowing up a pivotal bridge, the Japanese need to prolong their war efforts.
Great ensemble cast featuring: George Murphy, Lloyd Nolan, Thomas Mitchell, Robert Walker, Desi Arnaz, Barry Nelson, Phillip Terry and Tom Dugan.
A strong entry into Hollywood's WWII propaganda movies; solid performances by Robert Taylor and Lloyd Nolan.
This well-acted, tough World War II propaganda movie is an excellent example of the MGM style: Solid production values, some good acting...and a tendency to hit the message out of the ball park, and then hit it out again.
The story of a small group of soldiers fighting and dying to buy time for MacArthur to regroup around Bataan was, I suspect, a powerful movie when it came out in 1943.
For those who may believe that brave men can survive in propaganda war movies, read no further.
It's early 1942 in the Philippines and Sergeant Bill Dane (Robert Taylor) with a mixed bag of semi-volunteers are given the assignment of blowing up a bridge which would otherwise be a primary crossing point for the invading Japanese army as it races south.
The only other regular Army men he has is Corporal Jake Finegold (Thomas Mitchell), a wise old hand and long-time friend, and Corporal Barney Todd (Lloyd Nolan), a cynic who may have a history with Dane.
Yet knowing the men are going to get picked off, combined with the length of the movie, had me tensing every time someone decided to stand up, write a letter, peer over a sandbag, talk about his life back home or sing a spiritual.
The one face-to-face fight towards the end of the movie, when Japanese soldiers camouflaged to look like brush and bushes begin to move toward the remaining men, and the men respond first with machine guns and then with bayonets, was a relief.
Bataan may be dated, but if you enjoy older war movies you might like this one..
Other action includes more deafening explosions, shootouts and battle scenes which all make very heavy use of Gattling guns, springfield rifles and grenades.But at times there is a lot of dialogue and the film is very bleak, as with most war movies.
i have a collection of war movies and last week i came across BATAAN and omg i don't want to badly judge the film....but it didn't completely amazed me.
still a 7 is not bad for......Robert walker writing to his mom....Desi arnaz overjoyed to hear tommy Dorsey and first scene of Japanese attack.
Although the greatest number of movies made was in the relatively safe haven of the United States, Hollywood commendably told the story of everyman and every nation in the great conflict, we know as World War II.SO IT WAS that MGM turned its eyes toward the Philippines and the events that followed the attack by Japan on Pearl Harbor of December 7, 1941.
Names such as Manila, Corregidor and Bataan became rallying cries for our forces in those dark, early days of U.S. involvement.WITH THE NEWS of the infamous and murderous forced march of Philippine and American POW's became widely known as "the Bataan Death March", it was decided to do a picture with the name of that very peninsula on the island of Luzon.BEING WARTIME OF the greatest and scariest ilk, we needn't state that movies made at this time would and should be properly classified as being "propaganda."* With literally millions of men in uniform and under arms, both they and the public at large needed instruction and reminders of what we were fighting for and why.WITH THE SELECTION of "BATAAN" as its perfectly brief and emotionally charged title, the producers only had to craft a suitable story to serve as the vehicle of entertainment/indoctrination.
The decision is made and heartily endorsed by all to fight to the end.IN A VERY Davey Crockett-like fashion, the main character (Robert Taylor) is the last to be killed.IT SHOULD COME as no surprise that, being a product of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the film assembled an outstanding cast.
Much needed war movie for the times.
All those name actors, Taylor, Murphy, Nolan, Walker, Mitchell, Arnaz etc.
That the Japanese were called despicable names was common during the war when the movie was made .
Mind you, most of the players serve up their character "types" with more realism and dramatic effectiveness than they deserve; though I was not so taken with Robert Walker's eager-beaver garrulousness as were the MGM brass who signed him to a long-term contract on the strength of this film.
I thought this movie was good because of it's action scenes but I thought the story was a little weak.
Robert Taylor did a good job as the Sergeant.
If you want a good movie on the Phillipine war, watch "Back To Bataan." It's a whole lot better..
Thomas Mitchell, aged fifty-one at the time was a tad long in the tooth even for a thirty-year man, Lloyd Nolan, who turned in arguably the best performance had strong ties to Paramount, George Murphy was a jobbing actor who followed the money, Robert Walker was just starting out and was not identified with any studio, likewise Desi Arnaz.
already know if you knew any history, no one is left standing at the end of the movie.Casting is quite effective-Robert Taylor, Lloyd Nolan, George Murphy, Desi Arnez, etc.
...if you don't already know the punchline to this joke, you WILL by the time the white guy is laughing maniacally at the end of this movie.Bataan lags at some points but you should never be discouraged.
It sort of makes up for the fact they make the black guy dig every grave in this film until he dies (courageously, in hand-to-hand combat with the enemy).The Japanese attackers don't fair so well in the positive portrayal department in this movie, but this flick wasn't meant to swell their service ranks.