Bataan/Back to Bataan
The World War II Philippines are the setting for these battle-filled films that temper their heroics with the hard reality of history. Robert Taylor leads valorous U.S. and Filipino combatants facing hopeless odds in a holding action at a bridge in Bataan. John Wayne portrays Col. Joseph Madden and organizes resistance fighters in Back to Bataan, a morale booster whose true-life incidents include the rescue of prisoners from Cabanatuan. An on-screen roll call of real-life soldiers freed by the mission underscores the event. Seeing those haunted but happy faces was a touching moment for audiences then. It remains so today.