Colonel John Wayne (Madden) stays to fight in Bataan against the Japanese who have conquered the region. He is helped by Philippino Resistance Leader Anthony Quinn (Bonifácio). The story is based on true events when the Japanese had the upper hand. The Duke manages to be on the winning side come the end, though.
The film is OK and the battle shelling is powerfully portrayed but we don't really get a sense of camaraderie. We have a love story that is touched upon between Quinn and radio broadcaster Fely Franquelli (Delgado) which provides a degree of human drama but I'm afraid the whole school sub-story falls flat. The sentimental contrivance of the school kid and the teacher Beulah Bondi (Miss Barnes) is totally ghastly. Bondi is really irritating in this film, seemingly taking over and ordering people about. My wife and I spent the film wishing that John Wayne would shoot her. Unfortunately, this never happened.
Wayne does OK and some scenes are done well – the flag raising/hanging scene – but there is something flat about this effort. Watch "Bataan" (1943) for a much better effort on this topic.
The film is OK and the battle shelling is powerfully portrayed but we don't really get a sense of camaraderie. We have a love story that is touched upon between Quinn and radio broadcaster Fely Franquelli (Delgado) which provides a degree of human drama but I'm afraid the whole school sub-story falls flat. The sentimental contrivance of the school kid and the teacher Beulah Bondi (Miss Barnes) is totally ghastly. Bondi is really irritating in this film, seemingly taking over and ordering people about. My wife and I spent the film wishing that John Wayne would shoot her. Unfortunately, this never happened.
Wayne does OK and some scenes are done well – the flag raising/hanging scene – but there is something flat about this effort. Watch "Bataan" (1943) for a much better effort on this topic.