• Rating:
• Genre: War
• Movie Type: Combat Films, War Drama
• Themes: Military Life, Great Battles, Social Injustice
• Director: Tay Garnett
• Main Cast: Robert Taylor, George Murphy, Thomas Mitchell, Lloyd Nolan, Lee Bowman, Robert Walker
• Release Year: 1943
• Country: US
• Run Time: 120 minutes
• MPAA Rating: NR

Plot

In 1942, Metro-Goldwyn-Meyer and the United States Office of War Information collaborated on Bataan with the official goal to increase public understanding of World War II. The first war film to take place entirely on the battlefield -- with no scenes of the soldiers on leave, depictions of the home front, or flashbacks to pre-war civilian life -- Bataan prepared its wartime audience for American casualties. Its Alamo-esque storyline emphasized the value of such sacrifice and its diverse group of soldiers --compiled of all ranks, races, classes, ages, and creeds -- portrayed this effort as the duty of all men. It is a depiction of altruism and national unity that both inspired public support of the War and served as the template for World War II films throughout the forties and into the present. ~ Aubry Anne D'Arminio, All Movie Guide

Review

Bataan is blatantly one-sided. It is racist, blurs the facts, and when watched today, looks as real as a puppet show. Yet, in 1943, this film admirably stood for two very important things: the undeniable heroism of the United States Armed Forces and the advent of the WWII combat film. Before Bataan, Hollywood handled the war through "safe" service comedies and spy pictures. Bataan fearlessly embraced combat, setting the bar for subsequent films and initiating its new genre. The film's successful formula defined the characteristics of the WWII combat film -- including the multi-ethnic unit that has a religious man, a learned man, an experienced man, and a neophyte; the stated objective; the internal group conflicts; and the talk of home. Even the most novel WWII films owe debt to Bataan -- simply compare the characters in Saving Private Ryan to those in this influential picture. Bataan's attitude and appearance are not impressive, but its importance in film history renders it eternally watchable and forever interesting. ~ Aubry Anne D'Arminio, All Movie Guide

Cast

• Robert Taylor - Sgt. Bill Dane
• George Murphy - Lt. Steve Bentley
• Thomas Mitchell - Cpl. Jake Feingold
• Lloyd Nolan - Cpl. Barney Todd
• Lee Bowman - Capt. Henry Lassiter
• Robert Walker - Leonard Purckett

Desi Arnaz - Felix Ramirez; Barry Nelson - F.X. Matowski; Phillip Terry - Matthew Hardy; Roque Espiritu - Cpl. Jesus Katigbay; Kenneth Spencer - Wesley Epps; Alex Havier - Yankee Salazar; Tom Dugan - Sam Malloy; Donald Curtis - Lieutenant; Ernie Alexander - Wounded Soldier; Lynne Carver - Nurse; Bud Geary - Infantry Officer; Mary McLeod; Dorothy Morris - Nurse; Lloyd Nolan - Danny Burns; Phil Schumacher - Machine Gunner

Credit

Robert D. Andrews - Screenwriter; Tay Garnett - Director; Cedric Gibbons - Art Director; Arnold A. Gillespie - Special Effects; Bronislau Kaper - Composer (Music Score); Warren Newcombe - Special Effects; Irving Starr - Producer; Sidney Wagner - Cinematographer; George White - Editor

Similar Movies

Battle of the Bulge; Guadalcanal Diary; Objective, Burma!; One of Our Aircraft Is Missing; Sahara; Sergeant York; Wake Island; The Thin Red Line; Pearl Harbor; Go for Broke!