American Guerrilla in the Philippines ** (1950, Tyrone Power, Micheline Presle, Tom Ewell) – Classic Movie Review 8386

Director Fritz Lang’s conscientious 1950 World War Two wartime-set adventure movie American Guerrilla in the Philippines [aka I Shall Return] has the advantage of being filmed where it happened (Manila and Subic Bay in the Philippines). It stars Tyrone Power and Tom Ewell as young American navy survivors Ensign Chuck Palmer and crewman Jim Mitchell, stranded when their PT boat is bombed and sunk in the Philippines, who join the guerrillas fighting the Japanese after the Bataan débàcle.

Ensign Chuck Palmer (Power) helps to organise the construction of wireless stations to broadcast war news and obstruct the foe, and falls for a Philippine hero’s French widow, Jeanne Martinez (Micheline Presle [Micheline Prelle]).

Lang is off his usual territory with a movie burdened by too much propagandist flag-waving. It never breaks free of the mould and it is slowed and dragged down by the dreary love interest. But there is a solid 20th Century Fox production and Technicolor photography by Harry Jackson to recommend it, and Lang directs at a good pace, bringing as much imagination and intelligence as possible into a minor, conveyor-belt studio project.

The screenplay is by the film’s producer Lamar Trotti, based on the novel by Ira Wolfert.

Also in the cast are Robert Patten [Bob Patten], Tommy Cook, Robert Barrat as General Douglas MacArthur, Jack Elam, Juan Torena, Carleton Young and Eddie Infante.

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 8386

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