Bataan ** (1943, Robert Taylor, George Murphy, Thomas Mitchell, Lloyd Nolan) – Classic Movie Review 6997

Director Tay Garnett’s 1943 MGM stars-and-stripes-forever war film about the Japanese killing off a group of 13 GIs left guarding a vital bridge on the Bataan peninsula in 1942, is harrowing but largely unconvincing, even though it is based on a true story. American unit’s task then is to blow up the bridge and delay Japanese attempts to rebuild it as long as possible.

Robert Taylor stars as the sergeant in command Bill Dane, George Murphy also stars as the lieutenant in charge, Steve Bentley, Thomas Mitchell plays the corporal Jake Feingold, and Lloyd Nolan plays the corporal Barney Todd, with Robert Walker as Leonard Purckett, Desi Arnaz as Felix Ramirez, Barry Nelson as F.X. Matowski, Lee Bowman as Captain Henry Lassiter and Phillip Terry as Matthew Hardy.

Bataan is a version of The Lost Patrol (1934) relocated to the Pacific, with cardboard people, cardboard trees (MGM’s Tarzan movies forest) and cardboard sentiment. Its valid wartime virtue of saluting real-life courage against terrible odds has receded, and we can now see its simple-mindedness, its lack of humour, and its absence of women. Meant to be uplifting, it seems very depressing as entertainment or a morale booster. It was a big hit at the time and it was apparently fondly enough remembered to enjoy the dubious distinction of being colorised.

Also in the cast are Roque Espiritu, Kenneth Spencer, Alex Havier, Tom Dugan and Donald Curtis.

Bataan is directed by Tay Garnett, runs 113 minutes, is made and released by MGM, is written by Robert D Andrews, is shot in black and white by Sidney Wagner, is produced by Irving Starr and is scored by Bronislau Kaper.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 6997

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