Bataan (movie)
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Bataan is a 1943 war film about the defense of the Bataan peninsula that was produced by MGM, directed by Tay Garnett and stars Robert Taylor, George Murphy, Desi Arnez, and Lloyd Nolan.
Historical setting of the film
The Battle of Bataan followed the Japanese December, 1941 invasion of the Philippines and lasted from January 1 to April 9, 1942. In this action, the unified United States and Philippine forces retreated from Manila onto the nearby, mountainous Bataan peninsula for a desparate last stand. There was hope that a relief would arrive, but none could be mustered. After 3 months of desparate fighting, the starving and malarial forces surrendered and were led on the infamous Bataan Death March.Plot outline
In the film, the US Army is retreating. Thirteen men are chosen to blow up a bridge on the Bataan peninsula and keep the Japanese from rebuilding it.
The film tells a classic military story of a group of soldiers thrown together to defend an undefendable target. A high bridge spans a ravine on the Bataan peninsula. After the retreat of the army and some civilians, this group sets up for its defense on a hillside. They successfully demolish the bridge, but their Captain is killed by a sniper in the process. Over the course of the movie, the 13 defenders die one by one, with one dying of malaria. The character played by Desi Arnez and another character repair a broken airplane. Just before the plane is to take off, the pilot, played by future Senator George Murphy, is mortally wounded. In his last few moments of consciousness, he takes the plane off and intentionally crashes it into the bridge. The last few soldiers repel a massive frontal assault. Two more are killed by Japanese soldiers who are feigning death. In the final scene, the sargeant, played by Robert Taylor, heroically digs his own marked grave, stands within it, and fires his machine guns in a blaze of glory. As the final credits role, he is still standing despite the converging forces. The final credits point to the bravery of soldiers like these as being responsible for victory in a series of battles listed.
Note
The presence of a racially integrated fighting force prevented the film's showing in the United States' South.External links
- [Bataan] at the Internet Movie Database
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