BATAAN Movie Review

1943 Tay Garnett

Today, the most surprising things about this flag-waving propaganda are the brutality of its violence and the straightforward nature of the simple story. Remember that in 1943, the fall of the Philippines following the attack on Pearl Harbor was a vivid, painful memory to American audiences. Bataan is an attempt—a successful attempt—to turn that military defeat into an emotional victory. From the beginning, viewers know that it's going to end badly for the brave, scrappy Americans who are valiantly holding out against the (insert derogatory racial epithet here) Japs. The dramatic questions then are: How will they die and in what order?

The makeshift group itself is a prototype of the ethnic and geographic melting pot that would become so familiar in the films of World War II. First off, there's Puckett (Robert Walker), the lanky Navy musician who inexplicably finds himself in an Army unit. Malloy (Tom Dugan) is the irascible old cook. Matowski (Barry Nelson) and Eeps (Kenneth Spencer), the lone black guy, are both demolitions experts. Hardy (Phillip Terry) is the medic. Salazar (Alex Havier), a Filipino, is a boxer. Ramirez (Desi Arnaz, yes, that Desi Arnaz) is a jitterbugging Los Angeleno. Cpl. Todd (Lloyd Nolan) has a guilty secret in his past. Cpl. Feingold (Thomas Mitchell) has been with Sgt. Dane (Robert Taylor) for years. Lt. Bentley (George Murphy) is trying to get his biplane ready to fly. Capt. Lassiter (Lee Bowman) is in charge, but he's one of the first to check out, leaving Dane at the helm. Their mission is to keep the advancing Japanese from crossing a bridge over a deep vertiginous canyon as long as possible to give MacArthur's troops time to evacuate.

The bridge and the canyon are created by a few well-chosen special effects that are remarkably sophisticated for the day. Almost all of the action takes place on a set that represents a jungle clearing. It's just as effective as many of the contemporaneous jungle pictures that were made outdoors, usually on California exteriors. The film works well and has remained a perennial audience favorite for three reasons.

First, it is wonderfully cast. Though Robert Taylor is normally associated with lighter, more polished comedies and melodramas, he has all the grit and determination that the role requires. It takes a particular combination of the common touch and authority to play a convincing noncom. Burt Lancaster nails it perfectly in From Here to Eternity, and Taylor does almost as well here. Lloyd Nolan is fine as the black sheep who will redeem himself, and the other members of the ensemble all manage to make their characters stand out.

Second, Robert Andrews's script gives them excellent material to work with. By now everyone knows the drill. Within minutes of telling the others about life back home, or his wife, or his new baby, a guy is sure to catch a bullet. But the stories don't go on too long; they're interesting, and the stickier emotions are mostly avoided. Finally, Tay Garnett's direction crackles. A veteran of both the Navy Air Service and silent comedies, he was a respected journeyman filmmaker at the top of his game when he made Bataan. He handles the steadily intensifying physical violence without frills, putting the hand-to-hand combat scenes right in front of the camera. He and Andrews also give the film a dark, understated streak of humor. Notice the grim visual joke they play in the background of the film's final shot.

Cast: Robert Taylor (Sgt. Bill Dane), George Murphy (Lt. Steve Bentley), Thomas Mitchell (Cpl. Jake Feingold), Desi Arnaz Sr. (Felix Ramirez), Lee Bowman (Capt. Henry Lassiter), Lloyd Nolan (Cpl. Barney Todd/Danny Burns), Robert Walker (Leonard Puckett), Barry Nelson (F.X. Matowski), Phillip Terry (Matthew Hardy), Tom Dugan (Sam Malloy), Roque Espiritu (Cpl. Juan Katigbak), Kenneth Spencer (Wesley Eeps), Alex Havier (Yankee Salazar), Donald Curtis (Lieutenant), Lynne Carver (Nurse), Bud Geary (Infantry soldier), Dorothy Morris (Nurse); Written by: Robert D. Andrews; Cinematography by: Sidney Wagner; Music by: Bronislau Kaper, Eric Zeisl; Technical Advisor: L.S. Chappelear. Producer: Irving Starr, MGM, Loew's, Inc. Running Time: 115 minutes. Format: VHS, Beta.