Bataan/Back to Bataan

Starring:War Double Feature
Studio: Warner Home Video
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

John Wayne and Anthony Quinn star in this touching 1945 drama inspired by real-life heroism in the Philippines following General MacArthur's withdrawal in 1942 and the islands' subsequent conquest by the Japanese army. Wayne plays Colonel Joe Madden, an American who stays behind to organize a ragtag guerrilla army in the forests and hills. At his side is Captain Andres Bonifacio (Quinn), grandson of a legendary revolutionary martyred in the nation's old war against Spanish colonialists. Joe, Andres, and their fearless irregulars (with support from a schoolteacher, played by Beulah Bondi) sap the enemy's resolve through hit-and-run missions, but as time passes the locals wonder, with pronounced disillusionment, why America doesn't return with masses of troops and weapons. Wayne's star power is undeniable, and Quinn is very good as a man uncertain of his role or destiny. Edward Dmytryk (Murder, My Sweet), soon to be imprisoned during Joseph McCarthy's witch hunt of Hollywood communists, directs. --Tom Keogh

Description

After the fall of the Philippines to the Japanese in World War II, Col. Joseph Madden (John Wayne) of the U.S. Army stays on to organize guerrilla fighters against the conquerors.

Customer Reviews:

dvd review.......2007-05-13

Excellent John Wayne movie from the 1940's. Received dvd in super condition and received quickly.

Old War .......2007-01-05

One of John Wayne's better older war movies, great acting my John Wayne and Anthony Quinn.

Back to Bataan.......2005-10-05

This was another John Wayne movie that is so good & an asset to any video library. It's an oldie but goodie! The performances by supporting actors are excellent. I do not recommend for very young children, but for 12 & above it would be good to see!
It's a very patriotic film and well worth the viewing.

Gutsy but intimate filmmaking.......2005-08-08

War movies can be a tricky recipe to pull off because they've been done so often and fall into cliches sooo easily. This film was saved by bravura and sincerity. It's a good film. What at first may seem like a generic Duke vehicle quickly exposes itself as a small ensemble drama on an epic stage.

Part of the appeal of this film is to watch it with history in mind. It tackles a lesser known part of WWII history, the war and guerilla movements in the Philippines. This film is totally unselfconscious in how it deals with the war, in one scene it features real Bataan POWs marching in a parade and introduces them documentary style with a narrator, and it hired Filipino extras and actors for important roles. This is what really touched and surprised me, how it elevated and glorified Filipino nationalism, culture, and history (Jose Rizal and Andres Bonifácio are frequently quoted and reverently referred to throughout the film); and, in an age where African American actors still were unfairly stereotyped and Asian actors almost nowhere to be found in Hollywood films, this treated Pinoy characters as equals and as heroes. This openmindedness on the part of the filmmakers was refreshing, but very reflective of the US fighting men's appreciation of the contributions of the Filipino people.

The film is passionate about the people it portrays. It's common for wartime films to be full of propaganda and overly zealous, but this film is more touching and intimate in its approach. Patriotic speeches actually have meaning and tears behind them, swelling music doesn't feel manipulative, no doubt because it was filmed with so many soldiers and civilians involved and in 1945, these people had just gone through all this and everything is done with a real and raw memory. It feels like it's built on real stories and people, and the actors seem to know they're not dealing with run of the mill cutout characters. There's a sincerity inherent in all of their performances because of the immediateness of the subject matter. John Wayne is less gruff than usual (and even downright dashing). Anthony Quinn's confused young man: brooding heartbrokenly when he's away from his informant fiancee, tender when he's around her, not sure how to fulfill what many feel is his destiny, and his own personal journey is lovely. Beulah Bondi (as a teacher evacuee who helps the men out) teary eyed when she thinks of her students; the motley crew mix of American GIs and Pinoy volunteers who surrounds the two officers, casual and down to earth. It's a tight cast in a friendly fight to upstage the others, and you'd better believe they milk every scene for what it's worth.

The film moves along quickly and realistically. Instead of complicated plot movements and intricate bloated twists, the story seems like it was taken from any number of jungle war experiences which makes it fascinating and unpredictable, like real history. Director Edward Dmytryk, later blacklisted, paid no heed to Production Code regulations for violence, and filmed scenes that were fairly explicit (for the time) in their portrayal of cruelty and violence inflicted on soldiers and civilians in an attempt to realistically dramatize some of the atrocities that occurred during the war which lends the film an air of impending danger and gravitas.

From before the era of ambiguous and complex war stories (which is how I usually prefer my war flicks to be served), this one of the best "classic" war films I've ever seen. (If you like this, check out "An American Guerilla in the Philippines" which was shot on location by the great Fritz Lang in 1949/50 and very similar in many regards.)

A classic war movie.......2005-06-17

It is certainly not the greatest movie but it shows you a kind of movies that has been shot in the 40's and the 50's. The good one's and the bad ones. it is in black and white.

Average customer rating:

Bataan/ Back To Bataan
History Recorded and well done

Bataan/Back to Bataan
Starring: Robert Taylor , George Murphy , Thomas Mitchell , Lloyd Nolan , and Lee Bowman
Director: Tay Garnett , and Edward Dmytryk
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

Classics | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

All Titles | John Wayne Store | Stores | DVD | Video

1940s | John Wayne Store | Stores | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( B ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

They Were Expendable/Flying Leathernecks
Guadalcanal Diary
Operation Pacific
Blood Alley / Sea Chase
Wake Island

ASIN: B000E0WJN2
Release Date: 2006-01-31

Description

The World War II Philippines are the setting for these battle-filled films that temper their heroics with the hard reality of history. Robert Taylor leads valorous U.S. and Filipino combatants facing hopeless odds in a holding action at a bridge in Bataan. John Wayne portrays Col. Joseph Madden and organizes resistance fighters in Back to Bataan, a morale booster whose true-life incidents include the rescue of prisoners from Cabanatuan. An on-screen roll call of real-life soldiers freed by the mission underscores the event. Seeing those haunted but happy faces was a touching moment for audiences then. It remains so today.

Customer Reviews:

Bataan/ Back To Bataan.......2007-04-11

Bataan has always been one of my favourites and I never get tired of watching it.
Back to Bataan is a great follow up.

History Recorded and well done.......2007-02-15

If you like watching watch flicks filmed in the Philippines, this is a great two-some. The action is fierce, the acting good, and the heroism amazing.

Average customer rating:

Back to Bataan
Starring: John Wayne , Anthony Quinn , Beulah Bondi , Fely Franquelli , and Richard Loo
Director: Edward Dmytryk
Manufacturer: Turner Home Ent
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

Classics | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

Adventure | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

Drama | Military & War | Genres | DVD | Video

World War II | Military & War | Genres | DVD | Video

All Titles | John Wayne Store | Stores | DVD | Video

1940s | John Wayne Store | Stores | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( B ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Operation Pacific
Flying Leathernecks
The Fighting Seabees
They Were Expendable
Flying Tigers

ASIN: B0001FVE4A
Release Date: 2004-05-04

Amazon.com

Description

After the fall of the Philippines to the Japanese in World War II, Col. Joseph Madden (John Wayne) of the U.S. Army stays on to organize guerrilla fighters against the conquerors.

Average customer rating:

Bataan/Back to Bataan
Starring: War Double Feature
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( B ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

All Titles | John Wayne Store | Stores | DVD | Video

1940s | John Wayne Store | Stores | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

They Were Expendable / Flying Leathernecks
War Double Feature: Battle Cry/Battleground
Operation Pacific
In Harm's Way
Objective Burma

ASIN: B0009UZG6O
Release Date: 2005-08-30

Description

Average customer rating:

Back to Bataan [Region 2]
Starring: John Wayne , Anthony Quinn , Beulah Bondi , Fely Franquelli , and Richard Loo
Director: Edward Dmytryk
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

All Titles | John Wayne Store | Stores | DVD | Video

( B ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Operation Pacific
Flying Leathernecks
The Fighting Seabees
They Were Expendable
Flying Tigers

ASIN: B00005BICH

Amazon.com

DVD:

DVD List

DVD

DVD

The Mozart Babies

The Tomorrow People - A Rift In Time - The Complete Story :

Blonde [2001]

DVD: The Young Filmmakers Club: Digital Video Editing

Tony Bennett - Live In Concert