Bataan (1943)
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52% of users liked it
(2,052 ratings)
In 1942, Metro-Goldwyn-Meyer and the United States Office of War Information collaborated on Bataan with the official goal to increase public understanding of World War II. The first war film to take place entirely on the battlefield -- with no scenes of the soldiers on leave, depictions of the home… More In 1942, Metro-Goldwyn-Meyer and the United States Office of War Information collaborated on Bataan with the official goal to increase public understanding of World War II. The first war film to take place entirely on the battlefield -- with no scenes of the soldiers on leave, depictions of the home front, or flashbacks to pre-war civilian life -- Bataan prepared its wartime audience for American casualties. Its Alamo-esque storyline emphasized the value of such sacrifice and its diverse group of soldiers --compiled of all ranks, races, classes, ages, and creeds -- portrayed this effort as the duty of all men. It is a depiction of altruism and national unity that both inspired public support of the War and served as the template for World War II films throughout the forties and into the present. ~ Aubry Anne D'Arminio, Rovi
- Directed By
- Barry Nelson, Tay Garnett
- Genres
- Drama, Action & Adventure, Classics
Unrated,
- In Theaters
- Jun 3, 1943 Wide
- Studio
- MGM Home Entertainment
Critic Reviews
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Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
Since it was basically a tale of defeat, the nervous producers emphasized heroism, but later, under criticism of fabricating the facts with mechanically packed incidents, MGM was forced to acknowledge "some melodramatic flaws and technical mistakes."
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Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
An exciting flagwaving big box office Alamo-esque suicide mission World War II film.
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Steve Crum, Kansas City Kansan
MGM and the War Department teamed for this flag waving combat drama that influenced a number of future war movies.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
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Cast
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Robert Taylor
as Sgt. Bill Dane
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George Murphy
as Lt. Steve Bentley
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Thomas Mitchell
as Cpl. Jake Feingold
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Lloyd Nolan
as Cpl. Barney Todd, Danny Burns
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Lee Bowman
as Capt. Henry Lassiter
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Robert Walker
as Leonard Purckett
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Desi Arnaz
as Felix Ramirez
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Barry Nelson
as F.X. Matowski
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Phillip Terry
as Matthew Hardy
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Roque Espiritu
as Cpl. Jesus Katigbay
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Kenneth Spencer
as Wesley Epps
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Alex Havier
as Yankee Salazar
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Tom Dugan
as Sam Malloy
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Donald Curtis
as Lieutenant
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Ernie Alexander
as Wounded Soldier
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Lynne Carver
as Nurse
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Bud Geary
as Infantry Officer
- Mary McLeod Bethune
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Dorothy Morris
as Nurse
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Phil Schumacher
as Machine Gunner
