American Guerrilla in the Philippines (1950)

Director:

Fritz Lang

Writers:

Lamar Trotti (screenplay)
Ira Wolfert (novel)

Release Date:

8 November 1950 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | War

Tagline:

One of the great adventures to come out of the Pacific!

Plot:

American soldiers stranded in the Philippines after the Japanese invasion form guerrilla bands to fight back.

Plot Keywords:

Philippines | 1942 | American Soldier | Douglas Macarthur | Ensign

Cast

Tyrone Power	...	Ensign Chuck Palmer
Micheline Presle	...	Jeanne Martinez (as Micheline Prelle)
Tom Ewell	...	Jim Mitchell
Robert Patten	...	Lovejoy (as Bob Patten)
Tommy Cook	...	Miguel
Juan Torena	...	Juan Martinez
Jack Elam	...	The Speaker
Robert Barrat	...	Gen. Douglas MacArthur

Also Known As:

I Shall Return (UK)

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

West Germany:0 (f) (re-rating) | West Germany:16 (nf) (original rating) | UK:U (passed with cuts) | West Germany:o.Al. (re-rating) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (certificate #14542)

Filming Locations:

Philippines

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

The bamboo dance in the movie is known as the Tinikling dance. It involves two people hitting bamboo poles on the ground and against each other in coordination with one or more dancers who step over and in between the poles in a dance. It is a Philippine traditional national dance that is still performed to this day at Fiesta.

Goofs:

Factual errors: A US Naval Ensign is not the same rank as a major in the US Army.

Movie Connections:

Edited into All This and World War II (1976)

Soundtrack:

Chattanooga Choo-Choo

Pretty good, but overshadowed by several similar films

Had BACK TO BATAAN and BACK TO BATAAN not been made, then I assume that American GUERILLA IN THE PHILIPPINES would probably be a better remembered film. That's because it's an excellent movie in just about every way, but the earlier John Wayne and Robert Taylor films about the Philippines during WWII were very outstanding films and tend to overshadow this Tyrone Power flick.

While the plot is not identical to these other two films, there are many similarities. All three document the heroic efforts of the Philippino partisans as well as that of Americans stuck in this land during the war. About the only noticeable difference was that the Power film was in color and I really think for this subject matter, black and white actually worked better--looking more like what you'd expect a WWII film to look like. Plus, the other two films are just a little more exciting and involving--but this isn't to say this Power film is bad--it just isn't quite as involving.

Still, among the many, many WWII films, this one is a bit better than average and well worth a peek. And, yes, I also noticed the line that said a Navy Ensign is equivalent to an Army Major! I'm surprised that Power, with his WWII experience, would have said such a stupid line. An ensign is most closely equivalent to an Army Lieutennant--a much lower rank.