Corregidor

Corregidor is an object lesson in how to make a cheap movie on a given subject. Contrast it to the two films made at MGM about the same period of World War II, Bataan which starred Robert Taylor and later on They Were Expendable which John Ford made at MGM. If ever there was a contrast between the lavish Tiffany Studio of Hollywood and a poverty row outfit like Producer's Releasing Corporation this is it.

Additionally They Were Expendable had a romance between John Wayne and Donna Reed just as this film has a triangle romance with nurse Elissa Landi caught between doctors Otto Kruger and Donald Woods. In Corregidor the whole thing is rather forced with some awful dialog. With a master director like John Ford it was understated and effective and done in Ford's sentimental style.

This was Elissa Landi's farewell film. Five years later she would be dead of cancer. Both Donald Woods and Otto Kruger were in a lot of far better films than Corregidor.

Still the acting is sincere and it does raise it above the average of the usual product from PRC.

Formula: A Woman in Love with One Man Marries Another + Insidious Japanese Attack on American Territory + A Surgical Theater's Romantic But Unconsummated Menage a Trois=A Movie That Can't Decide What It's About.

*****

The Japanese December 1941 invasion of the Philippines, culminating in the surrender by General Wainwright of all forces under his command in early 1942, is still America's greatest military catastrophe. The defense and ultimate loss of the obsolete island fortress of Corregidor, here immortalized (less rather than more) in the film of the same name was, with the fall of the archipelago, a far more serious geo-strategic blow to America than Pearl Harbor.

In 1943 veteran director William Nigh, a man who successfully transitioned from the silents to the talkies and who directed dozens of mostly forgettable films, made "Corregidor." His three stars were successful screen actors. Playing a doctor, Dr. Royce Lee Stockman, Elissa Landi, once a beauty, brought some depth to the story of a woman who traveled to the Philippines to marry one doctor while carrying a bright torch for another, an army medico named Michael who just happened to be stationed in the territory. She weds Dr. Jan Stockman (Otto Kruger, playing a nice guy for a change) the night before the Japanese air attack that presaged the invasion.

Together with ragtag army troops, the couple reaches Corregidor where Michael is encountered. The trek through the backlot jungle provides a preview of some of the most unrealistic war scenes filmed anytime between 1939 and 1945.

Idealistic Jan recognizes his bride's undiminished love for Michael and almost like a quintessential (but probably rare) English gentleman he urges her to go to him. This being 1943, no intimacy is shown or suggested.

In any event, history takes its course and Corregidor falls but not before some of the women, including Royce are flown out (in reality, American army nurses were captured by the Japanese and while they were spared the horrors of the Bataan Death March, they didn't exactly have a nice time for the next three years either).

The film is stolidly preachy about the virtues of democracy with declamations by the actors having the "Now for a message from our government" tone. The use of stock military footage reaches the asinine with no attempt to make planes uniform. A monoplane begins a bombing run that is concluded by a biplane. No excuse for that. Also, apparently to save time and money, the same shots of Japanese soldiers falling dead to the ground are recycled at several points.

One historical curiosity: Royce's maid, killed at the beginning of the movie, is Ruby Dandridge, mother of Dorothy.

Much more could have been done with this story and its experienced lead cast.

4/10

This is not a good film to watch unless you're into watching films and making fun of them like me and my friends do.

Corregidor was made a year after Casablanca and it seems to me that the makers of Corregidor were clearly trying grab some of the Casablanca fans. It is, however, not anywhere near the quality of Casablanca.

"Doctors on Corregidor sort out a love triangle while fighting the invading Japanese forces. [1943] with Otto Kruger & Donald Woods. Approximately 1 hour, 6 minutes - B/W."

I enjoyed laughing at most of this film but two of my favorites are Sgt. Mahoney, (Frank Jenks), and a nurse named "Hey-Dutch", (Wanda Mckay). Mahoney is always trying to crack jokes at the worst times and "Hey-Dutch", well, her name is stupid! Ah, good times, good times.

The DVD recording I viewed of the film was not that good but I'm sure the original film has deteriorated over time.

An interesting tidbit of trivia is that Ruby Dandridge played a minor part as Hyacinth. Ruby is the mother of Dorothy Dandridge.

CORREGIDOR is your usual gung-ho American WW2 film set in the Philippines. Like many films which utilise that theatre of war as a backdrop, it goes for a B-movie approach and as such is only interesting as a dated curio, although it's worth remembering that this was made contemporaneous with the war itself so there are propaganda elements here.

Basically, the story of the film is to chart the progress of doctors, nurses, and soldiers as they exist on an island that is constantly being besieged by Japanese troops. CORREGIDOR is rather episodic in nature, featuring some frenetic battle action followed by a lull filled by some light humour and romance, and then going back to a battle around ten minutes later. It's basic stuff, lacking any decent actors to do their roles justice, and even Otto Kruger feels hammy. Some parts of the film do tell rather than show and it all gets a bit preachy at the end.

Recently distributed in DVD, this movie was a disappointment. It takes a unique tact to bring noncombatants into a war film; an idea that should have been a basis for a great story. The missionary doctor and the brave bride hardly get any character development throughout the film. The story is one of a dedicated missionary doctor in the Philippines, who is surprised by the arrival of a former lover. On 6 December, 1941, she has followed the missionary doctor to marry him. He is surprised as he had disregarded the letter, being busy in his research. But, her real love is an Army doctor, currently stationed at Corrigidor. The Japanese attack happens at the close of the wedding ceremony. That begins a 600 miles journey through the jungle, with terribly directed combat scenes and with poorly dramatized suffering. Although we expect some period gloss over suffering and combat, the scenes are very poorly presented. At Corrigidor, the battle progresses, the three friends/lovers are reunited, and the devastating losses mount. I'll leave the ending to the viewer, but it is convincing neither in tone nor emotion. In 1943, there were probably not many technical advisers on the last scenes at Corrigidor, but suffice it to say, the last departees were not leaving on C-47s. I appreciate period pieces, and allow for the oversights, glamorization of the 1940's scripts and productions. And the patriotic message was both expected and deserved by the men and women who struggled on Corrigidor and throughout the Philippines. But, this is just poorly done, and loses all its punch. Too bad for a potentially great story line, in an honestly heroic setting. Having visited Corrigidor, I was hopeful for a powerful, though period based piece. The film was disappointing on all counts.