La historia del Dr. Wassell

As WWII becomes part of 20th Century History, we now look back upon the Hollywood films depicting WWII as over-sentimental and patriotic. But this film is different, it was not about a great Allied victory but an Allied defeat and how one man, an American doctor single-handedly risked his life to save American sailors too injured to be moved during the pending invasion of Java by the advancing Japanese fleet. It is these real-life stories that are absent of any propaganda that will make this film survive. Although a bit glamourized for WWII moviegoing audiences, this film holds up well and it covers a part of WWII with respect to the Dutch involvement rarely discussed. Finally, Cecille B. DeMille, Gary Cooper and Technicolor still make this film an engaging experience.

GARY COOPER is a dedicated Naval doctor during World War II tending to the wounded in Java where a shipload of men are wounded and expecting an attack by the Japanese. LARAINE DAY is the lovely woman he loves and who stands by him when the going gets rough.

The Technicolor photography is a big asset in making the war scenes more realistic and the men really look like damaged goods in their bandages and splints--two of whom are played by PAUL KELLY and DENNIS O'KEEFE. O'Keefe shares a wobbly, artificial sub-plot romance with a nurse (CAROL THURSTON) who looks after him. Ditto for SIGNE HASSO and ELLIOT REID. However, all of the scenes in the infirmary have an authentic look, thanks to DeMille's eye for detail.

The wounded men are full of high spirits and hi-jinks but Cooper is told that 60,000 Japs have landed in Java nearby and none of the wounded would have a chance to escape. It's up to him to devise a plan where he can help some of the wounded escape.

The action scenes are fine but there's too many lulls in between with clumsy use of flashbacks involving Wassell's romance with Laraine Day and some tediously repetitious scenes of wounded men suffering further wounds when the men try to make an escape with the aid of British troops.

Certainly not a typical Cecil B. DeMille vehicle, but Cooper gives a decent performance.

The running time is too long because the flabby screenplay is sidetracked by poorly handled flashback segments. The sub-plot with Dennis O'Keefe's character just doesn't work and the whole story takes too long to tell.

This is an entertaining movie if somewhat dated ,still worth an occassional veiwing. Gary Cooper carries the film with a great performance showing him for the star he was. The cast is packed with good character actors and actresses,and is filmed in colour,based on a true story that De Mille heard on the radio as told by FDR. The story of how the doctor rescues some badly injured sailors in the Phillipines is told in a flagwaving way,with humor and tragedy side by side. One reveiwer asks about Hoppy a badly wounded soldier who is left stranded on the wrong side of a demolished bridge,the film shows the Japanese closing in on him and a nurse then they disapear. In C.B,deMILLES BIOGRAPHY he reveals that Hoppy did survive and at the end of the credits he told the film audience this fact.

An attractive and engaging picture about U. S. Navy doctor Corydon M. Wassell, stationed in Java when the Japanese overun the island. The Story of Dr. Wassell is a 1944 American World War II film set in the Dutch East Indies, competently directed by Cecil B. DeMille. Dr. Wassell is a missionary doctor from Arkansas, who had in the past worked in China (which is shown in the first half of the film as a series of flashback) and after the Japanese invasion of Batavia finds himself (now as a doctor in the US Navy) caring for twelve American soldiers badly wounded during Japanese strafing of some cruisers. Wassell's placed in charge of evacuating the wounded. When he learns that stretcher cases must be left behind, and ignoring advice to abandon his patients, Wassell manages to care for them while leading them through the jungle until they can be evacuated by boat to Australia. So he disobeys orders to rescue some badly injured soldiers and get them to safety. He coordinates the remaining injured servicemen and leads them to safety towards the last Allied evacuation points. Drama of Loyalty and Love! The Story the Whole World Has Heard About!. Have You seen Tremartini? She's from the Pacific-And she's terrific!. He had three loves...and all were great!. Incredible Adventures of a Country Doctor Who Became the Country's Hero!

A patriotic and sensitive film dealing with a valiant person as starring, when the Japanese sweep through the East Indies during World War II, Dr. Wassell is determined to escape from Java with some crewmen of the cruiser Marblehead, that's why the U. S. forces withdraw from Java, ahead of the Japanese invasion. Based on a true story of how Dr. Wassell saved a dozen or so injured sailors who were left behind when able bodied men were evacuated to Australia. Starring the great and always sympathetic Gary Cooper, along with Laraine Day, Signe Hasso and Dennis O'Keefe. Naturally, there has to be some romance, so Gary Cooper's paired with Laraine Day as a Red Cross nurse. And adding other nice secondaries, such as: Stanley Ridges, Carol Thurston, Carl Esmond, Paul Kelly, Elliott Reid, Philip Ahn, Barbara Britton . The film was based on a book of the same name by novelist and screenwriter James Hilton. The book and film were inspired by the wartime activities of U. S. Navy Doctor Corydon M. Wassell which were referred to by President Roosevelt in a radio broadcast made in April 1942, the appropriate section of this broadcast appears toward the end of the film, as a result Wassell won the Navy Cross for humanitarianism in WWII. For their work on this film, Farciot Edouart, Gordon Jennings and George Dutton received a nomination for the Oscar for Best Effects.

It displays a colorful cinemagraphy in brilliant Technicolor from directors of photography William E. Snyder and Victor Milner. Shot on location in Tapachula, Metapa, Chiapas, México and Paramount Studios, Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Placerita Canyon State Park, Condado de Los Ángeles, San Diego, California, Estados Unidos. Adding the emotive and thrilling musical score by the classic composer Victor Young. This vigorous motion picture was well realized in Cecil B DeMille's ordinary style, supported by a magnificent second unit by Harold Rosson; both of them made some greatest spectacles of all time. Although a nimbler action filmmaker than Cecil might have made even more of the Oscar-winning effects work. Cecil produced and directed 70 films and was involved in many more. Many of his films were romantic sexual comedies, as he is supposed to have believed that Americans were curious only about money and sex. His best-known were biblical and religious epics that further established him as the symbol of Hollywood, such a: King of Kings (1927), The ten Commandments (1923) , The Crusades (1935) and , of course , Charlton Heston's Ten commandments (1956) and he made two versions about The Buccaneer : 1938 and 1958, the latter was ended by Anthony Quinn and Arthur Rosson due to his death. The Story of Dr. Wassell (1944) rating: 6.5/10. Better than average. The flick will appeal to Gary Cooper fans.

With a title of The Story of Dr. Wassell, and a leading man of Gary Cooper, it's no wonder I blew this movie off as a silly comedy not worth watching. But, as it was Gary Cooper's time as Star of the Week, I decided to give it a chance. After five minutes, I knew it was good quality. This is a fantastic war movie about a real Navy doctor, not some random Hollywood creation with a funny name. Had the leading man been James Stewart or Spencer Tracy, it would have been a real A-tier picture. Gary just doesn't have the acting chops, but he tries his best. He's given great lines to deliver, and I can imagine either of the other two Hollywood greats doing more with them. As he prepares his wounded men for an air raid, he tells them there's nothing to worry about. Then, in an aside to one of his nurses, he asks, "Are you as scared as I am?"

Back to the story: Stuck in Java with a charge of a dozen severely wounded sailors, he finds out there's a boat sailing that can take them to safety in Allied territory. He's anxious to get his men out of danger of a Japanese invasion, but the orders say only men who can walk can come aboard. Gary doesn't have the heart to tell the dozen men on stretchers that they can't go, so he decides to disobey the orders and smuggle them aboard. Will it work? Or will the self-sacrificing doctor give even more to his patients?

In the supporting cast are Laraine Day as Gary's former love interest and Philip Ahn, his assistant during his research days before the war. The dozen soldiers and handful of nurses are also given unique characters and reasons to keep them going. One nurse (Carol Thurston) gives a sailor (Dennis O'Keefe) a blood transfusion, and she believes that they are connected forever because of their bond. One man (Elliott Reid) falls in love with his nurse (Signe Hasso), only to find out she's already in love with a Dutch soldier (Carl Esmond). The screenplay is full of great lines, interesting characters, and compelling plot points. I humbly apologize to this movie for thinking it wouldn't be any good. It's very good!