Corregidor

Please ignore the reviews of some of the millennials which are posted for this film; they just do not understand the time period and the emotional atmosphere of the US in 1942. When this film was made, the US was getting pushed around pretty good in the Pacific; it was not until Guadalcanal a year or so later that the US won its first land battle in the area. This film shows the unpreparedness of the US Armed forces in the Pacific at the time. Military units were basically using WW 1 tactics for fighting a modern war, and the Japanese were well ahead of the US technically in several areas in 1942. However, the might of US manufacturing and the will of the US fighting man soon overcame these temporary deficiencies. This film, being made precisely in that time period, along with a few other films of that time period, depict the hopelessness and despair that most US military personnel had to endure privately. Publically, they put on a brave front, as depicted in the film. Yes, there are several corny scenes, and the film is dated in some places. But it certainly captures the atmosphere of the time period. Things were not PC in those days, and the dialogue reflects that. That's just the way it was. So, this film is for adults, not millennials, who want everything to be PC.

Reminded me of MASH and had potential but it was a general B movie

The Battle of Corregidor involved hundreds of thousands of troops and tons of airplanes, tanks and ships. Tiny little Atlantis Pictures tried to capture it...on the cheap. Instead of hundreds of thousands of troops, you might see a dozen or so. And instead of modern equipment, they use a lot of stock footage--though at least many of the planes are actually Japanese (unlike many other US films which used Dauntless or Texan aircraft and tried to pass them off as Japanese Mitsubishi fighters). I say many because sometimes the clips are all wrong...but at least they're more right than wrong! As for the backgrounds, they are VERY cheap and the jungle set is almost laughably bad.

The story involves a couple of doctors who, one minute are going to break up and the next they get married. Soon their honeymoon turns crap when the Japanese attack...and they spend the rest of the film trying to survive. She's really in love with another guy--so you can guess where it goes next. Otto Kruger, Donald Woods and Elissa Landi are fine in the movie, though the trio aren't exactly leading stars (especially Landi)...which isn't surprising with an Atlantis film. They simply couldn't afford a Clark Gable, Jimmy Cagney or Pat O'Brien.

So is it any good? Not especially. Mostly the Japanese just line up waiting to be easily shot...and if Corregidor was really that easy the United States/Filipino forces would have won that battle!! But at least the Japanese aren't drooling animals like they were in many other American films of the day* (entertaining...yes...but not exactly realistic). Everyone tries their best but with the film's many limitations it manages only to be slightly entertaining and not much more.

*I've seen some Japanese and German wartime films and the Americans are every bit as subhuman or one-dimensional in them as well.

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 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.