If anyone thinks they've seen this film before, An American Guerrilla in the Philippines bears no small resemblance to the John Wayne film Back to Bataan. But what a difference in terms of production.
Back to Bataan was done on the RKO back-lot with their official jungle set used for films going back to King Kong and The Most Dangerous Game. An American Guerrilla in the Philippines was shot entirely on location in the Phillipines and the cinematography is beautiful.
I'm not sure that Tyrone Power's military service brought him to the Philippines, but he did serve in the Marines in the Pacific Theater in several campaigns against many islands. It certainly lent a lot of credibility to his performance.
Unlike John Wayne who is ordered into the hills to begin organizing resistance, Power is a navy ensign who's just trying to escape the Philippines after Bataan has fallen and to avoid the brutal Japanese prison camps. Along the way Power decides along with Tom Ewell and others in his motley group to join the resistance.
And unlike John Wayne, Power gets an opportunity for a little romance with a plantation widow, Michelline Presle.
Power does a good job here. The film is not a dark and moody Fritz Lang type product, but Lang does all right with a project that he obviously took for a pay check. I will say this though the ending is a bit too much to swallow as Douglas MacArthur does indeed return, and in the nick of time as well.
Back to Bataan was done on the RKO back-lot with their official jungle set used for films going back to King Kong and The Most Dangerous Game. An American Guerrilla in the Philippines was shot entirely on location in the Phillipines and the cinematography is beautiful.
I'm not sure that Tyrone Power's military service brought him to the Philippines, but he did serve in the Marines in the Pacific Theater in several campaigns against many islands. It certainly lent a lot of credibility to his performance.
Unlike John Wayne who is ordered into the hills to begin organizing resistance, Power is a navy ensign who's just trying to escape the Philippines after Bataan has fallen and to avoid the brutal Japanese prison camps. Along the way Power decides along with Tom Ewell and others in his motley group to join the resistance.
And unlike John Wayne, Power gets an opportunity for a little romance with a plantation widow, Michelline Presle.
Power does a good job here. The film is not a dark and moody Fritz Lang type product, but Lang does all right with a project that he obviously took for a pay check. I will say this though the ending is a bit too much to swallow as Douglas MacArthur does indeed return, and in the nick of time as well.